Principle+4

"Teachers use Massive amounts of mental energy doing much of the thinking kids could do themselves" So teachers go home tired and kids go home full of energy.

Ch. 11 Shared Thinking

When confronted with an emotional student or angry parent teachers are often put in the position to do all the thinking because those that are emotional can't be rational. Teachers need to enhance self-concept of the student or parent by showing empathy and listening to their thoughts, emotions, and complaints. When the listening is finished, the talker will start to calm down and shared thinking can begin.

Use Bloom's Taxonomy, levels of questioning, to engage the student in thinking. The higher level questions will envoke more thinking and less reactions. Asking good questions help the student think about the problem in new ways and take away from the emotions attached to the issue because it is very hard to do both at the same time. As the student thinks his emotions settle.

See page 178 for Bloom's Taxonomy chart if you are unfamiliar with this hieracrchy of questions.

LL gives a few magic words to get you started.


 * What would yo like to happen?
 * Would you like my thinking on that?
 * Is it possible that...?
 * How do you feel about...?
 * Is there any chance that...?
 * How do you suppose that might work out?
 * What do you think I think?
 * On a scale of 1-10, how good a decision do you think that is?
 * Woud you like to hear what others have tried?

Ch. 11- submitted by Tammy


 * This chapter focuses on the way to ask students questions and give proper wait time for the students to have time to think.
 * Students need questions in order to get them thinking at various levels.
 * Students need to be given more responsibility for their actions and choices through questioning.
 * When questions are raised the students self-concept needs to remain intact.
 * Relearning is an essential part of life for everyone.
 * Relearning needs to be made within a context of order, and is done even more now with the changing of technology.