Chapter 5--Building Thinking Classrooms

 Questions

According to Liljedahl, students ask three types of questions:  Proximity questions, stop-thinking questions and keep thinking questions. I haven't spent a lot of time delving into this one yet, but I can see that I need to focus my thinking on what type of questions my students are asking me.  Not answering questions has been something I've been working on for several years now, so I already don't get too many questions. But now I think I need to be more specific about what and how I answer. Liljedahl basically says that 90% of questions are proximity or stop-thinking questions, so, literally, you could probably just stop answering all questions for a few days as an exercise, while paying attention to what is asked and not do a lot of damage to students. I can say--without any research--that the most common question I get is "is this right?"

Proximity questions are the easiest for me to see and deflect. I sometimes smile and walk away, but usually say some version of "I don't know, can you explain it to me?" He gives a list of questions you can ask in response to a proximity or stop thinking question, so I will review the list a few times over the next few weeks and maybe incorporate a few of them.  I think I need to talk to the students about questions and let them know this is something I am working on not answering, so if they see me and automatically want to ask a question, they shouldn't expect an answer. In the Q&A part of the chapter, he talks about how if you do it first, then explain what you are doing after a couple of weeks, this introduces the students to the concept without making it look like you are asking permission from them. 

As far as the "is this right?" question goes, it is tougher for me to see them making a mistake and walk away, but again, this is something I need to tell them about and say that I am trying to help them find and fix their own mistakes, so I am working on not correcting mistakes when I see them. I have already begun to shift to "how would you know?" And then I can direct them to compare to another group"s work.