One of my favorite things to do in Math is to give students the ability to show they know something, anything. My students are always throwing their hands up to answer questions that have a legit correct or incorrect response. This excites me for them. I love their confidence! However, sometimes the issue is that not all students are exercising their hand popping high to the sky ability.
I think this is largely because students are not confident in their responses. I do not think students are given enough time to decide on a right or wrong answer. Also, students may misunderstand initially. Cue the “I think the answer could be . . .” system. I can confidently state that I am not the creator of this system. I do not doubt that this has been used for many decades. The prompt sometimes presents itself differently. Also, it can be used across subjects.
I use this response system in math a few different ways:
- I post an “answer,” and I am looking for students to generate the question.
- This requires students to think backward. This can be tricky for several students at times. Many may want to include the actual answer in their question, which usually leads to a question with a different answer.
- I give students a prompt to generate a few different responses and to show different ways of thinking.
- This one might be one of my most exciting ways to gauge a student's thinking. For example, it could be a prompt like “Which does not belong?” or “Same or different?” This one truly shows my student's differences in thought.
Want to try these “I Think it Could Be . . .” maps for your classroom? Click here to grab them for FREE. Feel free to let me know how you use them in your room. Do you switch it up and use it for a different subject?
PIN ME
