The other week, a colleague from an online learning community asked the group how to deal with students who seem to just complain about not “getting it” in the math classroom. That got me to thinking about how I learned to best help students who may or may not be helping themselves. There is one single question that I have learned to ask…

The other week, a colleague from an online learning community asked the group how to deal with students who seem to just complain about not “getting it” in the math classroom. That got me to thinking about how I learned to best help students who may or may not be helping themselves. There is one single question that I have learned to ask…

The Scenario

All math teachers been there. You’ve taught what you thought was a brilliant lesson. You stated the essential question. You had an awesome hook. You made crucial connections to past learning. You elaborated on anticipated hang-ups. And you provided an active summary.

Then it happens. A student blurts out, “I don’t get it.” So you’re left wondering one of two things…

Does the student really not get it? Was there some part of the lesson that was unclear? Maybe the student was taking copious notes and therefore missed a minor detail.

Or is the student just avoiding cognitive engagement in the active summary by complaining? Maybe this student was watching TikTok during the delivery of my fabulous lesson. If only students like this understood the planning that went into your lesson. But Ii digress…

One Simple Question

Actually, I can’t take credit for this simple question. I often hear it asked by Dave Ramsey on his radio show. Invariably, listeners call in and go on and on about their financial woes. When he was finally done with his country song litany of monetary misfortunes, Dave simply asks them, “How can I help?” The phone line went quiet for a moment. Dave asks, “Did we lose our caller?” I’m sure he knows that the callers are taking a quick inventory at this point. Was he just calling to whine? Or was he seeking specific expert financial advice to fix it?

Ever since learning this one simple question, I have used it to engage both types of students. I have found that the question is applicable for both scenarios outlined above.

If the student really doesn’t understand something, the question encourages cognitive engagement. The student will pause. Hmm… the teacher just validated my legitimate question and wants to know how to help me. Let me think about what specifically is challenging my understanding. Then I get a good question that enables me to diagnose the student’s sticking point.

If the student is looking to avoid work, the question hopefully encourages self-reflection. The student will pause. Hmm… the teacher just validated my phony work-avoiding ploy and wants to know how to help me. Crap! I don’t have real question. He’s on to me! I’ll just say never mind, I get it now. While professional educators don’t (or shouldn’t) think that way, adolescents often do. They would prefer to avoid being perceived as stupid by the focused students. This is a faulty perception, because I believe that every good student has the heart of a teacher.

Try this “ninja” technique and leave a comment to let others know how it worked for you.