Let's call it the Hermione Granger Effect. Every classroom has at least one Hermione, the pupil who always raises their hand to prove they have the right answer. At the back of the class, kids are quickly switching off.
But some Victorian schools are banning students from putting their hands up in classrooms, as part of an experiment in changing how classes are run. Toorak College and Frankston High School are among Victorian schools taking up the no hands-up policy, along with other schools in Europe. Derinya Primary School is also considering the approach.
The theory is that the same minority of top students are raising their hands to answer teachers' questions, and are getting smarter with each response, widening the gaps between the high and low performing students. Having the smart kids answer every question can fool teachers into believing that the whole classroom are learning.
About a third of the teachers at Frankston High School are changing the old habit, by writing the students' names on sticks and pulling out names at random for answers. There is one exception to the rule. The students are allowed to raise their hand when they have a question. English and history teacher Sarah Lefebvre has been trying the policy in Year 9, 10 and 11 classes since the beginning of the year. If a student didn't know the answer, they could "phone a friend" and explore the question with their classmates.
Derinya Primary School principal Jenny Roth, who is considering taking up the strategy, said teachers were moving away from questions that require basic recall. She said they were no longer interested in students getting the right answer, but wanted to measure the students’ learning. It is about engaging all kids in the class, so they can all participate and learn, and so the teacher can quickly figure out who gets it and who doesn't.
本时文内容由奇速英语国际教育研究院原创编写，禁止复制和任何商业用途，版权所有，侵权必究！
13980503458
13980503458
admin@qisuen.cn
