Equal-Opportunity Teaching...

While in our graduate class, our professor, Dr. Monroe, provided us with three different strategies for classroom participation to experiment with.  There was no real agenda or desired outcome that needed to take place, rather she just encouraged us to try it because it is new, different, and because we might like it.  I chose the "cold calling" strategy.  This strategy requires you to put all of your student's names in a cup, and instead of asking a question and seeing who knows the answer, you randomly pull a name out of the cup, and the unfortunate soul is at the mercy of your question.  Now think back to your Algebra 1 class.  Close your eyes, remember the smell of that stale classroom, the bland paint on the walls, and the brutally monotone voice of your teacher.  In spite of these hurdles, you may have been a confident and bright young freshman who conquered absolute value equations with poise, but I surely was not.  As a student, I would not have faired well with this tactic, and so it is in light of this reality, this harsh twist of ironical fate, that I revel in "going to the cup".

Class started as it normally does, with the students waltzing into our room and quietly beginning their bell-ringer assignment.  I gave them a few minutes to work on the assignment, partly to be sure everyone had a chance to work on it, but more to ensure no one had an excuse to not participate.  When a few minutes had elapsed, I posed a question to the class.  "Who here has ever heard of, or knows what it means to be someone of equal-opportunity?  An equal-opportunity employer maybe? or an equal-opportunity judge?"  Some students confidently raised their hands and  conjured up explanations of what it meant to be equal-opportunity, and after a few guesses, one actually hit the nail square on the head.  "It's what happens when everyone get's an equal opportunity" exclaimed one of the bright eyed students on the first row.  "Exactly", I replied.  I continued, "I want to be sure that everyone in class has an equal opportunity to answer the questions that come up in class, so instead of calling on volunteers, I've developed a new solution."  "This cup holds the name of everyone in class, and every time I have a question, I'll just pull a name from the cup instead of asking for volunteers.  This will ensure everyone gets a chance to participate in class!"  Cue the grumblings.  In spite of their apparent distaste for my cup, what resulted was an engaged and attentive class.  They realized that with every question came another role of the dice, another round of algebraic roulette, and that if their name was drawn, they wouldn't be able to opt out.  I wasn't picking on anyone, but rather I was picking on everyone.  

I have found that the practice of the cold calling technique has its pros and cons, depending on how it is executed.  If I pull a name, and then don't replace it in the cup, the student can rest and not pay attention after they have answered one question.  If I pull a name, and then return it to the cup, it runs the risk of a student being called on more than once, and consequently other students not being called on at all.  All in all, I have found my brief practice of being an "equal-opportunity" teacher has been positive.  It requires students pay attention, and is an informal way of assessing the student's ability.  I recommend a cup, hat, bowl, or other object to aid with class participation, and plan to employ this tactic with my classes in the fall.

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