"2 minute WSQ" - making progress and STUDENT VIDEO!

"2 minute WSQ" (my favorite portion is about 0:23-0:31)

How often do your math students have time to sit in groups and discuss the material and ask/answer questions?

I have been "training" my students this last week by setting a timer up on the screen.  They always had a hard time staying focused and talking about MATH for an extended period of time.  Giving them a goal has been GREAT!  I have them get all ready (notebooks and packets out, etc) and then count down to say "Go!" and they lean in and start talking.  If a group gets off task or a group member isn't engaged, the timer starts over. Today I didn't have to start the timer over in ANY of my Algebra 1 classes!

As with anything, new expectations take TIME and TRAINING for the students to get used to what they are supposed to do.  We are about 5 days into this routine and I am already very happy with what I am seeing and hearing.

The best part of this time (in Math Analysis it is 5:00, BTW) is that students are doing the talking and thinking, and I am walking around the groups listening in and guiding if necessary.  Most of the time the students can answer each other's questions.

When the timer goes off, I ask the groups if there were any questions posed that they couldn't answer.  If so, I go over them as a class.  Or, if I heard some common themes or questions among all the groups, we will go over an example as a class.

Then it's time to get to work :)

see Previous Posts about starting this "timed WSQ" here and here.
Read about the WSQ here.