No Opt Out Question Poster

A classroom poster to support effective questioning such as cold calling - provides alternative responses for ‘I don’t know’. This engages students in the learning process by providing thinking time and supporting confidence in sharing ideas.

When students have a knee-jerk reaction to being asked a question, redirect them to the options on the poster:

• Can you please repeat the question? - this provides more thinking time for students who make take longer processing. Even if a student just wasn’t originally listening, this allows them a guiltless response to reengage.
• Can I have more time to think? - if providing longer to think isn’t ideal, you could ask other students for answers then come back to them at a later point, potentially having them summarise other answers to ensure they contribute.
• Please can you explain…? - this allows students to ask clarification for part of the question such as a reminder of the definition of key words.
  • I’m not sure but I think that… - this allows students to provide an aspect o a relevant answer using their current knowledge. Although this won’t answer your question, it allows a jumping off point to engage another student to build on this answer.