Thread by @621carly

A thread about cold-call. 👇

I’m not saying I’m an expert (I’m always learning) but these 👇 are my thoughts.

I love cold-call. It’s ace.
1/17

However, people talk about cold-call like it’s easy. It’s not easy. It takes deliberate, conscious effort and it’s not always a very natural thing to do.

Let me explain.
2/17

IME teachers naturally and spontaneously teach via questions. These questions, pop unbidden into a teacher’s head, and are then thrown out into the classroom like a frisbee ready to be caught by students who love answering questions (or who just love to have their hands up). 3/17

Teachers do this, I think, because it’s very natural to ‘teach‘ via asking questions. This is because teaching is probably, at its core, a one on one activity. A person teaching another person. In that situation, teaching by questioning makes sense.
4/17

But, in a classroom situation you have to fight against your natural disposition to just throw out questions and do something which, at first, seems alien - but when you get used to it, it’s like you’ve never done anything else.

So, these are my tips on how to cold-call 👇
5/17

1. Plan your questions. You have to have Qs planned. Why? Because if you use up working memory thinking of Qs to ask when you’re in the class, you’ll forget to cold call. Trust me.
6/17

2. You have to know the kids’ names. You just have to. Cold-call without names is embarrassing, plus it falters and fails. Best tip: have your seating plan on a clipboard that you hold in your hand. Never let it go.
7/17

3. You have to signal your cold call. This means you have to ‘front’ your questions with a phrase that stops kids from raising their hands. Eg 👇
8/17

✅ ‘let’s find out who knows what Shakespeare’s intention is here. *no hands are up* ‘Sally, please tell me what line 3 suggests.’ 👍

❎ ‘so, what is Shakespeare’s intention in line 3?
*usual hands go up* 🙄
9/17

4. Note: that ✅ example was not even a question at all. It was a signal - then a request. 👍
10/17

5. You have to plan your signals. If you don’t plan them, you’ll forget to use them and just go into natural-just-ask-question mode.

Egs
- I’d like to know....
- We need to find out...

Or even:
- Using cold call, let’s explore..
- No hands up; tell me Paul...
11/17

6. Follow signals with questions (that you’ve planned) or even better, with personal requests.

Eg.
Danny, explain why...
Keturah, give me the answer to..
Sam, tell us what you wrote..
Imogen, share your thoughts...
12/17

7. Note that the signals, and the requests *do not* invite hands up. This is REALLY important.

So many teachers invite hands up.
Then say hands down.
Then kids get annoyed.

I understand.
That would annoy me too.
13/17

8. Whether it’s a request or a series of quick-fire questions, make sure they’re preceded by a signal and a name. Never ever ever just ask a question. Or if you do, know that that isn’t cold-call. 😁
14/17

9. And then.... Practise. Loads. Every day. It’s worth it. You won’t always get it right. That’s okay. It’s not easy. Keep going. Your students will get used to it and be more alert.
15/17

10. Once used to it, you can target your cold-call questions to kids who a) need to practise recall b) need a chance to elaborate c) need to close a knowledge gap. You can also skilfully direct Qs to challenge & support children with differences in prior attainment.
16/17

11. Cold-call is ace. But it’s not easy or natural. It takes effort and planning. Huge respect to those who do it well. 👍

Super huge respect to my teachers at @lodgeparkacad who get it right AND keep getting better at it. You rock. I learn so much from you. 🙏
17/17