Week 8: Engaging Students in Your Lessons

Prompt A: To a student who is staring out the window, “Do you know the answer, Raymond?”

This is not a good example of Technique 22: Cold Call. When properly utilized cold call is a positive method of questioning. The purpose of the cold call technique is to keep students engaged whether or not you call on them. After establishing the technique students would know to be fully engaged the moment questioning starts. The teacher makes sure to call on all the students whether their hands are raised or not. When applying the technique the teacher wants to give students every opportunity to have their voice heard in a successful manner. Asking a student who isn't paying attention may not be inappropriate, but it's not the purpose of cold call.
Asking a spaced out student a question is a gotcha type moment. It sends the message that if you don't pay attention you'll be reprimanded. It does not foster risk taking by students to share thoughts they're not totally sure about.