I called it the "Saving My Brain for a Special Occasion" syndrome. I had to get through to them that this was that special occasion. What could I do to get their buy-in and own their work? (If any of this sounds remotely familiar to you, please know there is a happy ending!)
And then... an epiphany! (I love epiphanies, don't you?) At the time, I was just about to get a student teacher who happened to be a former corporate lawyer. I know... give up all those billable hours to work with kids. What was he thinking? He was determined and, as it turns out, he was great! But I digress...
We were in the middle of a math problem that involved several steps. As I was recording everyone's answers for a discussion, no one seemed to notice they were all over the board with their solutions. Then it hit me.
"OK, class... Today you have a new job. You have all been hired as math lawyers and your job is to Defend Your Answers!"
Lots of questions ensued.
"What does that mean?"
"Do we get paid?"
"Can I be the judge?"
"My mom's a lawyer!"
Finally, we decided what a proper defense would look like. They had to be able to defend each of the bullets below. To help them remember, I eventually gave each student a printed label of the checkpoints for their math journals.
It's amazing how a pretend title can boost the quality of work. Kids love to play grownup. Many found their "clients" needed some polishing before their "presentation in front of a jury of their peers" (class discussion), and changes were made. After all, each Math Lawyer wanted his/her client to win their case!
It took some training, but eventually, all I had to say was, "As a Math Lawyer, are you able to defend this answer?" Discussions improved. Students asked questions of the "lawyer" presenting. Suggestions were made. Learning happened!
I am forever grateful to my lawyer-student teacher for the Math Lawyer inspiration. Not everyone is as lucky as I was to have that built-in inspiration, but you can have your very own poster/label set, Become a Math Lawyer~ Defend your answer! for your students! I'll be anxious to hear how it works for you.
Thanks for stopping by!