Well.....maybe they changed my teaching strategies, and not my life, but these two poker chips taught me a lesson about "think time."
You know the kid in class that always has the answer to a question before you can finish your question?
Teacher: "What is the first....."
Kid: (hand is raised and screaming) "I know.....I know."
This kid is known as the "Mind Reader." He is predicting your question before you ask it. It makes me think of that song by Gordon Lightfoot, "If I Could Read Your Mind."
Then, there is that kid who listens to the entire question then waves his hands up in the air to out wave the mind reader. But when you call on him to answer the question his response is, "Ummmmm, I forgot what I was going to say." This kid is referred to as the "Great Pretender." Can you hear that song playing in your head? Sorry....it will be there awhile.
Now, sitting at the very back of the classroom is the "Takin' Care of Business" kid. I know this kid very well. I was this kid. This kid takes care of his business and keeps a low profile. The back of the classroom is his comfort zone. It is safe back there. There is no pressure to answer a question because you NEVER make eye contact with the teacher. If the teacher looks your way, you look down and pretend you're trying to find your place in the text book, or act as if you dropped your pencil on the floor. If and when the pressure is getting too close for comfort, you are prepared to ask for a clinic pass because of the invisible rash you just discovered under your fingernail. You know if you answer a question it will probably be the wrong answer. The "Takin' Care of Business" kid doesn't have to worry about answering questions..........they know the Great Pretender and the Mind Reader will do it quickly.
That's when these two poker chips came in handy. I taught my kids the red chip means "think time." The green chip means "talk time." If the red chip is down, no one is allowed to raise their hand to answer a question. I would ask the question then set my timer for about 30 seconds. During that 30 seconds it was known as "think time." I even taught my kindergarteners and first graders what "think time" looked like. They would rub their chin or scratch their heads to show me they were thinking. It was the cutest sight ever! After the timer went off, I would place the green chip down and hands were allowed to go up. It gave everyone a chance to really THINK of a good answer.
One day I was in a hurry and forget to pull out the chips. I asked the question, "How can you tell the character in the story was frustrated?" My "taking care of business" boy replied, "Mrs. Brown, I need more think time." I loved his reply. I loved that his answer wasn't, "I don't know." He was able to verbalize he just needed more time to think. The chips were a great reminder for me that we all need time to think and process what we are going to say.
Up the ante in your classroom, your buckaroos will love it. (And so will your principal)
Happy Trails,
Mrs. B.
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