In the last few years, Cold-Calling has become one of the most popular means of participation in the classroom. While it sounds simple and straightforward, potential application mistakes can render an otherwise brilliant technique useless.
So, we’ve taken the time to explore the five most common mistakes teachers can make when Cold-Calling, and what you can do to ensure you don’t fall into these traps…
A refresher on Cold-Calling
What is Cold-Calling?
According to Doug Lemov, Cold-Calling is calling on a student regardless of whether they have offered to participate and a way of inviting students to join the conversation. Essentially, it consists of picking a student to answer your question. You can find out more in our deep-dive interview with Doug Lemov.
What are the effects of Cold-Calling in the classroom?
It has consistently been found that Cold-Calling has the potential to increase student engagement in the classroom. In a comprehensive study, researchers compared classes with high levels of Cold-Calling and classes with low levels of Cold-Calling. Over the course of the year, they found that students in the former condition were more likely to answer questions voluntarily.
However, emerging evidence suggests that Cold-Calling can potentially increase students’ feelings of discomfort and anxiety if not used carefully. Therefore, it helps to know what to avoid when implementing this technique.
The 5 mistakes to avoid when Cold-Calling
To ensure effective Cold-Calling, here are five common pitfalls to try to avoid when using this questioning strategy. Let’s look at these together…
1. Don’t equate Cold-Calling with no hands up
Some people equate Cold-Calling with no hands up. The thinking being that if you’re selecting who answers anyways, why would you need your students to volunteer?
While it makes sense at first glance to think this way, it is important to remember that students raising their hands and wanting to participate is a very important moment as it:
- Sends out a signal – When a student raises their hand, it signals to other students in the room that they care about what is happening, would like to speak, and are engaged in this conversation. This helps establish the social norm to participate in the classroom, which in turn boosts engagement.
- Gives us data – The number of hands that are up is a good way to check the understanding of your students. If you only get one or two hands up, it may mean that most students still need more teaching or more time to help with that concept.
Sometimes you may want hands-up. Sometimes you may not. There doesn’t have to be a set rule or dogma. What is important to remember is that, when using Cold-Calling, you have the option to call on students that don’t have their hands raised.
2. Don’t equate Cold-Calling with picking on students who weren’t paying attention
Cold-Calling is not a behaviour management technique. It is not meant to expose and embarrass students who haven’t been paying attention and are therefore unprepared. Doing so will create a negative classroom culture and make students feel anxious.
A good rule of thumb is that you should want your students to answer the question successfully when Cold-Calling. This may mean calling on someone who is well prepared, letting students jot their thoughts down as notes for first, or adopting the Think, Pair, Share technique.
3. How you deal with incorrect answers
4. Don’t skip Wait Times after Cold-Calling
5. Don’t use only Cold-Calling
Final thoughts
While Cold-Calling can be a very effective way to enhance classroom engagement, incorrect implementation can be detrimental. We hope the tips above help you avoid common Cold-Calling mistakes and cultivate a positive and productive learning environment that promotes student growth and achievement.
