I don't know...

These three words, coupled with (or in place of) the shoulder shrug, really irk me. It feels like a cop out, that a student just doesn't want to answer. I know this isn't the case. I know that most of the times the student really doesn't know.

The reason the classic, "I don't know" really gets to me is that it totally kills any moment a conversation may have had. I have no idea how to help to get the students back on track: Do they not know what I'm asking? Do they not know what I said? Do they not know a word that was part of the question? As a teacher I'm at a loss to help and this is so frustrating.

As a new year is beginning I'm reflecting a lot on practices that worked well last year and those that didn't.

When students would say, I don't know, I would ask, "Would you like to ask a friend for help?" or "Should I come back to you?". Usually this was enough to help keep the conversation going. Sometimes it was followed up with another, "I don't know" or a silent shrug.

With one particular student, it was always, "I don't know". No matter how many ways I reworded the questions, or how many outs I gave her, she would shrug her shoulders. One day I finally sat down with her and explained why I found, "I don't know" so frustrating. I explained that I didn't know how to help when she said that. I need to know more. What don't you know? This helped her rephrase her responses a bit better, but she still struggled to take ownership of explaining her confusion. This meant that I had to have this conversation with her frequently (which obviously didn't lead to independence for anyone). So while the practice of trying to get students to rephrase their "I don't knows" was somewhat successful, it could still use improvement.

I recently came across this article 8 Phrases to Teach Students Instead of “I Don’t Know" and a lightbulb went off in my head. First I was really excited to have more phrases to teach the students. Second, it reminded me of the importance of scaffolding academic language.

Scaffolding language is often relied on when working with English language learners. You use sentence stems or teach specific structures so the students can begin to use English more independently and with confidence. However, realistically all students benefit from being taught academic language. If we as teachers want students to be more engaged in the classroom we need to provide them with the tools to do so.

So, I'm planning a new anchor chart (Pinterest is so full of ideas!) to provide my students with statements they can use instead of, "I don't know". I'll put up my top 4 that I'd like students to use, then ask them what kind of language they could use in the moment. Giving students voice and choice is really important, and building these strategies together will mean more success in the future. Also, having conversations with the students about how to express their needs will help them realize that it's a team effort and that their opinions are valid.