Tip 29 Equitable Distribution of Questions

Summary: Interacting with all students. Encouraging diversity enrollment.

Do you ask questions that can be answered? Who do you choose when you ask questions over a topic?

In my class, I put the names of students in a hat. I ask a question then randomly select a name of the hat. (The hat I use if from the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank compliments of Tim Schilling.)

After I select a name, I give wait time of five seconds for the student to answer. If the student has problems answering the question, I prompt.

I have found that I have a tendency to ask questions to students that I know will answer correctly. Asking questions in this manner communicates my expectations to the other students. The effect of asking questions in this manner is that only a few become involved in the class. But if I ask questions to random students, they all are accountable for the content.

Another benefit I have learned from asking random students questions is that I ask the high achieving students and the low achieving students the same question. I don't ask those students struggling with the content, "easy" questions. Again, I don't communicate my perception of a student by the type of question I ask.

If you have equity concerns, you will find that providing equal opportunity to contribute to the class will encourage minority students to take your AP Microeconomics or AP Macroeconomics classes.

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About the Author: Mike Fladlien is an AP Economics teacher from Muscatine High School in Muscatine, IA. He blogs at Mikeroeconomics.