Have A Little Fun: The "Stretch It" Technique

Is it bad to admit that I use some teaching practices just because they're fun?

Well, maybe not just​ because they're fun, but I'm willing to admit that fun is a big part of it.

Maybe it's just me, but I like for my class to be a place that is not only one that students enjoy, but one that I enjoy, too.

A practice I've learned in the last couple of years that I find to provide lots of fun for me and for the kids is called "Stretch It" (Teach Like A Champion 3.0 Technique #17 - p. 161).  The technique can take a few forms, but my personal favorite - and the version I'll describe here - is to reward a student's correct answer with even more questions.

During my daily recall practice, I plan a few "stretches" - places where, if I get the answer I'm looking for from the student who responds, I'll ask even more questions.  

Possibly a lot more questions.

Check it out: 
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It's fun!

It's effective, too.  I asked a vocabulary question, but by staying with the same student, I was able to sneak in more vocabulary questions in virtually the same amount of time it would have taken to ask one or two.  No time was lost to posing the question, taking a new volunteer, or employing more wait time (also effective), so - poof! - it's almost as though I created 10-20 seconds of additional instructional time out of thin air!

But it was also fun!  Once the class realizes a "stretch" is coming and it isn't just a basic Q&A, the adrenaline level rises for the student being stretched and the rest of the class gets laser-focused on what's going on.  Everybody's a little on edge, in the fun way, in anticipation of how the stretch is going to go.
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Here's another one:
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That one was hard, too.  I almost didn't do it.  Some things are hard to do mentally and without paper in math, and I never want students to think I expect them to be able to do that.

But it's pretty cool when they can, isn't it?

Now, a few details and nuances.

First, you might be thinking that by asking a bunch of questions in a row to the same student, I'm robbing other students of the chance to participate.  Sounds logical, but paradoxically, everybody participates in a stretch - not just the student under fire.  The intensity of the technique raises everybody's adrenaline just  little, and the increased focus that comes with adrenaline gets everybody honed in more than normal.

Intensity and suprise are good for attention.

In fact, as proof that it isn't just the student being 'stretched' who is doing the thinking, I often have to reprimand the class for saying or whispering answers on the "stretched" student's behalf.  
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Not only is everybody participating, they're participating a little too much!

Here's another one, where I have to remind the class to "let her stretch!"
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If a class full of FOMO isn't evidence that something's fun, I don't know what is!

Second, you might be thinking that there are students who want no part of this, and who might not ever raise their hand again if they thought a series of "stretch it" questions might follow.  This technique isn't for everybody, you're intuition might be telling you.

And you're right.

When I think about this technique, there are three types of students:

1. The ones who can't wait for it.  In the second video - the solution set example - that student regularly asks me to stretch him.  When he comes to the middle, he'll even tell me, "I'm feeling pretty stretchy today, just so you know."  He, and many of the rest of them, would almost be disappointed if I called on him and didn't stretch him after the first question.
2. The ones who don't want it.  Some kids are hesitant to raise their hands ever, and the thought of being 'stretched' if they did wouldn't help that.  For them, I have two tactics:

                    1. Frequently I just ask them - "do you want to stretch?"  If they say no, no problem!  We
                          celebrate their first answer and move on.

            2. After a right answer, I might say to them "my next question is going to be _____________________
​                - do you want to take that one or hand it off?

 3. The ones on the fence, who want to get in on the fun, but they need the stakes to be low.  For them, rather than pushing straight into a stretch, I hedge the next question. "Great memory!  Next, I want to ask ________, but that's unreasonable - surely you don't remember.... do you?"  Or something like that.  It puts them at ease, and if they do  remember (which they usually do), they're so proud you'll have them on the hook forever.

Third, what if somebody can't answer?  No problem at all - stretches are easy to "hand off."  Check this one out - the class is so excited for the student who gets the "hand off' on this one that they probably don't even remember who started it.  ​

There's a culture element here, admittedly.  I tell students all the time that forgetting things is normal - even expected.  That's why we do recall practice in the first place.  "You should forget" - they hear me say all the time - "about half of what I'm asking you."  That's what brains do.  So there's no shame in forgetting something, as you can see here.  Nobody's snickering at who forgot- they're celebrating who remembered, even laughing as they acknowledge that he remembered something most of them didn't!

And yet again, it was fun!

Fourth, there are other versions of "stretch it."  What you see me doing here is stretching for breadth: more vocabulary, most possibilities, more versions, reverse situations, etc.  The technique can also be used to stretch for depth.  The two examples in Teach Like A Champion 3.0 are examples of this (p. 162-164), and the authors elaborate to offer quite a few options.

But the fun is what keeps me coming back to this technique time after time.  A passage on page 164 speaks to volumes: "When you give students ways to apply their knowledge in new settings, think on their feet, and tackle harder questions, they usually like it, at times quite a lot.  This kind of questioning keeps them engaged and sends the message that we, their teachers, believe deeply in their intellectual capability.  "Stretch It" shows young people what they can do.  You can almost see it in [the example student's] response.  She wonders for a moment, braces herself - she's beyond her comfort zone - but then she carries on and finds that she is up to the task.  To find that you can, over and over in the face of challenge, is to come to believe in yourself."

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