One of the challenges that requires constant vigilance in the Thinking Classroom I've Built in Mathematics is assuring that every member of a group thinks and learns during the day's thinking task. There are quite a few ways this can go wrong, I've found:
A lot of the routine building and expectation setting in the first six weeks of school are geared toward pointing out this inevitable outcome and teaching students not to allow it to happen. Training students what to do when they have the marker and what to do when they don't to assure that they're learning either way is an inevitable hurdle that has to be cleared when Building A Thinking Classroom in Mathematics. Personally, I use this invaluable tool to succinctly teach students how to stay engaged in either role, and for the most part, it really does the trick. There's still considerable maintenance toward that end to be done each and every day, however. There are students who fall into old habits, either leaving behind their group or allowing their group to leave them behind. There are kids who struggle to understand each day and aren't willing to speak up, opting instead to let their group "run away" from them. And of course, there is the "I'm not feeling it today" crowd who feels that their bad mood is an excuse to passively and quietly disengage from time to time.
"there are teachers who without much fanfare take the students who others say 'can't' - can't read great literature, can't do algebra or calculus, can't and don't want to learn - and help, inspire, motivate, and even cajole them into being scholars who do."
In these classrooms, he goes on to tell us,
"the activities differ, but the techniques are the same.... My goal was to find as many such teachers as I could and to honor them by focusing on and studying their teaching. What I found is that while each great teacher is unique, as a group their teaching held elements in common..... In the aggregate, a story emerged. There is a toolbox for excellence... it turns out" (pp. xxxvi - xxxvii).
One of the tools in that toolbox, he found, is that great teachers use cold calling (Technique #34).
What is Cold Calling?
Cold calling, in Lemov's words, "is the practice of calling on students whether they have raised their hand or not," and he goes on to say that it "is a profoundly important technique that can elicit a chain of surprising and positive effects in the classroom" (p. 282). Tom Sherrington calls it "the #1 strategy for inclusive classrooms."
For such a simple idea, cold calling is incredibly nuanced. Lemov devotes nineteen pages to the details, variations, and affects that give cold call that positive effect. There's a lot to it. In a traditional classroom and in whole-group formats, all of this nuance and detail really, really matters. This is a technique that, when done well, can really make engagement soar(here's a wonderful example). It's also one that, when done poorly, can really generate resentment and misery. I don't recommend trying this technique in a whole-class format unless you've studied it thoroughly. In a Thinking Classroom, where much of the activity happens in privacy of small, random groups, however, I find cold calling be far simpler to execute well. Why is Cold Calling IMportant
Cold calling - in any classroom format - is important for two main reasons.
First, it holds students accountable for thinking and participating in times where they would otherwise have the opportunity to opt out of doing so. In a typical classroom, it is most often used during discussions and during question-and-answer portions of lessons where a fair number of students are likely to "opt out." "If I don't raise my hand, I don't have to think, engage, or participate at all," is one of the most common mindsets I have to dismantle with each new school year, and even more in recent years with the passive, disengaged attitude toward post-Covid schooling. If I ask a question and take volunteers, a substantial portion of my class can (and will) mentally opt out. If I cold call, the number of students mentally participating is much higher since everyone is accountable. Second, it offers a better means of checking for understanding than calling on volunteers does. Volunteers are much more likely to have a strong understanding of what's being discussed. That's why they're volunteering! If I ask a question and cold call, however, I can choose a "bell-weather" student who I know has an understanding that is much more likely to be representative of the group. I can also choose a particular student whose level of understanding will give me information I need. I can also steer the discussion or question-and-answer session in a direction I want it to go by deliberately calling on a student who I know has a strong understanding or a common misunderstanding that I want the class to consider.
How and WHen Do I cold Call In A Thinking Classroom?
Cold calling is my go-to technique during thinking tasks when I'm worried that a member of a group might be getting left behind, willingly or unwillingly.
As I actively observe during thinking task time, it usually isn't too hard to spot these students. They stand a little farther from the group, maybe don't face the whiteboard, rarely have the marker, and might be ones I already know are "not feeling it" today and who feel that their bad mood think should excuse them from learning and participating. They're also ones with personalities who make them regular disengage-ers who I'm always aware of. My main two jobs during thinking tasks are to give hints and extensions to manage flow and to mobilize learning. But during that time, I also cold call individual students who I'm worried might be getting left in the dust. And the great news is, most of the pitfalls that can make cold calling go awry in a whole group setting aren't an issue during small, thinking groups. My cold calling during thinking tasks usually takes one of three forms. 1. Directly asking a student to do the next "thin slice" During thin-sliced thinking tasks - which I use more days than not - I'll often just show up to a group and ask a student who I'm afraid might be disengaged to lead the next example or to explain a prior example to me. "Bryce, will you lead the next one?" or "Maddie, will you explain this last one to me?" That's it. Now the student is accountable, and I get to check his/her understanding. Very straight forward! 2. "What's he/she talking about?" When I come to a group whose leader is doing great of explaining thinking and trying to make sure the group is following along, but I'm worried that a member of that group is either disengaged or feigning an understanding to keep things moving, I'll often just slide up to that student and ask "what's he/she talking about?" It's a quick and easy cold call that holds the student accountable for explaining the leader's example. 3. "What's he/she doing?" This version of cold calling works just like the "what's he/she talking about" one, except I use it when the group's leader isn't doing as good of a job. Sometimes I'll catch the student with the marker silently and independently working a slice on his or her own with just the other members of the group watching. Usually this is ok, but I'll frequently slide in and ask another group member "what's he/she doing?" while it's happening to make sure that the rest of the group actually understands what's going on. What are the Qualities of a good Cold Call?
As I said earlier, in a whole group, public setting, cold calling has a lot of nuance. For all the benefits of accountability and checking for understanding that it offers, it can also really go awry if not executed properly.
In a Thinking Classroom, however, many of the perils of cold calling that cause resentment and embarrassment aren't really an issue since the cold calling isn't so public. That said, I still think there are a few details worth knowing. Cold calling must always be done lovingly and genuinely. No matter the setting, it must always be done with sincere interest in the student's understanding and ideas. Cold calling a student to genuinely see if they understand and to see if they're engaged communicates to the student that you care and that you're holding them lovingly accountable. Cold calling a student to "catch them" when you know full well that they don't understand or that they're not engaged is something entirely different. When I sincerely want to assure that a student is on board and when I sincerely want to hear their understanding of a question, I cold call. When I'm certain that a student isn't engaged, I communicate that directly and correct them or apply a consequence. Similarly, if I'm certain a student doesn't understand, I either teach them or I insist that the rest of the group do so. These situations don't merit a cold call. Cold calling isn't a "gotcha" to prove to students that I've "caught" them disengaging or not understanding. It's a sincere, loving technique to use when I genuinely want to ascertain their level of involvement and learning. Will Cold Calling Really Help Build A Better Thinking Classroom?
If you would, take a few minutes to re-watch the three video examples above, except this time, look at the surrounding groups instead of the one I'm interacting with. They're thinking, they're learning, and they're happy doing so! They know I might move over at any moment and cold call one of them, and not a single one looks anxious about it.
I hope it is obvious that my interaction with all three students in the cold call examples were positive - the students understood and they were proud to be able to explain that to me. Consequently, the surrounding kids aren't anxious that I might come and cold call them - they're inviting it. Accountability is hard to build into any instructional setting, but once it is assumed, kids really take ownership of their learning most of the time. By this point in the year, I know my very small number of students who might disengage, and they're really the only ones for whom I have to manage accountability. The rest of my cold calls are to assess understanding. In the event that I cold call someone who does understand, we have something to celebrate. In the event that they don't understand, I can do a little teaching and get them back on track - no guilt, no resentment, no judgment. We end up with a positive interaction either way! Good cold calling shows students that you're paying attention, that you care, and that you want to get them where they need to be. Competence is a big part of belonging; when students are accountable and when they understand, they feel like they belong in a math class. In many classes that students take, there is a "take it or leave it" approach to accountability and understanding - "I'm going to teach it, and if you choose to disengage, that's your problem." Well crafted cold calls communicate just the opposite - "I know you're capable of thriving here and I care that you do." 
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About MeI'm an award-winning teacher in the Atlanta area with experience teaching at every level from elementary school to college. Categories
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