Change Happens the Moment You Ask the Right Question

It is my assistant superintendent, Dayna Richardson's favorite quote. She repeats it to me often and when I least expect it, I can hear her voice in my head repeating it to me. Usually this is talking about policy, coaching teacher leaders, or how we can affect change in our school system. As with everything, what is true in teaching adults is also true for teaching students. When I went through the process of getting National Board Certified four years ago, I discovered how important proper questioning is. It is something most teachers know but "knowing" and "doing" are two different things. This become clear to me last week teaching geometry.

It was one of those busy days during seminar. I had students in making up tests and was trying to help about 12 students in 4 different courses (geometry, calculus, college algebra, and algebra 2). I was running crazily from one student to another - feeling like I was helping no one. One of those students was a geometry student who was currently not passing my geometry class - I will call her Gina for privacy. Gina was sort of in the mode I was in...let's hurry and get this done. It is times like this that I fall back into poor teaching. I was asking poorly worded questions - just trying to make sure she "got the right answer." While working on triangle congruencey proofs, I asked Gina, "Now, Gina, do you see any SIDES they share?" duh...what do you think she was going to answer? You got it. She said "yes." So I immediately ask, "Do you remember what property says a segment is congruent to itself?" When she hesitated, instead of waiting or encouraging her to look it up, I gave her the answer. (insert moan here). I walked to the next student, helping with problems and then returned to Gina. When I checked on her, she had written the following step in the proof:

Angle ABC is congruent to Angle AEC by the Reflective Property.

WOW...Alarms were sounding everywhere. If you are a math teacher you just heard them. Gina had some definite gaps in learning here. First of all, she didn't know the difference between sides and angles. Secondly, there is no Reflective Property - it is the Reflexive Property. Thirdly, even if she misspelled the property, the angles weren't even the same angle. I finally stopped rushing. I sat down and began asking questions.

What is the difference between a side and an angle?
Can you explain the difference between the Reflexive Property and the Reflective Property that you put down?
What do you think the Reflexive Property says? (it says a segment or angle is congruent to itself)
What do you think the Reflective Property says? (yes, there isn't a Reflective Property- just wondering what her thinking was here)

It is the last question that was the "right question." Gina explained that any two objects that reflect onto each other are congruent by the "Reflective Property." After more listening, I realized she thought that because when I explained the Reflexive Property, I used something like this, "Reflexive sort of sounds like reflective and that is a good way to remember it since what you see in the mirror is a reflection of the same image." I learned today that I will not be explaining that way again. I learned to slow down and ask questions that engage the learner...not just expedite the learning process.

Change really does happen the moment you ask the right question....and sometimes that change is you!