After the most recent WBT seminar, I received quite a few emails from people interested in what Biff calls "Course Questions". A few months ago, I noted that my 'warm ups' weren't setting the tone for a Whole Brain Teaching environment.. you know...students filter in, sit down to nice, soothing music (after they've stopped for a drink, poked a few friends, stood around at people's desks, and rummaged through their backpack...), complete a little silent 'warm-up' task, and I move around the room encouraging them to work and to be quiet while others work. THEN we have the take the time to review the warm-up, while students get bored and off-task, and I get frustrated. Not working.
Chris Biffle suggested "Course Questions".
Interested? Read on!...

1. Everything you teach should be a question...with an answer.
2. Create 'cards' (on cardstock) with approx. 10-15 questions that refer back to course material that your class has learned (with gestures).
3. Make 2 copies of the card (or you can make ONE card 2-sided. I prefer two separate cards)...one has the questions AND the answers, the other side has just the questions.
4. Students are in pairs. With high energy and BIG gestures, Partner 1 stands and answers the questions that Partner 2 (who is sitting) asks and encourages with 'helpsies' if needed. The answering partner uses BIG gestures, lots of energy, but the ASKING partner ALSO uses big gestures when asking the questions and providing help.
5. When you yell "SWITCH!" they yell "Switch!" and now it's Partner 2's turn to answer and they stand, while Partner 1 sits and asks / offers help.

My middle-schoolers (who are 'too cool' for EVERYTHING, it seems some days...) LOVE this. They get right into it, and my day starts off with high-energy and good spirits. Award points for high-energy, and even give individual recognition next to the points for students who really 'shine'.

Bonus note: My administrator, who is pretty selective about handing out compliments, loved this when he saw it in my classroom and even noted it in my evaluation and asked me to share it with my team... gotta' love WBT!

Final note: I create the cards on various colored cardstock (as a set of one color)so I can easily spot the set I want. I use one set for approx. 1 week, then I switch out the set, and I keep infusing new ones and pulling back the old ones throughout the year.

What an awesome idea! Do you make a set for each set of partners? How does that work?

Yes, I give one set to each pair. Some people do it with one card between the two, and it's just double-sided...but my kids are struggling readers, no need for me to make it more difficult for them, since one is standing and one is sitting...

It sets a fantastic energy-vibe for the rest of the period.

Great idea! I've been using my old-style warm-ups (the Evan More ones), but with a slight Whole Brain - Teaching edge. We do Seats Seats Seats as the kids come in, and a fast-paced going over the warm up as a class, with students who respond correctly getting various "Woos" and incorrect responses getting help and "It's Cool."

I like this even better though, I might just kick the Evan More stuff to the curb altogether.

Are these course question cards a daily activity that you use to begin class? We do a thing call bell-work that sounds like the quiet thing you were doing that did not work. Bell-work is not working for us either. Are the course questions recent material covered, or questions that spiral back to material learned earlier in the year? How much time do you allow for this process? We teach 6 periods a day of about 46 minutes each. Thanks.

I was thinking and I have a few other questions too. How many cards are in a stack? Do you rotate them out frequently?

Also, I am having some difficulty with the "everything you teach should be a question" concept. What if I wanted my students to review a skill, like how to edit a paragraph (one of the more difficult things for my kids). Should I try to break that down into a simple question-answer format? It doesn't seem like that could really teach them...

I was thinking and I have a few other questions too. How many cards are in a stack? Do you rotate them out frequently?

Also, I am having some difficulty with the "everything you teach should be a question" concept. What if I wanted my students to review a skill, like how to edit a paragraph (one of the more difficult things for my kids)? Should I try to break that down into a simple question-answer format? It doesn't seem like that could really teach them...