Teachers! Would you like to work on expanding the range of questions you ask your students during class discussions?
Catch and Pass is an interactive strategy used by teachers who seek to put thinking front and central in their classrooms. First, teachers ‘catch’ students’ meaning, by repeating key words, or paraphrasing, or checking that they have heard them correctly. Then, teachers ‘pass’ back to students with a probing question to press their thinking, help them develop understanding, and send the message that thinking is valued (adapted from Ritchhart, 2015; van Zee and Minstrell, 1997).
Before I share all 100 questions, here are my top 14 recommendations sorted by different pass moves, such as making connections, theorising and justifying. What would it be like if you were to pick three to five of these to focus on, three to five questions that feel like they might result in particularly rich thinking for the children you teach, and then for one day or even a whole week make a particular effort to deploy them whenever you can in moments where you feel they belong…?
Happy catching and passing!