Academic Press and Your Classroom Discussions

Does your classroom exhibit academic press? Classrooms that exhibit academic press establish high expectations for all students. One sign of academic press in a classroom is the use of probing questions to ask students for their reasoning when they give a response. Do you just “get the answer” and then move on? Or do you ask students to share how they arrived at a particular answer?

A simple way to enhance the academic press in your classroom involves asking a couple probing questions after students respond. For instance, “How did you come to that conclusion?” or “What makes you think that?” Asking questions lets everyone know that you that responding in class is more than giving a “right” or “wrong” response; it’s about thinking and backing up what you say!

As you implement the idea, remember it’s a balancing act. You want to make sure students know you have high expectations for everyone, but you also want them to feel safe to share a response. Be cautious of evaluating their thinking as right and wrong. The feedback you provide students as they respond will either encourage or discourage participation in the future.

Press on! Demonstrate your expectations for student performance during classroom discussions with probing questions today!


Professional Development Tip for May 22, 2008