Increase Critical Thinking with the Simple “Debate Your Cause” Technique
Your lesson is going along great… Your class seems to be tracking with you until you decide to ask a question that actually makes them think.
“Why do you think a negative times a negative equals a positive?”
Crickets.
Then – joy of joys – a hand!
“Yes, Carl?”
“Um, could you repeat the question?”
One of our highest goals as math teachers is to develop critical thinking – to teach students to think logically and arrive at the right conclusions on their own.
But sometimes that feels, frankly, like Mission Impossible.
Enter the Debate Your Cause Technique.
It’s not exactly a silver bullet, but this simple technique is a fantastic way to get your students thinking and learning how to express their mathematical thoughts. (Yes, they really do have them….)
Check out this awesome & easy technique in this short 5-minute video:
How can the Debate Your Cause technique help accomplish Mission Impossible in your class? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.