Instead of "I don't know"

With our focus on constructivist teaching, we're trying to reverse learned helplessness.  We want to eliminate the I-give-up, "I don't get it!" attitude. Here are some phrases and sentence starts to go over with your kids, post in the classroom, or print out and give to students to keep with other reference materials.

If students are still saying, "I don't know," you can redirect them by saying, "What do you know so far?" and "I'm coming back in 2 minutes. Be ready to tell me exactly where you got stuck and at least one method you've tried."

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