Home | How It Works | Stats Login | Register         Case: Know it all Nancy You plan to facilitate a discussion in your class about readings that you assigned. As students enter the room and settle into their seats, you can feel the buzz in the air. They are excited. They want to discuss the subject. You begin class by asking a very open-ended question, a question designed to allow the students to take the subject in an area that interests them. The first student who responds to your question, a question that is barely out of your mouth, is Nancy, or as her classmates call her, "Know-it-all-Nancy." Nancy is a smart young woman who often has very smart things to say about the subject at hand. She answers your question with great precision, citing arguments from sources you did not require her to read. You know from experience that if you stand by quietly and let her finish, class would be over and no one else would have had a chance to speak. So, you cut her off politely to get other students involved in the discussion. You ask another question,directed at another student. Nancy answers. What should you do next? Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!) I would use popsicle sticks. This way the students know that they might be called on at random. I would also find a way for the students who is quick to answer when it isnt her turn to express herself without causing disruptions. Have her write her answer on a sticky note or white board. This will extend the time between the question and her blurting out by giving her a task, and allow for the other students to answer before she cuts in front of them. I would also pull her aside and discuss the importance taking turns and express the importance of raising her hand and waiting to be called on.