2009-10 New Faculty Teaching Newsletter #7: The Berkeley Correctional Facility

In Bertolt Brecht’s play Galileo, the scientist is asking a very young
student to explain some complex scientific point. The boy is
incorrect and Galileo shouts, “Wrong! Stupid!”

Except for the one faculty member (probably at an east coast school)
who revels in tripping up students, most of us wish we had really good
ways for responding when students provide incorrect or off-the-wall
answers in class. Developing an ease, a facility, with correcting
wrong answers, something we call the Berkeley Correctional Facility,
is not easy, but makes for a better classroom experience overall.

Since there’s not a magic bullet, we’ve compiled good ideas from a
number of university teaching centers. You will see that some might
not suit your personality or attitude, but there may be some here that
are just right for you as an individual.

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If a student gives an incorrect or weak answer, point out what is
incorrect or weak about the answer, but ask the student a follow-up
question that will lead that student, and the class, to the correct or
stronger answer. For example, note that the student’s answer overlooks
the most important conclusion of the study you are discussing, then
ask that same student to try to recall what that conclusion is. If he
or she does not recall the conclusion, open this question up to the
class.

Washington University, St. Louis

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Respond to “off target” comments encouragingly

-Even if the comment is completely wrong or “off the wall,” thank the
student for sharing their idea and--this is your creative challenge of
the day--find a way to link their concept back on the correct track of
discussion.

-A repertoire of encouraging comments is useful here: “Thank you for
those thoughts on the matter. If you were to approach the concept from
a slightly different angle, you might see that” or, “I’m glad you
brought up that idea. It reminds me that one of our concerns here is
actually” or, “With a bit more development, we could turn that idea
around to the point that...”

-After class, take the time to talk with the student who made the
erroneous comment and discuss the issue with him or her then. This
will reinforce that you want people to take risks with their ideas in
class, and yet you are committed to helping your students understand
the material correctly.

Stanford University

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How Do I Respond when Students Give a Wrong Answer?

Responding appropriately to wrong answers may be as important as
encouraging correct answers. Incorrect answers tell us something about
a student’s understanding (or lack of it) or about a problem the
student is having. Our wording, tone, and body language can encourage
students to take the risk of answering a question in class. Here are
twelve ways to respond to answers.

“What do you mean by…?”

“Can you give me an example?”

“All of your answer depends on the idea that…”

“Why did you base your answers in this rather than…?”

“What are your reasons for saying this?”

“Can you be more specific?”

“Let me see if I understand you. Do you mean…?”

“Could you explain your answer further?”

“Can you rephrase your answer?”

“What I heard you say is… Is that what you meant?”

“Pattie, do you agree with the answer Bruce just gave?”

“Let me rephrase the question. Now, what do you think?”

It is important to use these same responses for correct answers
sometimes, so they don’t become “code” for “wrong.” The way we respond
to any student answer can either invite further discussion or simply
put our stamp of approval of what we think are the right answers. By
that, we mean that our approval or disapproval can be a thinly
disguised, “Here’s what I think the right answer is,” rather than,
“Have you students been thinking deeply about this?”

Adapted from Paul, R. (1993). Critical Thinking: How to Prepare
Students for a Rapidly Changing World. Santa Rosa, CA: Foundation for
Critical Thinking.

Indiana Unversity, Bloomington

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“WRONG” ANSWERS

When one of your students gives a wrong answer, avoid the “Yes,
but ...” reaction. “Yes, but…” is both a negative and a deceptive
phrase. It suggests that the student was right with one breath and
contradicts it with the next. Some straightforward alternatives are as
follows:

-Wait to a count of five with the expectation that another student
will volunteer a correct or better response.

-Ask, “How did you arrive at that response?” (Be careful, though, not
to ask this question only when you receive inadequate responses; also
ask it when you receive a perfectly good response.)

-Say, “You’re generally right regarding X and that’s great; wrong
regarding Y. Now we need to correct Y so we can get everything correct.”

-Say, “Thanks. Is there someone who wants to respond to the question
or comment on the response we’ve already heard?”

These four alternatives are obviously not adequate to fit all cases.
Indeed, it is generally difficult to field wrong or partially wrong
responses because students are sensitive to teacher criticism.
However, with these alternatives as examples, you will probably be
able to generate others as needed.

University of Pittsburg

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Give feedback to students, especially when correcting a wrong answer
or statement:

-Respond with a question: “Are you sure that happened before the
Bolshevik revolution?”

-Ask: “What leads you to that conclusion?”

-Validate their thought process: “Oh, I see. Comparing this sample
with that sample, you might think there’s a relationship here.”

-State what piece of information they did not take into account, or
what implication they did not consider: “Actually, these were taken
several miles apart in different ecosystems, so that is not the case.”

University of North Carolina, Charlotte

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When a student’s contribution is weak or incorrect, asking prompting
questions will help him/her identify the weakness. If you suspect that
a student doesn’t understand why a contribution is incorrect (or
correct), ask him/her to justify the answer. Poorly organized or
incomplete responses can be made stronger by asking clarification
questions. All three of these non-punitive techniques help students
modify poor or incomplete responses and, over time, become better
thinkers.

University of North Carollina, Chapel Hill

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When in doubt, remember the lyrics to a Leann Rimes song: “You’re the
right kind of wrong.”