A Reflective Teacher Tool
| REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS | BEHAVIORS IN A LEARNER-CENTERED CLASSROOM |
| How is the classroom arranged? | The students are typically paired or grouped to work together while the teacher facilitates the process. |
| Who is directing the classroom activities? | The teacher facilitates classroom activity. |
| Most activities require only guidance from the teacher. | |
| Where is the teacher spending their time? | The teacher walks around the classroom during all activities, watching and listening to student-to-student discourse. |
| The teacher monitors the students to keep them on task, while the students actively work together on an activity. | |
| Who is doing the math? | The students do the thinking and the work. |
| What type of questions is the teacher asking? | The teacher asks thought-provoking questions that require students to explain their thinking and processes. |
| Who is explaining and justifying the answers? | Students are required to make presentations, explaining their progress within the activity. |
| The majority of discourse is student-to-student discourse. | |
| When and how does the teacher provide information to the students? | The teacher encourages students to construct knowledge. Prior knowledge is assessed as new concepts emerge. |
| During the lesson, the teacher systematically brings the class together on several occasions, assuring that the mathematics of the lesson are understood. | |
| When a student has mastered the material or completed the assignment quickly, how does the teacher respond? | Scaffold instruction for all students. Be prepared with extension and connection activities for students who master the material quickly or finish early. |
| When a student struggles, how does the teacher respond? | If a student is having difficulty understanding something, even after consulting with his or her group members, the teacher asks the group leading questions to guide them to the desired outcome. |
| The teacher may also provide additional resources such as visuals and word banks that are culturally responsive to aid comprehension. |
As you reflect more on collaborative classroom strategies, take time to read this article entitled, "Never Say Anything a Kid Can Say!" by Steven C. Reinhart.