I have often fallen into the trap of speaking too much during class discussion or taking over the conversation with a spur-of-the-moment lecture. Despite this, I know that my students often learn best when they are left to their own devices. When I am not front and centre in a classroom they learn to speak to, and question, one another in a way that fosters independence and critical thinking.
One of my most successful methods for creating ideal classroom discussion is by very quickly reminding students of the pre-assigned topic for the day and then backing off. But how do I pull back in a way that makes sense to students, diminishes my temptation to interject, while still keeping me around in case a question comes up? I bake. This is the recipe for a 55-minute class…
