Do You Repeat, Repeat, Repeat Yourself?

Has this ever happened to you?

Teacher: Turn to page 31.
[As the last word falls from her mouth, she is interrupted by...]
Student: What page are we supposed to be on?

Or...

Teacher: Put your name in the upper right hand...
Student: Should we put our name on our paper?

Who is working harder in your classroom? You or your students? Think about directions. Who works harder? Do you work harder to explain (repeating yourself over and over and over) or do they work harder to listen?

If you are a classroom or homeschool teacher and find yourself repeating-repeating-repeating yourself, here's an idea that I'll call "Take 3: Ask 3 Before Me." The idea? After you've given a direction or answered a question, you do not repeat yourself until a student can prove that she has asked at least 3 other people for the information. It looks like this:

Teacher: Take out your math books.
Student: What are we supposed to be doing?
Teacher: Take 3. [Alternately, the teacher puts up 3 fingers or points to a visual cue on the wall and moves on.]

The student then finds 3 other people to ask. In order to return to the teacher with the same question, she must list the names of the 3 people she asked. Not surprisingly, this rarely happens!

A modified version can be very effective in the homeschool setting. "Take 3" means that the student sets the timer for 3 minutes, working at a task for mom (emptying dishwasher, folding laundry), all while trying to remember what the teacher said. At the end of the 3 minutes, if the child still doesn't remember, Mom is able to repeat a direction because the child has worked to replenish the energy that Mom will use to repeat herself.

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Enjoy!