With the technique Drill Down, a student’s (correct or incorrect) answer to a question is followed-up with at least one open question to explore their thinking. For example:

‘Why do you think that?’
‘Could you say a little more about that?’
‘What makes you so sure of that?’
‘Okay, so you’re saying [this], but would it be okay to say [this]?’
‘What do you do to help remember that?’

This helps establish knowledge connections and strengthen memory.

Such follow-up questions can also help you to find out if a student has arrived at a correct answer via a misconception or guess. It is equally important for you to find out the reasons students have answered incorrectly.

Example

For example, you might ask what type of triangle is shown in the following picture:

A student might answer, ‘Equilateral’ (which is correct) and the teacher might say, ‘Well done’, and move on.

However, using the Drill Down technique, the teacher would instead ask at least one follow-up question such as, ‘Why do you think that?’.

The student might say, ‘Because it doesn’t have any right angles’. This would reveal that they have given the correct answer but for the wrong reason. Perhaps they guessed, or perhaps they had a misconception that didn’t get in the way on this occasson but would likely lead to future problems.

Focused reflection

How well do you currently use this technique?
Is it a technique you will focus on developing?
If so, what are the key features you will focus on?
What are the pitfalls you need to avoid?