Drill Down
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?’
Why use this technique?
Follow-up questions like these can help you to find out if a student has arrived at a correct answer via a misconception or guess. They can also help you find out the reasons a student has answered incorrectly.
Example
For example, a teacher might ask what type of triangle is being shown:
A student answers, ‘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 occasion 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 (things to do, and not do)?