I'm trying to take note of all the little techniques my MT uses to facilitate student engagement, regardless of the curriculum. "Turn and talk" or "discuss with your group" or "share with a partner" gives students the opportunity to express themselves and learn from their peers. Usually my MT will call on volunteers from various groups to then share their ideas, but yesterday she instructed the students to "stand up when your group is in agreement." I particularly liked this variation because it got the kids out of their seats, even briefly. It was also easy to see who the dissenters were, and then to follow up and understand how their ideas differed.
My MT also makes frequent use of the Activboard and pen to encourage students to be involved. For example, today the class was working on correctly naming decimals. The kids took turns coming to the whiteboard, writing a decimal, naming it and checking with the class. Then, whoever had just finished at the board quickly passed the pen to someone else in the class. Sometimes they are required to alternate boys and girls. The kids know the system, so little time is wasted, and generally many hands are waving in hopes of being called upon. As far as I can tell, the kids are pretty democratic about who they choose, although the boys tend to choose boys unless otherwise instructed. (Yes, you could do this with a dry-erase marker and a regular whiteboard, but it's truly a little more magical when you get to use the special pen!)
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