Watch a video of some 5th graders explaining  why "reaching consensus" is a better way to learn.

Watch classroom video footage of students reaching consensus.

For years I have been teaching students using what I considered to be an educationally sound and common pedagogical approach. It looked something like the following.  

The teacher decided upon a specific objective for a lesson. The teacher designed an instructional plan to take that skill or knowledge and transfer it from the teacher to every student in the most efficient and effective way possible. The normal lesson started with direct instruction of the specific skill or knowledge set.  Students were then asked to participate in the form of practice problems done on the board or teacher led questioning. The next step was guided practice where each student would try problems on his/her own while the teacher looked on and told the students if they were right, wrong, close, etc. Students having difficulty were pulled aside for a moment of reteaching. Finally the students did independent practice, typically completed at desks with the teacher helping those who ran into difficulty. Independent practice was  usually graded or assessed in one of three ways: by the students while the teacher read the answers from  the key, by the students who took turns giving what they believed to be the correct answer (with the teacher  praising correct responses and fixing incorrect responses), or independently by the teacher after school  using a key.

Does this approach sound familiar? If so, don’t crawl under your computer in shame. After all, this pedagogical technique is effective and based on sound research. But is there a better way?  

Here’s what dawned on me. By clearly telling a student if she is right or wrong, I was robbing that student of an opportunity to think critically. Additionally, other students in the classroom lost an opportunity to think for themselves. Listen-in to this instructional moment:  

Teacher: Michael what did you get for number three?  

Michael: Marco Polo.  

Teacher: Marco Polo. Good answer. Mark your paper wrong if you didn’t put Marco Polo.  

Think about what just took place. One student gave an answer. This student, nor any other student, was given time to discuss the reasoning behind his/her answer. The teacher received no feedback from any student besides Michael so the teacher is lacking information which could potentially direct future instructional plans. Few, if any, learning styles were addressed. As soon as the teacher recognized Michael’s answer as correct, all critical thinking in the classroom in effect vanished. Students, in classrooms like the one described here, are trained to rely on the teacher to do most of the thinking.

If this assignment is appropriate for this class of students, a portion of the class should have an incorrect response to the question. If all students are able to answer all questions with perfect accuracy, the assignment is probably too simple and a waste of time. This being the case, there would be a handful of students who did not write Marco Polo as the answer. Both these students, as well as those who have the correct response, would greatly benefit from a discussion revolving around why Marco Polo is the correct answer. After all, even some students who responded correctly may not fully understand the reasoning for the answer Marco Polo (they may have merely guessed.) So here’s where a simple, yet powerful, technique called “Reaching Consensus” can boost understanding, critical thinking, and involvement in the classroom.

Let’s take a look at a classroom where the students are asked to reach consensus.  

Teacher: Who has an answer for number three? (Pause 5 seconds) Michael?  

Michael: Marco Polo.  Teacher: (Flat response) Thank you for your answer. (Writes this answer on the board.) Who has a different answer? Stephanie?  

Stephanie: Christopher Columbus.  

Teacher: (Flat response) Thank you Stephanie. (Writes this answer under Marco Polo.) Who has a different answer? Brianna?  

Brianna: Thomas Jefferson.  

Teacher: (Flat response) Thank you Brianna. (Writes this answer under the other two.) Who has a different answer? (No other hands.)  

Teacher: Please put your fist in the air when you have a choice between these three answers. (Pause) Now, when I count to three, put up one finger for the first answer, two for the second, and three for the third. One, two, three! (Quickly glances around the room to check for understanding.) Keep your fingers up and find someone who disagrees with you. Talk with that student until you come to agreement on your answer. If you change your mind, change your fingers. You are only allowed to talk to those with whom you disagree. I don’t want to see more than three people clustered together at any one time. Go!  

At this point, after some training of course, the students should freely move about the room trying to reach consensus with other students. What takes place during this period of time is truly amazing, and will become more amazing with practice. The students will reason with each other. They will preach all of those things you get sick of telling them over and over again (like, “Look at the directions,” or “Didn’t you read the chapter?”) Light bulbs of illumination will pop on all over the room as students converse.

Perhaps the light bulb just went off in your head…when the teacher stops talking and the students start talking, the fun, and the critical thinking, begins!  

See a framework for the teaching strategy "reaching consensus."   

Tim Bedley teaches elementary school in Wildomar, California and trains teachers in classroom management and effective teaching practices. If you would like to have Tim train the teachers at your school, please contact him.

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