Expert teachers react quickly to errors or poor performance in class, adopting strategies that result in all students practising and producing the right answer.
The more important the content, the more important it will be to ensure that all students practise and produce the right answer!
Here are some common classroom scenarios with some possible options that teachers could take in response.
All of these can be found in a downloadable word document at the end of this blog post
Scenario 1: A check for understanding using Mini White Boards reveals that less than 80% of the class don’t get it
Possible Options:
1. Pick a MWB and show it under the visualiser, explaining why it is wrong, being careful to depersonalise the error
2. Present additional examples or models and ask students to do a second minimally different CFU. If second CFU is ok, move on, if not, repeat this cycle.
3. a) Repeat the correct answer and ask students to repeat in via choral response
b) Turn and Talk: pairs discuss why answer is correct
c) Cold call student who had the wrong answer before: high chance of success now=confidence building!
Scenario 2: During independent practice in extended writing or a performance, lots of students are not succeeding
Possible Options:
1.Stop the class and move back to guided practice until you have a high success rate, then move back to independent practice.
2.3:30:30…..go and help the students who are struggling or provide them with additional support materials
3. Change your teaching to the component skills of the performance: model and get the class to practise individual component skills that make up the extended performance before gradually combining the skills together.
Scenario 3: Students cannot answer a retrieval question in the Do Now
1. a) TELL THEM the answer
b) Massed practice of the answer so they acquire the knowledge, using High Ratio Activities (choral response/Mini White Boards/Everybody writes/Turn and Talk)
Scenario 3: A cold call question results in the wrong answer following a Turn and Talk
1.Ask them to tell you what question you asked (if they cannot answer, their wrong answer may be due to them not listening)
2. a) Explain you will ask another student and they should be ready to paraphrase the answer they hear
b) ask the whole class to Turn and Talk and explain to their partners why the correct answer is correct.
TomNeedham 
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