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student should be deprived of a good intellectual exchange. Intellectual play occurs when students respond to content complexity and depth of reasoning individually, in pairs, in small groups, or in a whole class activity. We know this level of engagement is far more motivating and stimulating than engaging in content at a factual level. Information at this level is often stored in long-term memory rather than short term memory or worse, not remembered at all. Why then do teachers have difficulty encouraging intellectual play – and how can we use interpretation as a strategy to turn this situation around?
Promoting intellectual play through the art of interpretation Exploring the use of interpretation
When trying to promote an intellectual exchange in the classroom, intellectual interference interferes. Intellectual interference is caused by a student who exhibits off-task behaviour by calling out with inappropriate remarks, by not completing class work, or generally causing disruptions. To reverse these situations, teachers need to determine the cause of the behaviour and utilise one of many differentiation strategies to meet the student’s specific needs. If the student is a struggling student, some teachers feel the solution to the problem is to dumb down the curriculum and revert to reviewing facts. This type of learning is slow, tedious, and usually not motivational. Instead, use visuals to hook the student. In a study comparing lessons taught with both pictures and text, students outperformed the students who were taught with just text. As Aristotle said, “Without image, thinking is impossible.” The teacher can provide images and let the student match his own words to given images. If this learner is a social learner, allow him to work with a partner or in a small group. If his interference is caused by emotional reasons, make sure he is allowed to personally connect to the content though problem-based scenarios. In my book, Differentiating with Graphic Organizers: Tools to Foster Critical and Creative Thinking, I give additional information on six ways to differentiate for a variety of learners. A second problem that exists is when teachers think they do not have time to teach in a way that encourages intellectual exchange because they have to get their students “ready for the tests.” For a class discussion to reach a thought-provoking level, it does take more time than
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