Technique 4: Format Matters

The first part of this technique can be summed up in two sentences:

In school, the medium is the message: to succeed, students must take their knowledge and express it in a variety of clear and effective formats, to fit the demands of the situation and of society. The complete sentence is the battering ram that knocks down the door to college.

The second part of this technique is the audible format. The student must speak loud enough and clear enough for the teacher and the students to be able to hear what is being said.

The author suggests that the teacher needs to establish that simply saying "voice" means that the student wasn't speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. This is an efficient method for getting the student to speak up.

My response:

I don't think the first part is that applicable in college. I do notice that many of my FIT students have been trained to use the "complete sentence" format when writing answers on quizzes. I like it, but I don't insist on it.

The audible format point is especially applicable for me, as I am deaf on one side. I have not tried this in class yet, but I need to do it. I need to explain to the students right from the beginning that I'll be using this word as a signal that they need to speak up.