Comments on: ‘I don’t know’ is too easy

By: Cal

Cal — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 18:36:59 +0000

” â€œI donâ€™t knowâ€ is not an appropriate answer to those types of questions.”

Sure it is. But there’s no need to create a false dichotomy. “I don’t know” doesn’t have to be the end of the discussion.

I get so tired of people turning instruction into a morality play. Now it’s the language.

Don’t say “I don’t know”, even if it’s true, because you have to pretend like you are thinking about it.

By: Widebody

Widebody — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 14:51:13 +0000

Clearly what CaliforniaTeacherGuy is talking about is a student who answers “I don’t know” to an open-ended question, a student who uses the phrase to avoid having to think, a student who refuses to engage. He’s not talking about the student who, when asked “What’s the square root of 3025?”, answers “I don’t know.” But rather the one who gives that answer to questions like “Who would get along better in the 21st Century: Othello or Iago?” or “How did the Cold War impact what goes on in our world today?” or “What are the characteristics of a good business person?” “I don’t know” is not an appropriate answer to those types of questions. â€œIâ€™m not sure, but I think â€¦â€ is significantly better.

All the time we hear from folks on this board who vilify (and rightfully so) teachers who will take the easy route and accept this answer, never requiring students to think, never requiring them to engage in their own education. I applaud a teacher who says, “No, you need to think about this and give me an intelligent response.”

By: Cal

Cal — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 05:44:13 +0000

Why is it so complicated? A kid who says “I don’t know” just doesn’t know. That doesn’t mean the teacher ignores him or her. The teacher just takes the information as relevant and helps the student figure it out.

By: Rich

Rich — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 03:46:20 +0000

Yes, This is a good time to eradicate that loathsome phrase and get kids to start thinking.

By: Quincy

Quincy — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 01:25:59 +0000

You know, I’m of two minds on this. On the one hand, I want students who are able to formulate opinions based on the available information. On questions of opinion, banning “I don’t know” makes a great deal of sense. On the other hand, when it comes to questions of fact, I’d like to see students say, honestly, “I don’t know.” Both of these go along with the idea that it’s OK to not to know everything, but it’s not OK not to be thinking.

By: A Brief Take on “I Don’t Know” at www.matthewktabor.com : Education and School Issues, News and Analysis

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 20:57:18 +0000

[...] – and really, everyone’s – use too often: “I don’t know.” Joanne Jacobs picked up on his thoughts and even EdWeek’s BlogBoard has rightly turned a keen eye to CTG’s commitment to [...]

By: gbl3rd

gbl3rd — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 20:22:08 +0000

I agree with your point. Confidence is not enough. Testing the result is better.

By: david foster

david foster — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 19:42:49 +0000

“I want a mechanic who knows how and does not guess fixing my brakes”…me, too, but I also want a mechanic who will admit it if there’s a problem he can’t solve, and ask for help from the factory or whoever.

Excess confidence can be as fatal as lack of confidence.

By: Cal

Cal — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 18:03:54 +0000

I don’t see why “I don’t know” is such a problem. Really, teachers seem to want to be spoonfed.

By: Darren

Darren — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 15:33:25 +0000

Back in the day, one of the “approved” answers to questions at the Naval Academy was “I’ll find out.”