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 Mistakes in Teaching II 
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I know this is kind of related to the other topic, but that topic made me think of another question...
What if your students ask you a question you DON'T have an answer to? If you tell them, "I don't know", they might not ask any more questions, thinking, "oh, they don't know, so I wont ask..." and they may start to think, "well, if they didn't know that, how can i be sure they know this?" At the same time, however, you don't want to just tell them something, and it end up being wrong.
How would yall handle the situation?

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Amy Middleton


Wed Sep 29, 2004 4:11 pm
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I think this is a great chance to teach your students about research. It's okay to not have all the right answers, but I can model for my students how to look something up. I can already predict that as an English teacher, students will be asking me all kinds of questions about grammar and definitions. I'll keep my dictionary and MLA guide close by, and we can look up the answers together.

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Mary Carmichael


Wed Sep 29, 2004 9:45 pm
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I agree with Mary. Not knowing all the answers is an ok thing, as long as you dont just say "I dont know" and end it at that. You should use it as a learning experience. If you have time in the classroom you could look it up together as a class. Or if you dont have time, you could have the students look it up and see what they find. Then compare what the students found and what you found.

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Lindsey Evans


Thu Sep 30, 2004 11:30 am
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I've thought a lot about facing this situation in my future classroom, and I feel much the same as you all do. It's a good idea to admit that you don't know, and tell your interested learners that you'll have to look it up. Not only does it make you seem human, (oh my gosh, she really doesn't know everything!) but it will also set a good example for your students. All they need is that curiosity to drive them to finding the answers themsleves!

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Cassandra Weimer


Thu Sep 30, 2004 2:39 pm
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I agree with everyone. I've actually heard of teachers 'making up' the answer to a question they didn't know...this causes the child to grow up believing a lie! I do believe that this would be the perfect time to incorporate research and discuss the answer together and share the results with the entire class. The teacher could even make the question into an extended activity and have the children work to find individual answers and then come together and share the results. Do something, do anything, but NEVER lie to a child!

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Ashley Huskins


Wed Oct 20, 2004 9:00 pm
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I agree with everyone above. I don't think you should make up an answer because you will have one or two children who will go the extra mile and look it up themselves then throw it back in your face that you were wrong. The research idea is a really great idea. This gives you the chance to look it up in depth and also gives the children a chance to get into reserching something that they are interested in. This may help some students understand the power of research.

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Kimberly Winecoff


Mon Oct 25, 2004 2:32 pm
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Some of my favorite teachers through high school were the ones that were willing to take our questions seriously and either find them for us or help us find them on our own.

I'll be teaching high school english and i think it is so so so very important to be honest and open in this position - - it is such a crucial time in the students lives as they begin to figure out who they are.... the best thing i can do is ask questions of them and only HOPE that they will ask so much of me that I will be scrambling to find enough answers for them -- and lead them in discovering these answers on their own.

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Kate Padgett


Mon Oct 25, 2004 2:48 pm
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I agree with everyone. I think this would be an opportunity to show your students you are human. As long as you aren't saying "I don't know" to lots of questions it's ok. If a student asked me a question that I didn't know I would probably go home and research it and then come back with an answer. I do that now if someone asked a question that I don't know. Definately never lie to a kid to make yourself sound smart. It will come back to bite you in the butt.

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Melissa Cooke


Thu Oct 28, 2004 6:06 pm
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I agree with everbody as well. I had a teacher in high school who did actually say "I don't know" and that was the end of that. As student I felt that I couldn't go to the teacher and ask her a question because I didn't feel that she would give me the correct answer. I learned then and there that when I became a teacher that the last thing that came out of my mouth would be "I don't know." I agree that you should take that opportunity with the class to research the question.

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Amy Drum


Mon Nov 01, 2004 12:14 pm
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