A recent study has noticed that children who shout out in class go on to achieve better results in some tests. The thinking seems to be that they are more engaged in the learning than some of the children who don’t shout out.

Well, that’s a given isn’t it?

Now, put your hand up if you have a little character in your class who is constantly in bother for shouting out.

Yes, that’s what I thought. Shouting out isn’t encouraged. And, to be fair, it can be more than a little off putting to the child sitting next to the shouter-outer. They’ve probably just about worked out the answer when the wise guy next to them blurts it out. Their own moment of glory has slipped by. Next time they might not even bother to try.

The study says that, actually, children may learn better by being encouraged to shout out. And here’s me thinking that they were just unable to contain themselves because they knew the answer.

It does make you think though doesn’t it.

To me, what the study is saying is that children need to be actively engaged in the learning activities. It has to be two way. And it confirms to me that the children who are often in the most bother in class, are very often the brightest little sparks.

I know this doesn’t help the kids who just need a little longer to process their thoughts. The shouter outers are often too quick for anyone else to get a look in. I’m sure there are ways of encouraging all children to be involved without the teacher’s attention being totally diverted to the more confident characters.

Some schools encourage the children to use mini whiteboards to show their answers at their own pace. These can be a great way to get the whole class engaged for short periods of time. But what about the children whose brains are too quick for their hands? The answer pops in their heads and out of their mouths before they have time to write it down

I’m sure every TA in every school could give their own examples of how to engage children in interactive learning.

So come on, let’s share our ideas.