Hands up any teacher who wants to exclude four-fifths of the class?

Every “hands-up” question lets four-fifths of the class tune out and even random name-pulling still leaves most watching rather than thinking. Ruth Miskin argues that pairing children to discuss every question ensures genuine engagement and makes thinking visible.

Please don’t pay children to read

Paying, or rewarding, young readers with stickers, points, or monetary incentives turns reading into a chore, damages natural curiosity, replaces self-motivation with calculation, and ultimately undermines the emotional engagement that fuels a lifelong love of reading.