There is definitely something magical that happens when using bansho in the classroom, if you are willing to take the risk and let it.
I have enjoyed teaching math using Bansho for about 4 years now. It has been an interesting and fun journey for me. I often encourage other teachers to try it out and see for themselves what happens. However, the most common complaint shared with me by colleagues who have tried a lesson using Bansho, is that the weaker students fade into the background. They ask me, “How do you differentiate for students who struggle in math?” And then they stare at me strangely when I answer, “You don’t.”
Regular Bansho Encourages Communication
The problem is that many teachers try using Bansho as a stand-alone math lesson.
It is not.
Some have tried using it once a week, but the students end up spending their time trying to figure out what it is the teacher wants them to do. A stand-alone lesson will not allow students to discover, explore, and work through their misconceptions. They need to be guided through their misconceptions (but only during the consolidation). It’s in the exploration that the language and communication begins to explode.