We must be strategic about harnessing teachable moments to ensure they enhance rather than distract from our learning objectives. Even experienced educators can get swept up in exciting classroom discussions that inadvertently create inequitable learning environments.

• The satisfaction of engaging students in rich, spontaneous discussions can sometimes lead us away from our lesson objectives
• Developing a "prompt or park" decision framework helps manage student curiosity without sacrificing focus
• An "I Wonder Board" provides space to acknowledge student questions while staying on track with lesson goals
• Creating schema requires focused attention on the "one thing" students need to learn
• When we allow discussions to drift, we create inequitable situations where some students walk away with necessary background knowledge while others don't
• All learning should build toward summative tasks, so distractions that don't serve this purpose should be parked
• Assuming students have background knowledge because "they learned it last year" is risky—hope is not a strategy

Be intentional about teachable moments because in those wonderful engaging experiences, we might be distracting students from essential learning. Until next time, happy teaching!

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