Okuzeka
Education & Teaching vocabulary · Classroom Language

Raise your hand

Meaning in education & teaching, with examples

phraseCore term

In education & teaching, raise your hand means: An instruction asking students to lift one hand in the air when they want to answer, ask a question or show agreement, instead of calling out.

In Turkish: parmak kaldır, elini kaldır

How it is used

Everyday classroom language, especially in American English. British teachers often say 'Put your hand up'. Teachers also use it to check opinions quickly: 'Raise your hand if you agree.'

Example sentences

  1. Please raise your hand and wait; don't shout out the answer.

  2. Raise your hand if you've finished the first page.

Common collocations

  • raise your hand
  • put your hand up
  • hands up
  • no hands up
  • call onTo ask a particular student to answer a question or speak in class.
  • classroom rulesA short list of clear expectations about how students should behave in a class, often agreed together and displayed on the wall.
  • check for understandingTo find out during a lesson whether students have really understood an explanation or instruction, usually by asking targeted questions or giving a quick task.

More terms: Classroom Language

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