Back to: Evaluating
Students’ understanding and perception of what to do are not always consistent with what teachers intend. Effective teachers use a variety of methods to check for student understanding. Among the most common method is monitoring. Most teachers see monitoring as both feasible and desirable because it does not require extensive planning or preparation.
There are many forms of monitoring. The most familiar include asking students questions, random teacher movement around the room during lessons, and checking students’ written assignments, group activities, or tests. Here are some additional monitoring strategies that can be implemented to monitor students’ understanding on an ongoing basis.
do quick member checks
This tactic involves teachers checking in with students to make sure they understand what they are learning. These checks should be direct, frequent, and quick. The use of hand signals (e.g., thumbs up or down), writing the answer or concept on a piece of scrap paper and placing it in the comer of the desk, and other creative formative checks are effective.
do informal student summaries
For this tactic, the teacher asks students to summarize what was heard or the main points of material (e.g., reading passages, discussions, videos, etc.). This enables the teacher to do a quick evaluation of whether or not the students have an understanding of the material. As a variation, pairs or small groups of students can retell what was taught to each other.
practice goal restatement
Have students repeat the lesson or class goals you have stated. Ask several students to describe what they are expected to do according to stated goals. By checking the congruence between the goal, students’ expression of the goal, and students’ indication of how they plan to achieve the goal, teachers can effectively monitor and adjust for needed clarification.
practice quick direction summaries
After giving instructions, individual students are asked to repeat instructions in their own words. If multistep directions are given, several students may be asked. For example, Stuart could be asked to tell step one, Sally step two, and so on. Another variation is to ask Stuart for step one and have him call on the classmate of his choice to tell step two. This can also be done using whole class choral responding.
have pairs check for understanding
For this tactic, students are paired with another student to check for understanding of directions. First, assign student pairs. Then at random intervals direct the pairs to get together to check each other’s understanding. Some teachers set a timer and tell student to do the pairs check any time the timer goes off. It is important to teach and model what you expect to be done during the pairs check. For example, what types of questions should be asked, what is the criteria for understanding, what do students do if neither pair member understands, and so on.
partner up!
This tactic is one that allows students the learning opportunity to actively engage, with another student, in problem-solving, reviewing prior knowledge or facts, practicing facts, concepts and strategies, answering literal and inferential questions and so on.
Students are arranged in groups of four. Pairs of students are created within the foursome. Both the four some and the within group pairs should be teacher arranged in order to balance ability levels. However, depending on the activity, you decide whether to create random or formal groups and pairs (See Planning\Decide How to Teach\Establish Grouping Structures/Create Random Groups) Once groups and pairs are set up they can maintain this composition for the class period, day, week or month. Be sure to allow students the opportunity to become familiar and comfortable with the working dynamics of their partner before changing groups around.
Decide if Partner Up! will be used at random or by direction. At random simply means students can decide when they want and need to use this tactic for a quick check, while by direction is by assignment or verbal instruction directly from you.
How It Works
In pairs students decide who is 1 and 2. Once given a task students engage in Partner Up! as follows:
- Student 1 works on the task item or problem first, while Student 2 supervises. Student 2 encourages his/her partner to say, write, or think through the process aloud.
- When Student 1 indicates he/she has completed the task, Student 2 corrects it. If the work is correct, a praise phrase is given by Student 2 (“Excel lent job!”). If, however, there is error, together as a pair both students problem-solve and Student 1 corrects his/her error.
- On the next item or task, Student 2 works on the task item or problem while Student 1 super vises. The same correction proce9ures are followed. That is, if there is error together the pair problem-solves it and Student 2 makes the correction to the work.
- “Pairs Partner Up!” At any time during the procedure you may announce to the pairs, “Pairs Partner Up.” This tells the pairs to get with the other pair in their foursome and compare or check their work. You may indicate which problems you want Partner Pairs to check or allow students to choose.
- “Pair Share.” Pairs always need to be ready to share what they know or information about the task or assignment at hand. They need to be ready to share it if called upon. You can randomly call on pairs to share or pull a partner’s name from a hat. That student whose name is drawn is the one to share the pair’s response.
use reaction sheets to personalize lessons
Provide students the opportunity to reflect on what they learned during instruction. This facilitates making connections of the newly presented information to other links of previous knowledge and experiences.
Use lesson reaction sheets. For lesson reaction sheets simply provide students with questions such as: (1) One thing I learned today was …; (2) I really enjoyed…; (3) I am still confused about …; (4) I need more information about …; (5) One way this lesson could be improved is …; and so on. You can focus the students any number of ways. Review the sheets for immediate feedback on your lesson and to determine where students are in their understanding of it. Be sure to tell students that any reaction is a good one, and that this activity will not help or hinder grades, status, etc. Some students may only write what they think you want to see. Make sure they understand the purpose of lesson reaction sheets.
reinforce effort as well as performance
Always reinforce students for their efforts, even if they aren’t quite on target with understanding what they are supposed to do. If students’ misunderstanding is genuine-that is, they truly don’t understand-and this misunderstanding is not due to inattention or misbehavior, reinforce them for their efforts and tell them what they should do. During a lesson effective teachers often have students monitor their own performance by delivering the simple direction: “Time to check to see if you are following directions. Check your work behavior.” This simple effort re-focuses students on what it is they are to be doing and provides them an opportunity to independently (or, within a pair) check their progress standing. Another variation is to have students tell what and how they are proceeding with an assignment or task. This provides teachers and other students .a quick in-progress update of understanding and task performance.