Clarity of assessment of student learning

Another strategy is through guided practice. This moves your students toward increasing levels of independence. The questions, prompts and cues we offer them scaffold their understanding and deepen their knowledge. When there are gaps or misconceptions, the student should be questioned robustly to spur their thinking. “How might you find out if you’re correct?”, “How does [a previously learned concept] relate to your explanation?”

When questions and prompts don’t advance students’ thinking, overt guided instruction is required. Divert students to an information source. “Take a look at the diagram on page 32 and see if that aligns with your explanation.”

When all else fails, (which is feedback in itself) provide your student with the answer!

Clarity of assessment of student learning

Formative assessment is key to teacher clarity for our students’ learning needs. Listen, adjust instruction, check for understanding, guide student thinking. Exit slips are valuable feedback to formatively evaluate student learning, but it doesn’t tap into students’ reflective thinking. One nuanced strategy to gain added feedback is for each student to place their exit slip in one of four labelled containers, based on their own analysis of their understanding:

• I’m just learning (or I need more help) • I’m almost there (or I need more practice) • I own it! (or I can work independently) • I’m a pro! (or I can teach others)

Using this system, the teacher knows where and how to concentrate their attention for the next class that is based on this needs-based data.

• teacher guided small group instruction (Level 1) • peer tutors (Level 4) for these who need more practice (Level 2) • pairing Level 4 peer tutors with Level 3 student to stretch/challenge their skills