1. CHECKING FOR UNDERSTANDING

2. Prioritizing Priorities Worth being familiar with Important to know and do Enduring Understanding

3. Using Oral Language to Check for Understanding Did you know? The amount of teacher versus student talk in the classroom varies by the demographics of the students.

4. Gender Differences Did you know? The amount of time girls spend participating orally in class decreases as they get older Teachers call on boys more often than girls Teachers ask boys more higher order questions Teachers use longer wait time with boys than with girls

5. The Most Common Practice Teachers ask students questions and students respond. The initiate – respond – evaluate model

6. Oral Language Strategies for Checking for Understanding Accountable Talk Enriching Discourse in whole group discussions, partner talks, small group discussions, guided reading groups, literature circles, etc Guidelines: Stay on topic Use information that is accurate and appropriate for the topic Think deeply about what the other person is saying

7. Noticing Non-verbal Clues Do students look puzzled, harried or bored? Are students with you? Are they on task? Other clues?

8. Value Line-Ups Some students learn to talk and state their own position but never learn to really listen to what the other person is saying, especially if their opinion is different from theirs. Form an opinion line according to their degree of agreement and disagreement with an idea or statement Fold line in half so those with opposing opinions talk and listen to each other

9. Retellings Inviting students to retell what they just heard or read is a valuable way to check for understanding

10. Variations on Retellings Oral to oral Oral to Written Oral to Video Reading to Oral Reading to Written Reading to Video Viewing to Oral Viewing to Written Viewing to Video

11. Think-Pair-Share Think – Teacher engages students’ thinking with a question, prompt, reading, visual, or observation Pair- Using designated partners, students pair up to discuss their responses –identify… Share- Teacher asks pairs to share their thinking

12. Misconception Analysis Misconceptions often identified by teacher first but with practice students will begin to pick them out Provides an opportunity to discuss, often in small groups, misunderstandings that they have Teacher can provide ideas/material to help students clarify their thinking and understanding

13. Whip Around Teacher poses a question or a task – usually students asked to make a list of three or more- Everyone stands, teacher calls on students for responses As each answer is called out, each student checks off each item called, until all answers have been called

14. Using Questions to Check for Understanding The Misuse of Questioning The initiate – respond – evaluate model AKA –Guess what’s in my head!

15. Common Practice Evidence that a vocal minority of students dominate classroom conversations and questioning, while less assertive students rarely participate Knowing that 6 or 7 students understand is not the same as knowing 30 understand Using effective questioning techniques gives better evidence of understanding Couple them with approaches that increase participation in classroom discourse

16. Questioning Techniques Construct Effective questions –identify effective steps in using questions Prepare questions as part of your planning Consider respondents Use wait time Help students who respond incorrectly Process student responses – feedback, expand and use answers, get more student reactions and questions Reflect on your questioning practices

17. Questioning Techniques Provide non-verbal support when you question a student: Eye contact Facial Expressions Body Posture Physical Distance Silence Verbal Acknowledgements Subsummaries

18. Questioning Techniques Develop Authentic Questions Questions should engage students in deeper thinking and not just ask for recall information Use an organizational structure like Bloom’s taxonomy when planning questions

19. Promoting Participation & Increasing Engagement These techniques can be used with questioning and other methods of checking for understanding Response Cards Pre-printed (like flashcards) –potential energy, kinetic energy Write – on cards Index cards, signs, dry-erase boards, magnetic boards, other…

20. Promoting Participation & Increasing Engagement Hand Signals Thumbs up – I understand & can explain it Thumbs sideways – I’m not completely sure… Thumbs down – I don’t understand, I need more help Audience Response Systems Technology provides new ways to check for understanding www.turningtechnologies.com

21. Using Writing to Check for Understanding Writing helps us clarify our thinking Writing is thinking Writing can be used across the curriculum as a formative assessment tool Analyzing student writing can help teachers determine what students know

22. Writing Techniques for Checking for Understanding Entry Cards Students are asked to have a card ready for the start of class Exit Cards Students are asked to write a response to material taught in class –quick way for teacher to check understanding Interactive Writing Shared writing activity Small group With older students you need firm routines and trust

23. Writing Techniques Read-Write –Pair –Share Similar to Think - Pair- Share Students read (or view) material Write in response to it Engage in conversation with a partner about what they read and wrote Share ideas with whole class

24. Writing Techniques Summary Writing Similar to Retelling Summarizing leads to higher levels of understanding RAFT Role: What is the role of the writer? Audience: To whom is the writer writing? Format: What is the format for the writing? Topic: What is the focus/purpose of the writing?

25. Using Projects & Performances to Check for Understanding Projects and Performances allow teachers the opportunity to see how well students choose and use information. They allow us the opportunity to see how well students have transferred their learning to new situations. In order to use these as a tool to determine the extent of students’ understanding, they must be seen as more than just a culminating project.

26. Using Projects & Performances to Check for Understanding The doing part must not take more precedence than the understanding part In the case of projects, we must be assured that we are checking the students’ understanding and not that of their parents.

27. Using Projects & Performances to Check for Understanding Build into the project or performance time-line, frequent opportunities for formative assessment These are incremental assessments that help teachers check each student’s understanding At each stage, discussions can be held, checklists and rubrics can be used

28. Techniques Performances Readers’ Theatre Multimedia Presentations Electronic & Paper Portfolios Visual Displays Graphic Organizers Dioramas