Educators have been checking for understanding since the beginning of time. We must continually check for understanding because students often won’t ask clarifying questions for a plethora of reasons, such as, they’re too shy, they have a fear of peers and appearing dumb or they may just have difficulty forming a question (When Students Do Not Ask Questions in Class, 2019). Therefore, that leaves the ‘quick checks’ to us, the educators. I would say that checking for understanding is one of my favorite parts of teaching because you get a chance to experience how students react when they don’t know something. Do they try to understand? Do they pretend they know because their buddies are watching them? Will they be honest and admit that they are unsure? Can I tell if the content is sticking? There are several ways that I have learned to check for understanding through the year, from just watching facial expressions and body movements, to a simple thumbs up. Regardless of the formative assessment or checks for understanding in an educator’s arsenal when implemented effectively engages students with their learning and has been shown to help students learn. These techniques provide ongoing feedback to the student, arms them with resources for diving deeper into material and encourages questioning to further the learning process (Tweed, 2014). My top five favorite ways to check for understanding are, KWL’s, Venn Diagrams, Temperature Gauge (Thumbs Down/Sideways/Up), Journaling and technology.
KWL
KWL’s are a great way to check for understanding because they access the student’s prior knowledge and get them thinking about what’s to come. Several people have explained the KWL, however let me explain a version I have used. I either hand out a paper that is made for students, or I just have them create the chart themselves. I usually look at the standard and lesson and pick about 7-10 words that I put on the board as bullet points. I tell the students to look at the bullet points and write in the ‘K’ section five things that they know about any and all of the words on the board. Then, I have them write down 5-7 questions that they have about the bullet points, this could be something they don’t know or maybe something they heard and they’re wondering if it’s true. Next, I have them look up the questions that they have on google and I typically “cold call” or have them do a table share about what they found on the internet. Depending on what you are assessing with a KWL decides its use. I typically use the ‘L’ for the end of the lesson, but in this example its used as an interest approach.
Venn Diagrams
Venn diagrams are another one of my go-to methods for checking for understanding because I think there is so much value in students being able to compare and contrast the content learned. Also analyzing is higher on Bloom’s cognitive skills for measuring students learning. Venn diagrams are so diverse and can be used to compare two, three, even four different items at once. They also double as a visual aid and assist in making students compartmentalize the information. It is said that 65% of students are visual learners, that’s more than half of the students in our classrooms (McCue, 2013).
Temperature Gauge
This is the age-old method of thumbs-up/thumbs-down visual aid for students to use for indication of their level of understanding. It is fast and effective, and students understand quickly to reciprocate when I put my thumb up and start moving my thumb from thumbs up, thumbs sideways to thumbs down. I really like this method since even the shy students will participate because others are usually not searching the classroom to see what each other are saying, they are focusing on their own thumb. This technique is usually just a quick check, not an official formative assessment to use for data purposes.
Journaling
Another solid way to check for understanding! There is just something about putting a pencil to paper and jotting your thoughts down. Usually, this is a strategy that is done with a prompt on the board by the educator and the students respond to the prompt in their notebook. This is another excellent way to tackle the shyness and fear of peers that the classroom can sometimes bring to our students. Journaling gives students the opportunity to discuss experiences, discover different sides of the situation, solve problems, dive into the understanding of relationships with each other and the world, reflect on personal goals, summarize ideas and revisit thoughts from previous journal entries (Kelly, n.d.).
Technology
I am a big advocate for utilizing the methods our students have grown up with. We are a technological society and our kids seem to not be able to live without their super upgraded tech pieces. Chrome books, smart phones, tablets and personal laptops that were only for the “super high achievers” when I was in college have now made their way even into the kindergarten classrooms. Shoot my tech advisor is my first-grade great nephew, he helps me with more of my technology issues than the MAC help desk. So, I say why fight it, things become extinct rather fast if they don’t become adaptable. Students really like to use Kahoot, Polleverywhere, Plickers, Socrative and the list keeps growing in the classroom setting. It’s what they are used to, its where they are comfortable and where students in today’s classroom thrive. Kahoots and Polleverywhere is something I use a lot and can develop quickly into a competitive atmosphere where kids get excited and motivated.
There are so many types of tests today in society: surveys, the US census, PRAXIS, Hunter’s/Boater’s Safety, Pilot’s License, Electrical Testing (Trade tests), Lifeguard Training, practicums, Concealed Carry Permit, test out of swimming lesson levels and the list goes on. I think the most important concept about any type of testing is making sure that the test matches the content. I am a huge proponent of this concept because, as we’ve all seen on a poster somewhere Einstein’s quote, “If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life thinking that it’s stupid.”
References:
Kelly, M. (n.d.). Reflection and Examination: Using Journals in the Classroom. Retrieved June 16, 2020, from https://www.thoughtco.com/journals-in-the-classroom-6887
McCue, T. (2013, April 02). Why Infographics Rule. Retrieved June 16, 2020, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/tjmccue/2013/01/08/what-is-an-infographic-and-ways-to-make-it-go-viral/
Tweed, A. (2016, June 13). Formative Assessment-What it really is and why it matters. Retrieved June 16, 2020, from https://www.mcrel.org/formative-assessmentwhat-it-really-is-and-why-it-matters/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjevLwZmJ6gIVCUqGCh0g EAh4EAAYASAAEgKIlfD_BwE
When Students Do Not Ask Questions in Class. (2019, September 24). Retrieved June 16, 2020, from https://tenneyschool.com/when-students-do-not-ask-questions-in-class/
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