Assessment/Checking for Understanding
Cycle One
Objective
I will be able to assess my
students’ learning through
frequent checks for
understanding.
Anticipatory Set
Brainstorm current strategies you are
using to check for understanding,
including the ones you just received,
and write them down on your butcher
paper.
Checking for Understanding
How do we know when our students
are ready to move on to the next
concept and how often should we
check?
What is the difference between
formative and summative
assessment?
What should we do when we have
students that are still behind?
Checking for Understanding
The 85% rule (active participation)
Writing to check for understanding
The 10/2 rule
Effective questioning
Purposes of Questions:
To review and remind students of
classroom procedures
To gather information
To guide student thinking and learning
To discover student knowledge
Types of cognitive
questions:
Clarifying questions: What I hear you saying is. . .(after
a student has provided a response)
Convergent questions: Narrow, low-order questions
that demand a single, correct response (overused) What is the capital of. . .)
Analytic questions: Encourages students to analyze
and evaluate information in front of them, e.g. “In what
ways is this headline misleading (pause), Miguel?”
Additional Types of
Questions:
Divergent thinking questions: Open-ended questions having no
singularly correct answer, e.g. “What measures could be taken to
reduce crime in our neighborhood (pause), Sandra?”
Evaluative questions: “Why should we keep the Electoral College
(pause), Alex?”
Cueing questions: After sufficient wait time (more than two
seconds up to seven seconds), go backwards in your questioning
sequence
Probing questions: Requires the student to think beyond the
original answer, e.g. “Why do you think every citizen has the right to
a gun (pause), Gloria?” or “How did you get to that mathematical
answer?”
Divergent
Convergent
Evaluative
Clarifying
Cueing
Analytic
Probing
Guidelines for Using Questioning:
Prepare your questions in advance!
Ask a well-worded question before calling on a
student for response.
Pause before asking a student to respond so
everyone is thinking (two to seven seconds).
Ensure your questioning is randomized so you
don’t call on the same students.
Samples of questioning
strategies
to
avoid:
Rhetorical questions: Questions for which you don’t want a
response, often used as a blaming kind of question, e.g. “What
were you thinking!”
Low-level questions or closed questions that require yes or no
responses.
Any questions meant to embarrass or punish a student or
denies their dignity.
Questions in which you call on the student before framing the
question.
Calling on the same students over and over again (Get away
from thinking such as “The others aren’t paying attention
anyway!”)
To Summarize...
How are we asking effective questions
that will authentically assess student
learning?
What kinds of active participation
strategies are we using to make sure
we know whether or not all of our
students got it?
85% to move on to the next concept
Guided Practice: Gallery
Walk
Given what we have just covered,
conduct a gallery walk with your group
members and identify at least one
strategy you will incorporate into your
teaching and why you think it is
effective.
Closure: Exit Slip
Please answer the writing prompt on
the half-sheet and discuss your
answer with an elbow partner.
Independent
Practice/Housekeeping
Turn in active participation lesson
plans and attendance sheets.
Work on assessment strategies in
your PLC groups and on your lesson
plans.
Classroom walkthroughs.
Switching to Thursday?