The only way you’re going to know…is if you ask…

Earlier this quarter I posed a question for myself on how I would “work the gap” between what I currently knew about teaching children and what I hoped to learn this quarter.  I wrote:

·         “How can I take the first step toward assessing student understanding of a lesson and accommodating for individual learning levels? How do I know where a child has learned something?”

Throughout the quarter I have posted stories about assessment and teaching strategies in my second grade dyad classroom.  I have learned several skills, especially in the area of literacy, which I can now use to assess student understanding of a concept or a lesson.  On October 8^th I wrote: “Knowing what questions to ask to illicit comprehension of vocabulary and storyline has given me some great tricks to keep in my back pocket.”  Second graders are learning about accuracy, fluency, comprehension, visualization, character change, and vocabulary when reading.  These lessons are applied to their writing as well.  When I work individually with students we often practice reading fluency in one of their personal books.  To assess their understanding of visualization, for example, I may ask:

·         When you were reading this did you get any pictures in your head?  Did those pictures help you to understand the story?

In a small group or large group, I have learned the value of “wait time” as well.  The second graders in this classroom are eager to share when a question is asked, but a raised hand does not imply a well thought out answer.  Allowing the class thirty seconds to think about their answer is helpful for the student and teacher assessment.  When teaching my read aloud lesson I did not provide enough wait time.  I also cut short the “turn and talk” partner conversations because I was eager to talk as a whole group.  In the future I can see that giving students a longer amount of time lets them think through their answers. 

When a student responds it is important to ask: “How do you know that?” or “Tell me more”.  This asks students to not only justify their answers, but allows the instructor to better understand student comprehension.  It is also clear to me that students have a language of their own, and they can explain concepts to each other sometimes better than an adult can.  Observing their partner work and asking questions can aid in assessment.  In my blog post on October 14^th I discuss my experience reading about the sun with two seven year old girls.  At several points during our lesson the girls, who had never heard about the water cycle, attempted to explain the rotation of the earth or the water cycle to each other.  Listening to their explanations and justifications provided me with enough information about their comprehension.  They were not always accurate in detail, so I would know to interject and illustrate the concept again.  However, there was value in the two girls using each other as a resource.  The teacher is not the only “giver of knowledge”!  Working in small groups, or individually, is furthermore an appropriate way to accommodate for different rates of learning and comprehension. 

My work in literacy with second graders this quarter has demonstrated that learning is not always best assessed by a paper test.  When working individually, in small groups, and whole group the instructor is better able to ask relevant questions and acquire a more meaningful assessment of learning.  Students also participate in running records, reader’s theater, and essay writing to demonstrate their growing literacy skills.  Combined with course work this quarter, I feel better prepared to assess student understanding in literacy as well as their learning in the classroom.