Anyhow, after a few months of brainstorming I settled on "Checking for understanding one day at time." Why?
In thinking about the classroom, and life in general really, I strongly believe that checking for understanding is critical. It's all well and good to teach a great lesson, give specific directions, and regularly communicate to parents or your family. However, if you haven't verified that they actually get what your teaching, or how you want them to do something, or if they even heard you then it's really all for nothing!
The reverse is true also if you don't check to make sure you understand what's being shared or communicated then that's a problem too.
For those who were trained to write 7 step lesson plans following Madeline Hunter's Model of Mastery Learning you will know that step 5 is "Checking for Understanding." I wrote so many 7 step lesson plans back in the 90's that it is ingrained in my memory. Even my husband will joke with me that I am checking for his understanding when I verifying things with him. We've recently discovered that we need to revisit this with our son now that he's gone all teenager on us! ;-)
If you need some ideas or new tricks for making sure you are checking for understanding with your students take a look at these resources:
- Know Your Students: Five Ways to Check for Understanding in Your Classroom
- Dipsticks: Efficient Ways to Check for Understanding
- 27 Simple Ways To Check For Understanding
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