Visible Learning Meets BTC - Ch. 2 - I See Assessment As Informing My Impact

Checklist Thoughts

1) See student achievements as what they are: feedback about you and for you.

This is a blessing and a curse at times.  I always take student achievement (or lack of) personally.  I guess this is where I need to change my mindframe...instead of having it define me as a teacher, use it as constructive criticism to continue to improve. 

2) Consider the learning process in close connection with the teaching process. 

3) Interpret the mistakes your learners make with your teaching in mind.

When students show progress...

--> How did I design the lesson(s) to get this result?  

--> What did I do differently than in years prior?

--> How did I pay attention to the students learning during the process?

--> What went well?  What did this look like?  

--> What were the goals of the lesson(s)?

When student progress is lacking...

--> Where were the stumbling blocks in the lesson?

--> What could have been improved?

--> At what points was I not paying attention to student learning?

--> What other instructional strategies could have been incorporated into the lessons?

--> How can I reteach this in a different manner?

4) Include a phase at the end of the lesson in which you make learning visible.

This is important for both the learner and the teacher.

Exit Tickets - 

This, That, or the Other problem completion - 

Notes for My Future Forgetful Self

5) Unistructural Level - single, relevant aspect of a task or subject

     Multistructural Level - acquires a lot of knowledge of the content but doesn't know how to put it all    

          together

     Relational and Extended Abstract Levels

To me, this is where math fluency comes in.  We are good at acquiring one skill.  Two skills.  But when asked to put it together with other skills previously learned, that's when it seems to fall apart.  This is definitely an area that needs attention.

6) The questions listed in this checklist bullet are ones I ask myself ALL THE TIME.  They sit quietly during the first run-through of the lesson, and as aspects of the lesson continue throughout the day, the answers to these questions are the ones that guide my lesson for the next day.

• Which of my goals did I achieve in the lesson?
• What material did I successfully get across to the learners?
• Which methods turned out to be useful for fostering learning?
• Which media were useful for fostering learning?

7) Double check to make sure your students have learned the material, even if you believe they have: Knowing it is better than believing it in this case.  We cannot go by the simple adage, "well, I taught it".  Students need the repetition...what is it at least 6 inputs of new material and 6 activities to retrieve this material?  I would say teachers need the same to fully comprehend if students are learning the material.