Recognizing that instruction should stem from assessment is not a new concept, nor should it be. It seems quite obvious to me that your knowledge of your students, their abilities, their background knowledge and understanding of concepts, and their readiness to learn should all factor into your day-to-day plans.
My elementary school teachers - for the most part - were the opposite of forward-thinking. Perhaps that's not a fair statement . . . it was 20ish years ago. Nevertheless, my teachers cared very much about their thematic bulletin boards, their science fair projects, and their spelling tests. They didn't always care about what was best for their students.
But I can remember one instance in Grade 7 when my teacher did something radical. We'd done a whole (text-book based) math unit on decimals and percents. And then we'd written a test. And the majority of the class failed the test. Instead of moving on to the next unit, our teacher announced that we were going to be doing something a little different. She was going to re-teach the unit for those who had had trouble using different examples and different practice questions. Meanwhile, the group of 6-8 of us who had been successful with percents were going to work independently on a problem-based rich task throughout the week.
As a student, this is one of the most memorable moments of my Grade 7 year. I thought my teacher was so cool for spending the extra time to ensure everyone knew what they were doing while challenging the rest of us with something new.
As a teacher, I recognize the radical quality of this decision (it was the mid 1990s after all) and applaud my teacher for her creative and wise idea.
Students aren't put first if we ignore their challenges.
Students aren't put first if we encourage disengagement.
Yes, the data we collect in our classrooms tells the students how they are progressing. However, more importantly, that data informs US about how the students are progressing, about the effectiveness of our instruction, and about where we should be headed tomorrow and the day after and the day after that.
My elementary school teachers - for the most part - were the opposite of forward-thinking. Perhaps that's not a fair statement . . . it was 20ish years ago. Nevertheless, my teachers cared very much about their thematic bulletin boards, their science fair projects, and their spelling tests. They didn't always care about what was best for their students.
But I can remember one instance in Grade 7 when my teacher did something radical. We'd done a whole (text-book based) math unit on decimals and percents. And then we'd written a test. And the majority of the class failed the test. Instead of moving on to the next unit, our teacher announced that we were going to be doing something a little different. She was going to re-teach the unit for those who had had trouble using different examples and different practice questions. Meanwhile, the group of 6-8 of us who had been successful with percents were going to work independently on a problem-based rich task throughout the week.
As a student, this is one of the most memorable moments of my Grade 7 year. I thought my teacher was so cool for spending the extra time to ensure everyone knew what they were doing while challenging the rest of us with something new.
As a teacher, I recognize the radical quality of this decision (it was the mid 1990s after all) and applaud my teacher for her creative and wise idea.
Students aren't put first if we ignore their challenges.
Students aren't put first if we encourage disengagement.
Yes, the data we collect in our classrooms tells the students how they are progressing. However, more importantly, that data informs US about how the students are progressing, about the effectiveness of our instruction, and about where we should be headed tomorrow and the day after and the day after that.
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