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Students need to know how they measure up to the assigned task during the learning process. Teachers who provide feedback during learning give students the opportunity to fully understand their own progress and increase the impact of the learning activity. In the book Classroom Assessment Essentials, author Susan M. Brookhart shares the following recommendations regarding
Students come to the classroom with significant prior knowledge based upon other coursework and personal experiences. It is important for teachers to determine what students know at the beginning of a unit, so that meaningful lessons and experiences can be built. Employing some form of pre-assessment is vital. In the book Classroom Assessment Essentials, author
Zig Ziglar was a well-known author, motivational speaker, and teacher from Alabama. He often taught about the importance of setting goals, because no progress could be made without them. In one particular speech he said, “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.” Our goal as teachers should be to let students see
Maybe it’s because I’ve been a band director, choir director, and music teacher, but I believe one of the best places to learn about authentic formative assessment is in the performing arts. That’s not to disparage any other discipline. I just know that a student with an instrument in hand playing a piece of music
Learning is enhanced in community. Students need opportunities to discuss content, teach what they know, and learn from peers. As such, teachers need to have engagement strategies that allow for such social learning. In the book Creating An Actively Engaged Classroom, authors Todd Whitney, Justin Cooper, and Terrance Scott provide information about several partner and
When I was in graduate school, one of my cohort mates was a man originally from Jamaica. Our cohort classes were a bit rambunctious, and he often sat without contributing to the discussion. Finally our professor asked about his willingness to participate. The man explained that in his country, if a student wished to speak,
As a school leader, I had the privilege of visiting many classrooms. Regardless of the classroom, I observed an interesting phenomenon. When students had some unstructured time, they would talk and talk and talk. When the class was structured and teachers asked questions requiring student verbal responses, they were silent and silent and silent! It’s
One of my professors in graduate school stands out in my mind. He was a great guy. Really, he was. Unfortunately, he had some problematic habits related to questions and answers in the classroom. Some days he would ask a question and immediately answer it himself. Some days he would ask a question and wait
One of the most powerful tools for learning is reflection. It gives students opportunities to think about their thinking and deepen their understanding of how they interact with content. One of the downsides of many reflective practices is that they focus students on themselves. Learning happens in community with other students and teachers. As such,
When I was a high school senior, I was selected to be part of a leadership development program provided by a local civic organization. The culminating event for the program was the preparation of and execution of a group project. I loathed that project. My disdain was not for the content (we got to choose
Phil Harrison Coaching 