Checking for Understanding: Formative Assessment Techniques for Your Classroom (Professional Development)

If you ever have students who are reluctant to tell you when they don't understand something--or worse, tell you they understand when they really don't--then here's a book that gives you lots of ways to check for understanding. Learn why typical methods to check for understanding are usually ineffective. And explore formative assessment techniques that work in any subject area and grade level: (1) Seven types of oral language (speaking and listening) strategies that close the gap between what students need to know and what they already know; (2) Four ways to use writing to check for understanding in any subject; (3) Student response techniques that increase participation and engagement; (4) Projects and performances that are easily integrated into daily classroom practice; and (5) Test items that help plan further instruction. Extensive classroom examples show you how to use these formative assessments to correct misconceptions, improve learning, and model good study skills for individual students or across multiple classrooms What teacher hasn't sometimes believed that the entire class understands a lesson, even though only a few students are nodding their heads and answering questions? Later, the teacher is dismayed when many students fail a related test. Why aren't students getting it? And, just as important, why didn't the teacher recognize the problem?

In Checking for Understanding, Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey show how to increase students' understanding with the help of creative formative assessments. When used regularly, these types of assessments enable every teacher to determine what students know, what they need to know, and what type of instructional interventions are effective. Fisher and Frey explore a variety of engaging activities that can build understanding, including: interactive writing, portfolios, multimedia presentations, audience response systems, interactive hand signals, public performances, and much more.

Checking for Understanding further explores how teachers can effectively use traditional tests and collaborative assessments to improve instruction and increase students' comprehension. Rubrics and charts help teachers check their own understanding as they work with students.

Whether you are preparing students to read a Shakespearian sonnet or create their next science project, Checking for Understanding will help you refocus your teaching and enable all students to get the most out of their classroom experience.

Foreword......Page 8 Introduction......Page 10 Why Check for Understanding?......Page 12 Using Oral Language to Check for Understanding......Page 26 Using Questions to Check for Understanding......Page 47 Using Writing to Check for Understanding......Page 68 Using Projects and Performances to Check for Understanding......Page 83 Using Tests to Check for Understanding......Page 109 Using Common Assessments and Consensus Scoring to Check for Understanding......Page 131 Afterward Checking Your Own Understanding......Page 145 References......Page 152 Index......Page 162 About the Authors......Page 168 Learn how to increase students? understanding with creative formative assessments that help identify what students know and don't know--and what types of instructional interventions will be most effective. Learn how to increase students' understanding with creative formative assessments that help identify what students know and don't know, and what types of instructional interventions will be most effective