Monitoring learning in the classroom

Teaching is a dialogue in which the teacher must both ‘talk’ and ‘listen’ – not necessarily verbally. ‘Listening’ could be making sure you are aware of students becoming disengaged, or watching out for signs of confusion in your students’ classwork. How are our featured teachers monitoring learning in these clips? How does it compare with your own style of ‘listening’?

Assessments

Assessment is the most formal way of monitoring your students’ learning, but there are many different styles of assessment. These clips show just a few approaches to assessment for learning.

Questioning

Asking the right questions is key to understanding your students’ ability level and any challenges they face. Consider the questioning in these clips and think about which styles of question are the most productive from the student’s perspective. Why is this? Have you developed your own habits when it comes to questioning your students? Is it only the wording that’s important, or are there other things to consider?

Setting lesson objectives/Sharing success criteria

Ultimately, the goal is for your students to become independent learners – and this can’t happen if they are working towards success criteria that only the teacher understands. It’s worth spending time discussing goals and success criteria with your students, whether it’s for one lesson, a term, or a whole year.