Checking for Understanding
by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey
Book review by Maria Ellis(mgvega15)
Does this ever happen to you, you have just taught a lesson, and you ask the most famous statement, "Does anyone have any questions?" Most of the time there is a deep silence and it feels like everyone understood the lesson, until they take the assessment or work on an assignment. Then everyone jumps with numerous questions such as "How do I do this?, What does this mean?, I don't get this!!"
Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey talk about the various tools a teacher can use to "Check for Understanding."
The author starts by inviting the reader into memory lane and having them recall their participation in classroom projects when they were young. Maybe, creating a science project, a diorama in a shoe box illustrating the Pilgrims on the Plymouth Rock. It takes time and lots of work to create a representation. But, as students did we really capture the meaning of the project or did we just remember having fun creating it? Part of the process of creating a project is to transfer the learning. Fisher and Frey mention the Bloom's taxonomy (knowledge, understanding, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation) as having a better outcome on projects then on worksheets. Teachers get an insight picture of students transfer learning not from completion of the work but "by the use of information and taking part in a meaningful activity."
Misuse of Projects and Perfomances in the classroom
Projects and Performances are used as tools to check for understanding. Douglas and Frey state, "these tasks should be seen as more than just a fun or (a) rewarding payoff for having learned all that stuff." Recalling the purpose of the project is an indication of understanding rather than the project itself. Sometimes, the idea of making the project can be lost in the process because we are simply having too much fun creating it. Doug recalls his experience in making tribal masks and using lots of paper maiche art but had no understanding of the role the item, as a daily life of the Kumeyaay.
When is best time to stop the student and ask questions about the project, during or after completion? Why?
I love to express myself through art. Like any child if you would of asked me to make a project, I'd do it but if you would of asked me what it meant, well, I would have probably not set much, but I sure enjoyed creating it!!! As the author mentioned, the "doing" part took precedence over the understanding." That is how the majority of the projects turn out.
Douglas and Frey provide another example of some misuse projects and that is when the parents get invovled. They recall a "California missions constructing by architect mothers and volcanoes with hydraulics installed by engineer fathers." While it is important to have parental involvement, this does not help the student to have any type of understanding of the project itself and it makes it difficult for the teacher to assess learning. As teachers we are not out to look for parent understanding but for student understanding.
What kind of assessment would you create to assess student's understanding of the project?
What are the difference between projects and based performances? When can each be used for understanding?
What project or performances have you been involved with that were especially powerful for your own learning?
Design Principles for Projects and Performances
The principles for Project and Performances must be carefully designed. Four design principles are necessary for learning to occur. The following are:
a. learning-appropriate goals
b. scaffolds for student and teacher learning
c. frequent opportunities for formative assessment and revision.
d. social organizations that promote participation
Learning Appropriate Goals
Douglas and Frey pointed out this out to make the goal effective and that is creating "a cultivate sense of curiosity and motivate students to seek answers." To apply open ended questions rather than yes or no answers. For example: Nancy is asked, "What are the commmon structures and functions of diverse organizations?" rather than "Can you build an animal all out of Jell-O?" Open ended questions promotes more involvement of the student and transfer learning occurs.
Scaffolds for Student and Teacher learning
Most of us know the importance of engaging in a small project and looking at the outcome before we set forward to embark on a new plan. Education research uses pilots to survey an approach to discover future problems. "Business organizations will test sending up trials balloons, or test waters before deciding to set grounds for their businesses." Students use this same process to see any forecoming problems or difficulties that they must address. They use previous knowledge as a scaffold and provide feedback for the teacher. Some students perform problem-based studies in writing business plans, and those who do, perform better than those who do not.
Frequent Opportunities for Formative Assessment and Revision
Projects and Performances are time invested and frustration can be a result in disappointing outcomes. A constructive rubric can set the stage of level completion for their project. This checklist can help the student meet final project requirements.
Douglas and Frey created this rubric on Feedback for Draft Photo Essay.
Example:
Category Responsibilities
Conventions *My paragraphs have more than one sentence.
(there are more additions to the checklist)
Organizations*My introduction is interesting and inviting.
(there are more additions to the checklist)
Flow *My sentences build logically upon the one(s) before.
(there are more additions to the checklist)
Punctuation *Commas separate items in a series.
(there are more additions to the checklist)
Word Choice *I use descriptive words (adjectives and adverbs) often.
(there are more additions to the checklist)
Rrubric Photo Essay
Category 4 3 2 1
Required Elements
Spelling and Grammar
Use of Time
Content
Social Organizations That Promote Participationa and Sense of Agency
Group collaboration and clear and precise instruction must be carefully designed. There must be accountability for group and individuality.
What are examples of the four design principles used in situations where you were the learner?
Problem based and Project Based Learning
These bases integrate into performances. They are intended to "to integrate skills and content across the disciplines." It can be used as an authentic experience, for outside the classroom.
Project based is used more at the elementary level and secondary level. Problem based is used in medical fields to help them understand the method of developing skills outside of the classroom. Projects based can last from a few days, weeks, even to a semester whereby, problem based is an ongoing learning experience.
Effective Techniques Using Projects and Performances
Reader's Theatre
"Reader's Theatre is a classroom activity in which students read directly from scripts to tell a story or inform an audience." They must complete the reading without the use of props, costumes, or sets. They must create the tone, and show facial expressions as they read the character. The Reader's Theatre has been used to improve reading literacy, vocabulary, knowledge and comprehension. Although, Reader's Theatre is not used to check for understanding, the teacher must come up with a guideline to check for understanding. Once that is set, students can create a script by using a summary of the story as a guide. They then create a play and show their performances.
For example:
Narrator: The earliest Egyptians lived in villages.
Egyptian Man 1: We decided to live in a small community.
Egyptian Man 2: It's safer when we live in a small community. Then we're not attacked by bandits anymore. ETC...ETC...
By listening to the groups Reader's the teacher knows that the student are on the right path and have develop an understanding of the life in ancient Egypt.
Multimedica Presentation
Multimedia provides the teacher an opportunity to check for understanding from the learner. The digital revolution has provided students with a new way to demonstrate knowledge.
Douglas and Frey provide a rubric for the use of Multimedia Project and Performance Rubric.
4 3 2 1
Organization
Subject Knowledge
Graphics
Mechanics
Eye Contact
Elocution
Graphic Organizers
Most commonly used as a resea rch tool in reading comprehension. These organizers are used in English, Social Studies, for students with disabilities, gifted and talented students, english learners, and across the grade span in the elementary, secondary and high school including college leaners as well. Examples of some graphic organizers are as follow:
The Circle Map, The Bubble Map, The Double Bubble Map, etc...these can be found on the website www.thinkingmaps.com.
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I think progress should be checked during the project in order to help guide a student who might be on the wrong track.
ReplyDeleteI would have the student present his project and if he has diffuclty expressing the various steps,I would ask him/her appropriate questions to clarify.
I myself enjoy guiding projects but did not have much experience in my educational background with them.In Europe a lot of the focus was on studying the material.I think it also depends on what subject matter you teach.
Hi Maria,
ReplyDeleteMaybe it’s just me, but this book seemed to leave me more confused about checking for understanding.
The four design principles for learning to occur seemed remote as well.
While individually I do see relevance in the statements, I found little to create cohesion or to build a plan and strategy.
As for the questions, yes we should check and assess early and often as Mieke pointed out so that we know as early as possible if the student is off track.
Since we are talking about projects and groups, one way might be to assign some distinct responsibilities such as project coordinator from within to monitor the group. Assessments could be formulated via reports. Of course visual monitoring would be the primary way of assessment.
Thanks for sharing!!!
As a teacher in technology education (formerly Industrial Arts for those of you unfamiliar with the terminology), I find the discussion on project-based assessment interesting. There certainly is information to be gained from textbooks in all fields, but I do think some are better learned in a practical, hands-on manner. My field would definitely be included in that group. Finding ways to assess can be difficult though. The comments on remembering the project but forgetting the meaning behind the project don't seem to apply quite as much in my area since the project IS the meaning. If our task is learning the construction methods involved in building a mini-barn, then those methods will be best remembered by actually building the barn.
ReplyDeleteAssessing this type of activities is the trickier part. Obviously, as the project progresses, it is easy to see where something "went wrong" and therefore needs fixing, but creating an overall assessment of student learning is a bit more challenging. I have used a variety of rubrics to help me as I observed the progress on the projects that have helped tremendously. I also try to give them the rubric up front so that they know what will be expected of them. This helps us all by keeping expectations clear.
This article talks about different ways we can evaluate students. Some students are very hands-on where some do better reading, writing and do problems.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I feel you must do when do projects is ask questions during the project. Just like a job, you must be able to evaluate and let them know what they are doing right and wrong through the process. If you can help them along the way and they are able to use that knowledge later in the project, you need to do it. Most students/people don't get everything right on the first try.
As for my business classes, incorporating a marketing scheme, developing a website for your business or hands-on project that deals with day to day bookkeeping are things that allow them to work on material they have learned in the class. You can do this at the end of the class. Sometimes you can do this as a break between subject matters. I do think that this can be important. Some things like this is what they may be doing in the real world.
A couple of projects I have done was an accounting project in high school and a marketing project in college. I do feel that they can be interesting and helpful in getting the students to connect the material they are studying to the real world.
Fred, I absolutely agree with your comment that you have to ask a question during a project. We learned about that while working designing units in one of my English methods classes. We have to encourage students to investigate - and designing projects that help them learn to ask questions and find their answers is the perfect way to do that.
ReplyDeleteI think understanding should be checked throughout the project so the student does not feel lost or confused the whole time. This gives the student the opportunity to ask questions and the teacher to be involved in the project and to let the student know they care about their success.
ReplyDeleteI think the best time to ask the student questions is both during and after the project is completed. Questions during the process ensure the student is heading in the right direction with their work and questions afterwards are a way to indicate that the student actually learned something through their work.
ReplyDeleteTo check for understanding, I guess that I would ask them a higher order question about the project that may not have been included in their presentation but if they took their own time to complete the assignment, they could deduce a logical answer or may have read up on the subject during their research.
A project that sticks out in my mind was in 5th grade when our class collaborated with Purdue University’s Bridge Bust competition. Engineering students are asked to build scale bridges and are then tested for their ability to support weight. There are budgets for each group to buy supplies for your “mock” construction project (things like glue, toothpicks…). Not only did the activity get our class involved with a major university, it also enabled critical thinking and unique design of a scale model bridge. The activity was extremely fun and competitive, while also teaching about budgeting and meeting deadlines. It was an excellent “real world” project that my group actually won!