4.2 – Checking for Understanding
We check for understanding through a variety of techniques to monitor our students’ current understanding of what we are teaching. In many instances, these techniques are referred to as “formative assessment”. In this section, you’ll learn about the importance of “Checking for Understanding” through reading, exploring, and observing. You will likely recognize some of the techniques mentioned for monitoring student progress toward understanding. As you explore this section, think about how this concept applies to an online synchronous session. For example, you might think about the value of being able to see a student’s face during the lesson, which, unless each student is visible via their webcam, you can’t access as a source of input for determining whether or not students understand.
We’ll explore this topic through three different resources from STARTALK, each in a different format. Each is numbered below, beginning with an overview of the concept of “checking for understanding.”
1) To begin, click on the following link to download and read this overview document from STARTALK: Checking for Understanding (Links to an external site.)
2) After you have read the overview document, watch the short video below. As you watch, notice how the teachers check for understanding. Think about how these techniques apply to a synchronous, online teaching episode or lesson.
3) Now that you’ve watched this TELL video, we’ll further explore the concept of checking for understanding through an infographic. Download and review the following pdf infographic: Checking for Understanding: At-a-Glance Infographic (Links to an external site.)
4) To complete this section, you’ll take a short quiz that we are using as our own check for understanding. You may take the quiz as many times as you like and use any resources as needed. Please note the feedback on any items you miss. Click the following link to take the quiz once you have finished read/viewing all items on this page: Checking for Understanding Quiz