Issue 2 - checking learning
In my first session I set a variety of activities that checked for right and wrong answers. I was quite proud of that. I knew I wouldn't be able to read answers aloud and get them to mark. I wasn't confident I could use my homemade CD visualiser and model answers. So I picked self marking exercises. I set them to work and got them to share verbally with me how they got on. Eugh I was disappointed in myself.
How did I know how they had got on? I didn't. Don't get me wrong we verbally discussed it and I would say I had engaging conversations from over 3/4 of them. But I didn't know how they got on. And I didn't hear anything from 1/4 of them. If I am trying to replicate my classroom, what would I normally do? I would go round and check work. How can I do that?
On reflection I quickly shared a Google Form asking learners a couple of exam style questions on the topic and looked at their results. Great now I knew didn't I? Nope still in the dark. I could see how they got on but I didn't know how they got on. I'm missing their confidence factor. I'm missing their self reflection. I'm missing their working out. I'm missing watching them tackle a problem cheering from the sidelines prompting and nudging when they are struggling. They are all the way over there and I am all the way over here. That is issue 3.
Back to issue 2, normally in class I pulse check with an exam question on the board after each episode. I model the answer. I ask learners to evaluate their progress based against their performance in that episode summed up by their attempt at their exam question. I had partly replicated that in setting the question but I was missing all the other valuable bits too. I am still not at a level where I could model confidently turning my visualiser on, flipping my camera and keeping all my learners focused.
What I am confident with is sharing my screen and modelling with finger writing on my touch screen. I always join my Google Meet twice. I use my chromebook and my phone. That way I can use one for presenting on. I can use the other for responding to chat. In doing this I have a touch screen device connected in my phone. I can flip to a blank Jamboard or Drawing and finger write my multiplication model answer. Instantly I felt that connection. My learners did too, I asked! They were connected and invested in my modelling. They connected their work with the model. They self reflected and learnt from any mistakes that they made. They copied my model down. They made a revision guide model note. They celebrated their success! Modelling is always fab, it's not chalk and talk, it's oration of ideas and connecting the dots. You don't know which dots need connecting for your learner as they are individual. Modelling provides a model where the learner joins up those dots for themselves.
The other part I am missing is capturing their thoughts on their work. How did they feel? How did it look? Did they like it? Could they replicate it? How do I do this in class? They don't all pipe up and chip in. I only verbally hear from some of them. That's what I'm getting now. What am I missing??? Then I remembered normally in class we have a printed sheet of blank text message bubbles. They write in their thoughts as they go through the episodes. I then reply as I go round or after the lesson when I take them in and respond with setting tasks for homework if they've said they've struggled etc. They also have a progress line that they annotate at each episode. That's what I'm missing.
Remembering the Google form I used in lesson 1, lesson 2 I expanded this. I kept it simple. I asked learners to reflect on the learning intentions, pasted into the question, scoring themselves out of 5. How does it feel? Can you replicate it? Have you achieved?
I included a second question to capture their thoughts too. I turned on collect email addresses so I didn't need them to type names in etc, I knew who was who from that. I also loved the timestamp feature. We used the same form multiple times after episodes and the time stamps reflected this. 24 responses at 630pm, again at 710pm, 740pm, 810pm, 845pm. It's all there in a Google Sheet! I could see that at 630 Maj was rating at a 1 but at 810 it was a 4. I could see Ben was a 2 still at 740 so I needed to speak to Ben and help. That is issue 3.
To make life even easier for me, I set up the Google sheet ahead of time for the responses. I used conditional formatting to turn red if someone pops a 1 rating in there. This worked like a dream. There was a lot of information coming in thick and fast from learners all the time, making it go red automatically made those who were struggling really stand out! I expanded this next lesson to go green for those who were 5s and then could throw some praise their way too. This led me to then getting those who were 5s to share their top tips and peer support others!
What I liked about this is that I can clearly see the progress of my learners, or not, over the lesson. It's 1 form. 1 ranking question, takes seconds, repeated throughout. Students liked it too as they could leave me a message if they wanted or not. What they liked was an opportunity to reflect on their success and celebrate the joy of being able to rate at a 5. Yes this a confidence rating but it is informed by the exam question we have done so it is confidence with a measure for then to gauge against. Its not perfect but it wins on many levels for me. Its ease, its time stamps, its alignment to the learning intentions. The ability for me to analyse the data in class and after to out in extra support where needed. Most importantly hearing from every student, from every voice, that's why it wins.
