You can start on the first day with an overview of the lesson plan for the class and engage the students on what they are about to learn. You can then see who will step up and contribute to the conversation and who sits back quite trying not to be noticed. From that point you know who you have to encourage a little more than others.
By Eddy Mojena
I usually pretest them after going over the material that we went over before the test, that helps them and I know where they need help in.
Mary,
I think this is a great strategy to really help get a feel for where each of your students are in their skills.
Dr. Ryan Meers
In order to find out where students are, I like to provide a pre-test the first day of class to find out where students are at. I also have them do a brief writing sample so I can assess their writing ability too.
Also, as we discuss different chapters I like to give a pre and post test to see if they have learned the basic concepts of the class.
luequiten,
this is a great strategy to discover the learning needs of students.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Pam,
this is a great strategy to discover the areas of need.
Dr. Ryan Meers
By having discusion in the classroom that invite the student to be involved in active learning and skills.
I have my student's start out the first day by writing a simple essay using a topic of my choosing. From this, I am able to gain information regarding their language and learning skills.
Thomas,
I think this is a great way to start & to get a real feel for where the students are & how we can best help them.
Dr. Ryan Meers
As I go through material I start by having students parrot back to me exactly what I said. If it is a new vocabulary word I will give the definition and ask a specific student to repeat teh word back to me. Then I begin to apply the terms and ask the students to give me an application of the word. If they can explain the example I gave them, then I ask them to give me an example/ application that they think of. Gradually, I find where the students are needing help. I also have the students break into groups to teach each other the vocabulary. That way I can scan the room and give individual attention where needed.
We do a couple of assessments as part of the course work in "generic abilities" and learning styles that helps us key into specific needs and postential problems.
Jeff,
I think this is a great way to evaluate these abilities.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Leon,
I think this is a great way to evaluate & assess where your students are in regard to learning skills/needs.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I have an 80 question study guide to help with my tests. I have all of them read the questions starting at the same time, by the time they are finished it is easy to spot the better reading comprehnsion students.
Basic skills inventory.
Comprehension exercises.
Eveualting their assignments for clarity in ideas and effectiveness of expression.
Speaking with the student and observing their contributuions/input in class.
Leon Guendoo
if i have a very diffuse class, i actually give a joke. something a kid could tell, with a little exposition. and then see how everyone takes it and if they can describe what it means, what is going on. if i get laughs, i sigh. then i know that they got it.
In addition to what you are doing I also try to use the test setting itself to size up my students. I offer to answer any questions they may have with the quiz questions. By doing this I can normally identify the students that are having language problems.
Our school tests each student for their learning style, visual, kinesthetic, or auditory. I ask my students on the first day of orientation what their learning style is. Then I have an idea if I need to focus on more demonstrations vs. lecture. I vary the presentation of clinical material with quizzes (to see what they know), demonstrations of skills, movies, case studies, group activities and handouts for various subjects. After their first weeks' charting I can see if they have writing difficulties and vocabulary issues. We work on charting every week and I write suggestions on each paper using the patient's diagnoses to focus the important areas which need to be covered in their care. Some students are referred to remediation and the skills lab at school for more indepth review. In the clinical area I have 7-12 students, so they get individual attention each day and can see how the information is relevant and applicable to nursing.
George,
I would agree that the more variety we can incorporate with our teaching strategies the better chance we have of reaching a multitude of learners.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I give frequent snap quizzes and keep myself very aware of class participation. I try and meet frequently with students who seem to be falling between the cracks to try and determine any learning needs. I also encourage questions, making sure they know that ALL questions are valid and appreciated.
