Anyone who’s taught a class has been there: you give the test, or say “go” after providing instructions, and stand by shocked and dismayed at how little of what you’ve painstakingly explained actually got understood. Nothing is more frustrating, and nothing causes teachers to heap more blame on their students, than having just said something only to have your students not know it.
Thank goodness you’ve been doing your relaxation exercises, and can handle the situation with grace. Unfortunately, your students still don’t know to number their papers 1 – 10, list their favorite books in reverse alphabetical order, swap papers, and write a paragraph on if they agree with their neighbor, even though you just said it… twice.
Enter Concept Checking Questions, these little gems, mixed with a healthy dose of the No Opting Out strategy, will ensure your students understand every instruction or factoid, every time.
Concept Checking Questions are exactly what they claim to be, questions that help you as the teacher determine if your students understand a concept, any concept.
It’s actually very simple, let’s use the above instructions as an example of how a teacher might explain the issue and check for understanding. First, a standard example of not using concept checking questions:
Teacher: Okay class, we’re going to do a fun activity, I want everyone to take out a piece of paper, number it 1 – 10, and write their favorite books in reverse alphabetical order. When you’re done, switch with your shoulder buddy and read theirs, writing a paragraph about which books you’ve read and if you agree.
Teacher repeats the above, then: Does everyone understand?
Students: [Nodding enthusiastically] Yes!
What could possibly go wrong? Well, nine times out of ten, your students will just say yes, half because they know it’s what they’re supposed to say, and half because they’re pretty sure they’ve got an idea of what you’ve asked them to do. No matter what age you teach, it turns out that people are terrible at self-assessing their understanding, especially young people. They may actually believe they heard and painstakingly memorized your instructions, but in fact, only know to do something with books and then writing a paragraph, or something.
You sit back, expecting to relish in the glory of a job well done, only to see your students’ memories fail as they get further into the exercise and chaos begins to grip your classroom. Let’s try it again with some CCQ’s.
Teacher: [Gives Instructions as before, then] Joe, what are you going to do first?
Joe: Number my paper one through ten!
Teacher: Maria, is that correct?
Maria: Yes!
Teacher: Great! Grant, what do you do next?
Grant: Uhhhmmm. Write a Paragraph?
Teacher: Sal, is that correct?
Sal: Shouldn’t he list his books first?
Teacher: Which books?
Sal: His favorite?
Teacher: What do you think Grant?
Grant: Yeah, that’s right, in reverse alphabetical order.
And so on…
By the time you sit down, you’ve not only gone over the instructions several times but you’ve ensured that every student has had to stay on the alert and ready to answer what comes next, thus making sure they’re all paying their due attention. It can also work with subject matter:
Teacher: [Holding up a pencil] How would I say this, in English?
Sopheak: Pencil?
Teacher: [now putting down the pencil] Great! Hmmm, but, I wonder, what are pencils made of?
Jon: Wood!
Teacher: Ahhh, do they have ink inside them?
Class: No!
Teacher: Ohh, if you make a mistake with your pencil, what can you do?
Jotti: Erase it!
Now, the teacher has made sure that not only do her students know what a pencil is, they know that “pencil” doesn’t mean anything that writes, especially that a pencil is different from a pen. For pencil and pen this may not seem necessary, but it’s an easy way to show how to use CCQ’s to differentiate and define, and is great for more complex ideas like rich and greedy, solids and liquids, or irrational and imaginary.
Be sure to leave your comments and questions below!
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