Effective Strategies to Use While Checking In With Students
If something is important enough to give an assignment, it should be important enough to assess. Many teachers hear the word asses and their minds immediately go to grading, and how dreadful it can be to grade every assignment. An easy way for teachers to assess, not grade, is by using different check-in strategies.
A Few Effective Strategies
Act On It NOW Notes
Act On It NOW Notes are “sticky” 
notes that teachers leave on students work to them know how well they did
and what they needs improvement. The notes should be descriptive yet focused on one or two very specific improvement areas.
To determine how students have reduced their learning gaps, we could ask them to turn in their old work with the sticky note attached to the revised work. We quickly see a cohesive package of the old work, the note to the student, and the new work improvements. Consequently, we directly focus on specific corrective action the student completed. Our assessment of their work becomes clear and focused.
Small Group Pulse Check
A small group meets with the teacher for the purpose of reviewing self and peer feedback on work. This strategy provides teachers and students a way to to engage in discussion about learning. Teachers assess by asking these three questions during the pulse check:
- What do you think you did well?
- What’s one thing you could improve do better?
- How will you make that improvement?
As students debrief, other students listen to the conversation to learn and modify their thinking about heir own work. Also, the teacher and other students gain opportunities to celebrate each student’s wins.
These are just two of the many effective strategies that could be used while checking in with students. For more effective strategies on how to give student feedback, please click the following link: The Australian Society for Evidence Based Teaching.
Feature Image: edutopia
Resource: Who’s Engaged? Book
