Questions Every Reading Teacher Needs to Answer Part 3

Originally, I asked the questions I am using in this series of posts in part of a guided reading training I have been presenting (with modifications!) for about 8 years. However, I've decided to modify this question  a little bit.  Rather than asking the original, fairly specific question of, "How are you checking for comprehension after a guided reading lesson," let's just ask the more general, "How will you know how well your students are comprehending?"  This can be applied to any lesson, any subject, any grade-level.  If our students are not comprehending what we are teaching, then we aren't teaching--we're just talking.
(For those of you not familiar with Texas State Mandated testing,  2011-12 was the first year that the STAAR test was introduced to replace the previous state mandated test, TAKS.)Before STAAR came along to make all of our lives brighter, I often heard teachers talking about why the TAKS test was too difficult and that the level of questioning was beyond many of our average students' capabilities. With STAAR, the comprehension level went up even further and we began to realize it wasn't enough to just ask questions at a more difficult level--we had to make our classrooms more like learning labs where students were constantly having to problem solve, analyze, take things apart and put them back together--in every subject. If we are not creating an environment where students are constantly introduced to these types of challenges, not only are we limiting their preparation for the state mandated testing, we're not fully preparing them for the working environment they are going to have to function in as adults.

What are your students getting out of your lessons?

The obvious answer to my question is on assessments. If students are comprehending what you are teaching, they should do well on pencil-paper exams.  However, that is still not necessarily a good indicator as to the level of understanding they have. If you are giving assessments written before STAAR, those written at a lower-level as far as Bloom's Taxonomy is concerned, or possibly something that comes from a curriculum or textbook that is not aligned with the state student expectations or exam, you could well be asking assessment questions that are much easier than the standard set by the STAAR test.  While they may be demonstrating a level of understanding, it might be far below the level they are going to need to be at in order to do well on the state assessment.  Therefore, we cannot use a students' performance on assessments as the sole indicator of how well he or she comprehends the materials we are covering.  We also must take into consideration that some students just don't perform well on written assessments.  There can be a variety of reasons for this but ultimately we need to understand that extremely intelligent children often show up as average or below average in testing situations because of test anxiety, dyslexia, ADD, ADHD, autism, and many other factors we should consider.
Therefore, we must collect other forms of data in order to truly determine the level of understanding our students have of the materials we have covered.  The best way to do this, in my opinion, is to create a project that allows the students to work at the highest levels of Bloom's and then we can use the product they create to determine whether or not the student is able to comprehend at those high-levels.  We need to include components of collaboration, creativity, problem-solving, research, and analysis in those projects.  We also need to allow for student choice, particularly when it comes to choosing methods of research, assignments of particular portions of the workload, products, and sometimes even the topic.  There are a lot of topics that often relate to the same unit or lesson we are teaching so if you can find a way to let students choose a component that they are particularly interested in, why not? In my experience, they always perform better when they are engaged with a project they have had some choice in designing. This also allows you insight into their comprehension levels because the greater their understanding, the more likely they are to design a complex, well-thought out project.
We can learn a lot about the level of understanding our students have by listening to the conversations they have with other students. Ask them to explain a concept to a neighbor.  Better yet, ask then to teach a lesson about one of the topics you are discussing to the class.  You'll find out very quickly how deeply they understand the materials.  The student presenting will also retain the information at a deeper level for a longer period of time.  This is all part of project based-learning and it is definitely coming our way so we need to start preparing for it, whether we like it or not.  We say that, in teaching, every thing is cyclical. I think project based learning is going to become a part of our school culture--like lunch and recess more so than some of the flash-in-the-pan buzz words we've been known to use and then discard.  The reason for this is, project based learning works!  Our students get a lot out of it. It's easier on teachers and it more closely replicates an actual work environment than the typical classroom.  Oh, and also, it's a lot of fun!
When it comes to reaching those upper levels of Bloom's, the level that the students' answer at is going to depend on the level of questioning the teacher is using.  If we ask lower-level questions, we'll get lower-level answers.  Examine the types of questions you are asking.  How many of them fall at the knowledge or remembering level?  How many of them climb up to application or analysis?  You may be surprised.  The best way to ensure you are hitting those higher levels is by planning to do so.  Write those types of questions when you write your lesson plan and then keep them with you when you're teaching so that you make sure to ask them.  If you have access to an instructional specialist or coach, ask him or her to come into your classroom during a lesson and keep track of the levels of your questions. This is a great way to get feedback from a non-threatening  professional who will be there to guide you through the steps of improving your questions, if necessary, and there will be no judgement on his or her part either, assuming the specialist or coach is a pro.  Take advantage of the resources you have and invite these people into your classroom to help with specific areas where you feel you can improve.  They want to help and there's nothing wrong with anyone asking for help in improving areas where we feel we are struggling.

Instructional coaches are excellent resources so don't be afraid to use them!

It can be exhausting standing up in front of a room of students all day long, discussing all of the material, saying all of the thins you are supposed to say, and knowing they aren't understanding a thing you are telling them.  This is where the art of teaching must come in to play and replace the misconception that covering a topic by talking about it necessarily results in students learning it.  Again, talking isn't teaching.  Teaching occurs when information is transferred from one person to another.  If they don't get it, then you didn't truly teach it to them.  Sometimes we have to teach the same topic in several different ways in order to teach it to everyone, and that's okay.  The more our students are engaged, the more they have the opportunity to discuss, collaborate, and dig into the subject themselves, the better their learning will be and the higher their levels of comprehension.  And when we create this type of learning environment, there's no question that the vast majority of our students will naturally do well on the state assessments because they are constantly being challenged at this higher level and it's nothing new to them.
What other ideas do you have for challenging your students to reach new intellectual heights?