"Bump in the Road"

 

Have you ever noticed that in almost every learning situation, we invariably “hit the wall”?  It’s that moment when you’re not sure what next step you need to take get to your goal.

 In my tutoring sessions with adult learners who are preparing to take their GED tests, there is the added challenge of dealing with lost time in their educational journey and the frustration of forgotten skills.

 

Here’s a little idea to use with your students in any learning situation.  It allows for formative assessment (the kind that helps you as the instructor) and for immediate effective feedback for your students.

 

We hope you’ll try it and share your comments on how it works for you!

 

Place some post-its on students’ work areas.

 

As you work through a lesson, with either a whole group activity or students working independently, be on the look-out for that “bump in the road”.  That’s the moment when students suddenly begin to flounder or in some cases experience that super “aha” moment.

 

Periodically stop the lesson and have the students share on their post-it their confusion/ question/ comment. This allows all students to share in the responses in a collaborative way.

 

Be sure to use these post-its later for your own instructional planning to provide each student with the customized help they may need.

 

Always re-visit these recorded “bumps” to ensure that students feel empowered and more confident with the progress they are making,

 

Here’s a helpful look at formative assessment and effective feedback in action:

 

http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=184938