Techniques to Check for Understanding

Sandra Weaver
Instructionaldeliveryservices@gmail.com
216-406-5556

Course Description: This course details the value of preparation to teach a lesson. It is not writing a lesson plan.  It is what happens after the plan is written.   This course also reviews multiple techniques teachers can use in order to check that students are on the right track. Checking for understanding is a key formative assessment strategy. Participants will not only read about the techniques but be able to see the techniques being used in a variety of classrooms.

Course Objectives:

• Students will demonstrate their understanding of the principles of how we learn.
• Students will understand that understanding human cognitive structure means building memory.
• Students will understand what we attend to is what we learn about.
• Students will understand that preparation is more than writing a lesson plan.
• Students will be able to write and use knowledge organizers.
• Students will expand their teaching repertoire to include multiple ways to check for understanding. 

Materials:

Required text-

Lemov, Doug. Teach Like a Champion 3.0. San Francisco, CA. Jossey-Base. 2021. (available on Amazon)

COURSE OUTLINE

All referenced video clips are available at www.wiley.com/go/teachlikeachampion3

*In themodules, you will be doing short readings followed by video clips that illustrate the concept/technique discussed. 

Module One – Mental Models (Chapter 1)
Reading

Module Two - Lesson Preparation (Chapter 2)

Technique 1: Exemplar Planning
Readings and Video Clips

Technique 2:  Plan for Error
“What will they get wrong?’  “What will they misunderstand?”
Readings and Video Clips

Technique 3:  Delivery Moves
Readings and Video Clips

Technique 4:  Double Plan
Readings and Video Clips

Technique 5:  Knowledge Organizers
Readings and Video Clips

Module Three:  Checking for Understanding (Chapter 3)

Technique 6:  Replace Self-Reporting
“Everyone get it?” or “Do you understand?”
Readings and Video Clips

Technique 7:  Retrieval Practice
Readings and Video Clips

Technique 8:  Standardized Format (gathering data)
Readings and Video Clips

Technique 9:  Active Observation
Deciding intentionally what to look for !!
Readings and Video Clips
“Hunting, Not Fishing”
Readings and Video Clips

Technique 10:  Show Me
Readings and Video Clips

Technique 11:  Affirmative Checking
Readings and Video Clips

Technique 12:  Culture of Error
Readings and Video Clips

Technique 13:  Show Call
Readings and Video Clips

Technique 14:  Own and Track
Readings and Video Clips

Evaluation:
(Assignments are activities/responses based upon readings)

Assignment 1  =  40 points

Assignment 2 =  20 points

Assignment 3 =  30 points

Assignment 4 = 10 points

Assignment 5 = 20 points

Assignment 6 = 20 points

Assignment 7 = 20 points

Assignment 8 = 40 points

Final Project = 50 points Final Project:  Which of the Checking for Understanding techniques do you see useful in your classroom (hopefully you can name at least 3) and why?