EXIT SLIPS--Excellent Tool for Quick Assessments

All too often, teachers spend hours designing quality lessons that they believe will lead to a wonderful learning experience for all students in their classes.  However, with more classrooms becoming increasingly diverse in student needs, teachers sometimes feel overwhelmed in planning for every possible scenario--English language learners at all levels of learning the language, students with special learning needs, native speakers of English with weak educational backgrounds, students from economically disadvantaged home settings, etc. 

So within such a setting, what can teachers do to ensure that the vast majority of students master the major concepts of the lesson?  In two words:  EXIT SLIPS.  This tool provides quick assessments of how well each student understood the lesson.   Since they are ungraded, students do not stress over them.  When teachers explain that this tool will help identify students who struggle so that the teacher can devise additional instructional tools to help them, students welcome them.  After all, if they do well, their self-confidence soars.  If they don't do well, they know that the teacher will help them grasp the lesson. 

Here are some video clips on teachers using these tools to guide their instruction. The first one is on the use of exit slips in a high school math classroom.  The second one demonstrates their use in a 3rd grade classroom.

Remember that exit slips are good for all grade levels and in all content areas.  Use them and watch student academic performance improve dramatically!

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

Please also follow us on TWITTER @ell_teacherpros

COMMON CORE WILL TOTALLY REFORM ASSESSMENTS FOR ALL STUDENTS

Common core standards will usher in an array of new assessment techniques for teachers and their students.  This new approach will offer a more accurate picture of a student's strengths and weaknesses.  With instructional programs such as EXPLICIT DIRECT INSTRUCTION, teachers will have multiple opportunities to assess for understanding throughout a lesson.  Such data will permit the teacher to create mini-lessons to address confusion on the part of struggling students (ELLs especially) while the rest of the class is free to continue other assignments.  Project based learning will be a major part of instructional component of every class.  Active student engagement through team collaborative activities like those found in the business world will prepare students to master those skills employers want in their employees.

So schools will move away from overuse of multiple choice questions and personal narratives to projects addressing real world problems where 21st century skills in math, science, engineering, etc. must be used to solve real world problems.   In such settings, students will not only have to employ a wide range of skills to solve problems, but also be able to the necessary research to develop an answer, work with a team to develop a solution, and then, with sharp presentation skills, offer their solutions to the problem.  School will be moving away from the humor in this video:  I CHOOSE C

Planning team building and class discussion activities to fully prepare students for this new look at learning are in this video of high school students following an challenging urban planning curriculum in a  fifteen-hour study unit. Teams of high school juniors and seniors were in a competition to offer the best plan for remodeling a poor neighborhood.  All academic skills are tweaked to apply to the business task of remodeling.  Quite impressive!  PROJECT BASED LEARNING ACTIVITY

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

Boardwalk Butcher Paper, 36 x 900', White (Google Affiliate Ad)
Crayola Original Markers - Broad Line, Classic Colors, 10 ct. (Google Affiliate Ad)
Royal White Poster Board 28" x 22", 10/pk (Google Affiliate Ad)