Level 3 Spring Training 25 - Checking for Understanding by Sarah Ziegler

2025-01-14 19:05:42 UTC

having the student explain to you the concept you are working on in their own words that way you can see what seems to have stuck with them so far and maybe what they still need help on

2025-01-14 19:05:48 UTC

body language, sometimes they will tell you directly that they do not understand a certain topic

2025-01-14 19:06:10 UTC

looking away, seeming disinterested in the material could be a sign that they're not paying attention

2025-01-14 19:06:31 UTC

when they fall silent or stop participating, this may indicate that they are not confident in their respose

2025-01-14 19:06:40 UTC

If you know they don't understand, try approaching the problem a different way, since the first method might not make sense to them, but another would.

2025-01-14 19:06:47 UTC

Short answers to questions, maybe saying a quick "yea" when you ask if they are tracking.

2025-01-14 19:06:52 UTC

Giving short answer responses and avoiding talking about the subject more in-depth

dunn060 — 2025-01-14 19:06:55 UTC

when they don't answer questions or don't participate

2025-01-14 19:07:10 UTC

when they are no longer actively listening and engaged and are just nodding along

2025-01-14 19:07:15 UTC

Lack of engagement, body language not showing interest/understanding

Sudden loss of eye contact with the tutor

2025-01-14 19:07:36 UTC

2025-01-14 19:07:41 UTC

asking the student to try and do the problem/prompt on their own with the help you provided to them to see where they may be stuck on/not understanding

2025-01-14 19:07:46 UTC

Having student do a similar problem (specific to math) to check where they are at

body language

bashe005 — 2025-01-14 19:08:15 UTC

They might fidget with something on the table. They also can answer with very brief remarks since they lack understanding.

2025-01-14 19:08:20 UTC

to go back to where you lost the student and reexplain in a new way

2025-01-14 19:08:23 UTC

Student isn't asking any questions or giving input.

2025-01-14 19:08:26 UTC

check for understanding through open-ended questions to see where the student is after that. Try to get the student to repeat the information back to you for their understanding as well. If the student doesn't understand we can approach the problem another way using the students ideas.

2025-01-14 19:08:29 UTC

Sometimes directly asking the student if this part is unclear to them or if they aren't confident about a certain part is helpful instead of beating around the bush. As long as the language is still positive and it doesn't sound patronizing

2025-01-14 19:08:31 UTC

Find the spots that you can see the student struggling with the most and focus on those parts and encouraging them. Even try approaching the problem a different way.

2025-01-14 19:08:33 UTC

Ask them questions about what their learning style is, ask them how they understand information best: ask if they learn visually or verbally etc.

2025-01-14 19:08:38 UTC

have them share what they do feel confident about so you can build off of that

Use the socratic method to guage their exact level of understanding and comfort after you realize they don't fully understand.

2025-01-14 19:08:48 UTC

2025-01-14 19:09:05 UTC

Approach with a different method of learning

2025-01-14 19:09:14 UTC

Hand the student a white-board marker and see how far they can get on the problem, ask the student to recap the session in their own words.

2025-01-14 19:09:14 UTC

Encourage that it's ok to not understand, it's a part of the learning process. Using language that promotes positive thinking like "What part isn't as clear" compared to "what don't you understand"

2025-01-14 19:09:21 UTC

One method can be asking directly if they understand the topic or subject of interest and then proceeding to use open-ended questions to back track to where they got lost

breaks and questions

bashe005 — 2025-01-14 19:09:27 UTC

take a break after explaining something and ask them to recap in their own words what was covered. Can also try to have them to do an example problem, or teach the material to you.

bring comfort and ask questions

bashe005 — 2025-01-14 19:11:12 UTC

Reassure them that it's ok top ask questions and that they are in a judgment free zone as to make them feel comfortable with admitting they might need help. Next, you can ask them what parts they want to focus on.

2025-01-14 19:11:39 UTC

Reassure them that it is okay to not fully understand something. If you yourself didn't know it until someone told you, tell them that