Check for Understanding Without Giving Quizzes or Tests

I want to share some strategies that can be used to check for understanding without giving quizzes or tests. I’ve just listed here a few things that can be done. For those quick assessments that you will do throughout the day, a simple thumbs-up or thumbs-down is a quick way to assess student understanding. Another method is having students turn to a partner to talk and share answers. One thing that I always loved to do was have kids write their responses on dry-erase boards for quick feedback.

Another way to check for understanding is to have students respond to text in a writing journal. During my Reader’s / Writer’s Workshops, I’d always have my students writing in their student response journals. After which, one could follow up with students during individual conferences to discuss the content, or their thoughts about a topic.  Another super cool thing is giving students the opportunity to role-play, or give oral presentations to see what they have learned.

Lastly, checking students for understanding can be assessed through the use of “Thinking Maps” and/or Exit tickets which I personally have used extensively. Hope this information is helpful.

Training Our Brains

 In our imaginations, we all like to think of ourselves as having a sharp mind and clear memory. Unfortunately, the reality is that many of us experience a decline in our mind and memory as we age. Sometimes, we don't even realize it's happening until suddenly we just can't seem to comprehend as we used to or remember things we feel we should be able to remember. While some of this is typical of aging, many times we can improve our mind and memory with a simple process called brain training.

Brain training is a hot topic today in the world today. It's of particular interest because of its correlation with slowing down the process of memory loss associated with dementia and Alzheimer's disease. While it hasn't been scientifically proven to prevent these diseases, brain training can definitely have a positive effect on the mind.

 

There are many types of braining training products on the market from Nintendo DS games to software and books. The wonderful news is that there are many ways we can train our brains every day with just a little time and practice. By doing these simple things on a daily basis, you'll soon find that you'll seem a little smarter, think a little faster and remember a little more.

 

Limit the amount of television you watch every day. I realize television can offer some excellent entertainment, but it helps keep our brains in neutral, which does nothing to enhance your mind or your memory.

 Put a little comedy in your life. Studies have shown that people that had exposure to comedy in their life were much better at solving problems right after watching it than those with no exposure to comedy. However, keep it to a minimum while at work or other places where it may be distracting.

 

Involve yourself in hot topics of discussion. Rather than always communicating about the same topics, choose conversations that require you to think and rethink your position or even require a little research or reading. The more you're learning, the more your brain will grow.

 Eat a nutritiously balanced diet. Your brain has much of the same requirements as your body. Your body or muscles will not work properly if they lack the nutrients they need to produce energy and your brain has the same requirements. Eat a balanced diet consisting of a variety of foods. Beans are an excellent source of protein as well as brainpower.

 

Give your brain some challenges. The best way to keep your brain happy, healthy and growing is to provide it with stimulation. This can come from doing puzzles, reading books, getting in a good challenging debate or finding a new hobby.