Children Do Not Always Learn What We Teach!

My friend and colleauge, Dr. Judi Jenkins, assistant professor of education leadership at Henderson State University, is the inspiration yet gain for a new blog entry.  Recently she gave her college students the assignment below:

"When a teacher teaches, no matter how well he or she might design a lesson, what a child learns is unpredictable. Children do not always learn what we teach. That is why the most important assessment does not happen at the end of learning – it happens during the learning, when there is still time to do something with the information."                   

The Reflective Educator ... Dylan Wiliam, 2011

Reflect in writing about the above quote answering the following questions:

    

1. What does the author mean by “what a child learns is unpredictable”?

2. How can a child not learn what is taught?

3. Describe how assessment during the learning will occur in your future lessons and why it is important to use true formative assessment, which is often described as “assessment for the learning” not “assessment of the learning.”

I like the assignment!  Now for my reflection:

First, I might take issue with the statement, “What a child learns is unpredictable.”  I will agree that in our first encounter with our students we have no idea about students’ prior knowledge on content, nor their life’s prior experiences.  Ah, but it all starts with a question!  From the moment we start to question students about content and process we are gathering important evidence about how they learn and what they may know.  This is an important form of formative assessment.  

Researchers agree on this:  Successful students come from classrooms where an overwhelming number of questions are asked.  Scaffolding questions beginning where students have prior knowledge and moving them to higher levels of complexity and understanding is critical.  As teachers, it is equally important we model our thinking as we encounter text and discuss key concepts and content. Modeling effective questioning and thinking strategies empowers students to develop confidence in their own ability to craft meaningful questionsand think at higher levels.Observation of questioning can come during individual, small group and full class settings. 

Formative assessments are my favorite because they provide evidence of student learning as it is happening.  I believe Mr. William is implying it is too late to wait to gathering evidence only from a summative assessment, or an assessment at the end of the instructional sequence or unit.  He is absolutely correct!

Formative assessments take on many forms.  Their purpose is to help us check for understanding along the way so that we might modify, adjust and vary our instruction according to our students’ needs.  Some of my favorite formative assessments include: journals, double entry journals, learning logs, admit slips, exit slips, anticipation guides, pair shares and jigsaw groups. They are my favorites because they allow me to observe and listen to students, as well as read their responses to important concepts and content.  I have the opportunity to focus on learning over time for the purpose of what I call continuous progress. 

Oh, and now I’m back to, “It all begins with a question.”  Effective questions, which address standards, concepts and critical content, not chapter questions, discrete skills, and lower level ideas, prompt your discussions and graphic organizers.

Mr. William’s quote reminds me so much of one of my favorite Snoopy cartoons.  Lucy said to Charlie Brown, “I thought you taught Snoopy to whistle. He can't whistle!”  Charlie Brown replied, “I said I taught him.  I didn’t say he learned it!”

I should stop here, I know; but you know me!   Learning requires evidence and feedback to the learner so he or she may adjust and ultimately progress.  Charlie Brown gave Snoopy neither.  Unfortunately, many teachers are like Charlie Brown.  They say it, thinking they have provided instruction, but without formative assessment: effective questioning, graphic organizing tools, pair and group discussion…gathering that critical evidence of learning, modifying instruction to act upon it and providing feedback, all is lost in the end.  That is why Children do not always learn what we teach.  

Good grief Charlie Brown!