EFFECTIVE MONITORING OF PUPILS AND THEIR LEARNING

CORAZON C. VALENCIA

Children have different learning curves. The truth is, some pupils are more receptive to new information than others. Therefore, it is extremely important to make sure that all pupils have a firm grasp of the information that is being taught before you move on in the lesson.

This is where effective monitoring comes in. The last thing that you want to do is to move forward with the lesson with some of your pupils still in left behind in the lesson. But it would be difficult to ask pupils directly if they understood the lesson or not. Most would not even respond to verbal questions on this matter. An easy way to make sure that all pupils get the lesson is to give them a red and green card to place on their desk.

If they understand and are ready to move on, then they place the green card facing up. If they still do not understand, then they place the red card face up. The students who have their green card facing up can move on to independent practice, and the students who have the red card facing up meet you at the back table for further explanation.

Long gone are the days that pupils would sit still for lessons. After many studies were conducted on pupils being sedentary for long periods of time, we now know that we need to incorporate movement to keep children engaged longer.

Effective teachers get their students up and moving and learning by making sure that every lesson has some sort of way pupils can move their bodies. From rotating learning stations to brain breaks that require students to do yoga poses, educators know that more their pupils move, the longer they will stay engaged in their lesson.

As a teacher, one of your many jobs is to make sure that all of your pupils are staying on task. This requires you to constantly keep your eye on every child. When you do catch a student who is off task, a simple tap on the shoulder or a glare from across the room should suffice. Public humiliation and calling that pupil’s name aloud is unnecessary.

It’s important to let your pupils know that when you do these two things, this means they are off task and now it’s their job to correct their behavior. If you have to continue to glare or tap their shoulder, then there will be further repercussions.

— oOo—

The author is Teacher III at Diladila Elementary School, Santa Rita District