Formative Assessment can be described in simple terms as a “checking for understanding”. It is essential that a teacher have an ongoing flow of information about student understanding in order to make frequent decisions regarding their instruction.
Dipsticking is one strategy teachers may use to check student’s understanding. Madeline Hunter, an educational theorist made this term popular in the 1970’s. Car engines have a dipstick that is used to check the oil supply. It lets an individual know if the car needs more oil. It takes very little time, but gives valuable information to keep the car running in good condition. In education the strategy of ‘dipsticking’ can be used frequently during a lesson to check on the students’ understanding and to help determine if more instruction is needed before going on to a new topic. A teacher can do this by using student self-evaluation and direct content checks.
Dr. Saphier did caution that some of these quick checks have weaknesses that teachers should be aware of when using them. When students are given self-assessments, they may not be accurate because a group check for understanding such as a ‘thumbs up’ can be unreliable as it is the student’s opinion and some students may not want to admit to not understanding and give a ‘thumb up’ rather that a ‘thumb down’.
Some examples of quick ‘dipsticking’ strategies could include:
* A one-question quiz
* Responses written on individual white boards
* Drawing a picture
* Electronic clickers
This list is only limited by the teacher’s creativity.
It is important to remember that all the students in the class need to be answering the question in order to provide an accurate assessment of their understanding. Too often teachers rely on one correct answer from a single student and then assume all other students understand as well.
Follow up action based on the information learned when checking for understanding is essential. A teacher must use the information gained to change instruction in order to provide another chance for students to learn the concept. It is critical that teachers probe to see if students are successful and comprehending the instruction. If not the teacher needs to adapt the lesson and provide activities, questions and discussion so ‘all’ students can master the objective for the lesson.
Dr. Saphier stressed: It is not enough to collect data from assessments. You have to do something with it! You have to link CHECKING FOR UNDERSTANDING with RETEACHING.
