Following conversations with our partner schools, we are excited to announce an exciting adaptation to our student check-in form.
We are trialing an adaptation to the question which previously asked students to “rate the level of challenge on a scale of 1-5”.
With a continued focus on the level of challenge, we are now providing students with a more focused framework to help them reflect on their progress and the next steps on their learning journey.
From recall of prior knowledge to deeper understanding, application and transfer, this simple taxonomy maps the cognitive progression students undergo while learning, providing a valuable source of feedback for teachers who want to focus on the level of challenge in their instruction and differentiation.
Our new framework allows you to support students to select the statement that best describes their current position on their learning journey.offering. The teacher dashboard then offers valuable insight into each student's progress, and ability to then group students based on their individual selections allows you to provide more tailored learning experiences, and targeted support, ensuring every student receives the guidance they need to flourish.
At the heart of our approach is your feedback and expertise. We invite you to try out the new framework and share your thoughts. Your valuable insights will be pivotal in shaping the future of this transformative learning journey, empowering you to make even greater strides in student growth and achievement.
Your passion and dedication are what make a difference, and we're here to support you every step of the way!
Check in with your students today and let us know what you think. We would love to hear your feedback.
Before checking in with students for the first time, it is important to remember that reflection is a skill that takes time and practice to develop. We can not make assumptions that students’ capacity to critically engage with their learning improves with age. Nor can we assume that when presented with a series of prompts on a check-in form, students will know how to apply their thinking to the task in a manner that supports them in sharing what they have learned, what they need to improve, or selecting strategies that they believe would move their learning forward.
As teachers, we can help our students learn to reflect by providing them with frequent and purposeful opportunities to do so. Reflection should not be something that students only do once in a while. It should be seen as a valuable and regular part of the learning process.
The following video was filmed in a series of classrooms where students were using Verso Check-in for the first time. The students were given an introduction to the process and how each question required them to think and respond. The teacher introduction was designed to help students who were new to the process to avoid some common pitfalls. Specifically, students were asked to be precise and thoughtful. They were given possible sentence starters such as “I learned that…”, and reminded of the difference between sharing what they did as opposed to sharing what they had learned in the lesson. Finally, you will see that students were asked to use evidence to support their self-assessment and to be specific when seeking support from the teacher.
“Success in education is about identity, agency and purpose. It’s about building curiosity and compassion – about opening minds and hearts; and it’s about courage – about mobilising our cognitive, social and emotional resources to take action”.
Andreas Schleicher, Director, OECD Directorate for Education and Skills
Traditionally, schools have relied on infrequent large-scale surveys and teacher observations to gain insight into student attitudes to school and wellbeing. However, these don’t take account of the fact that wellbeing can evolve rapidly from day to day, lesson to lesson and across a range of every changing contexts. When students come to the classroom, there are areas where we have more control than others in terms of their cognitive and emotional wellbeing.
These typically center around our management of the learning environment, management of the curriculum and how we position the learning; the pedagogy and practices we employ to connect our students to the learning in order to develop the desired knowledge, skills and attitudes in all of our learners.
But how often do we check to see the impact our practice is having on the cognitive and emotional wellbeing of our students? How do we gain insight into the emotional state of our students in the context of what and how they are learning? How successful are we in developing the “skill, will, and all important thrill” in every lesson for every learner?
This short video looks at how Verso Check-in offers valuable contextual insight into the relationship between our practice and student well-being.
Try a Verso's Instant Check-in with your students today and get the conversation started.
“We do not learn from experience… we learn from reflecting on experience.” John Dewey
When we ask students to respond to a Verso instant Check-in, we are asking them to reflect on what and how they are learning. They are then required to consider the extent to which they felt challenged by the learning experience before sharing how they are feeling about their learning.
Research tells us that this cognitive and metacognitive process is a vital part of learning, but in action-oriented, fast-paced, classrooms, working within the constraints of the timetable, reflection is often the first thing to go.
This short video discusses the importance of planning dedicated time for student reflection and explores the additional advantages of using Verso’s advanced check-in feature to direct and deepen student thinking using a series of open ended reflection prompts.
These prompts have been organised in 8 distinct collections; each offering a different lens on student capabilities, thinking and understanding. Furthermore, all of the prompts in the collection can be adapted by the teacher to meet their formative assessment requirements more closely, or teachers can design and add prompts of their own.
“Student voice’ is the intentional collection of students’ thinking and feedback on their learning, and the use of these voices to inform and improve teaching, learning, and school-wide decision making.”
Prof Helen Timperley
The "My Impact" Dashboard provides access to classroom data capable of informing professional inquiry. The profile dashboard allows teachers to evaluate the impact of current practice on the ability of students to take ownership of their learning, as assessment capable learners, sharing real-time insights into the ability of each student to:
It also provides valuable insight into cognitive and emotional wellbeing, feedback on student perceptions of challenge, and the ability of students to apply appropriate verbs to discuss what they are learning.
Unlike the Teacher Check-in Dashboard, which provides an essential source of data from an individual lesson, the Teacher Profile presents data from the last 5 check-ins alongside school averages. When used together, these dashboards allow the intentional collection of students’ thinking and feedback on their learning to guide next learning steps for students and decisions about content and approaches by teachers and the addition of the Teacher Profile now informs the development of professional goals and broader decisions about teaching and learning.
Teacher Profile data can also be filtered to show differences between classes and used to support professional conversations about the impact of aspects of a teacher’s practice with coaches and learning specialists, and the work of PLCs.
According to Hattie’s analysis, students’ ability to report thoughtfully on their own performance has a massive effect size of 1.44.
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