TESOL Trainers: Education Consultants
Connect
  • Home
  • SIOP Institute
    • Purchase Order Info
  • K12 Professional Development
    • Remote Teacher Training >
      • Remote K12 Professional Development
      • Remote Summer SIOP Institute
    • SIOP Professional Development
    • TESOL Strategies Professional Development
    • Engaging Students in the Classroom
    • Scaffolding Professional Development
    • Active Listening Strategies
    • Academic Vocabulary Professional Development
    • K12 Best Practices Professional Development
    • Peer Coaching Professional Development
    • Working With English Learners Professional Development >
      • Strategies for ELs in Content Classes Professional Development
    • Reflective Teaching Practices Professional Development >
      • Reflective Teaching Practices For K12 Teachers
      • Conscious Competence Learning Matrix
    • ESL and World Languages Teachers Professional Development
  • SIOP
    • SIOP Professional Development
    • SIOP Components and Features
    • SIOP Lesson Preparation >
      • SIOP Feature 1 Write content objectives clearly for students
      • SIOP Feature 2 Write language objectives clearly for students
      • SIOP Feature 4 Identify Supplementary Materials to Use
      • SIOP Feature 6 Plan meaningful activities that integrate lesson concepts with language practice
    • SIOP Building Background >
      • SIOP Feature 7 Explicitly link concepts to students backgrounds and experiences
      • SIOP Feature 8 Explicitly link past learning to new concepts
      • SIOP Feature 9 Emphasize key vocabulary for students
    • SIOP Comprehensible Input >
      • SIOP Feature 10 Use Appropriate Speech for Students Proficiency Level
      • SIOP Feature 11 Explain Academic Tasks Clearly
      • SIOP Feature 12 Use a variety of techniques to make concepts clear
    • SIOP Strategies >
      • SIOP Feature 13 Provide ample opportunities for students to use strategies
      • SIOP Feature 14 Use scaffolding techniques consistently throughout lesson
    • SIOP Interaction >
      • SIOP Feature 16 Provide frequent opportunities for interaction and discussion
      • SIOP Feature 17 Use Group Configurations that support language and content objectives
      • SIOP Feature 18 Provide sufficient wait time
    • SIOP Practice and Application >
      • SIOP Feature 20 Provide hands-on materials and/or manipulatives for students to practice using new content knowledge
      • SIOP Feature 21 Provide activities for students to apply content and language
      • SIOP Feature 22 Provide activities that integrate all language skills >
        • Four Domains of Language Speaking
        • Four Domains of Language Listening
        • Four Domains of Language Writing
        • Four Domains of Language Reading
    • SIOP Lesson Delivery >
      • SIOP Feature 25 Engage Students 90-100% of the Time
      • SIOP Feature 26 Pace the Lesson Appropriately to the Students Ability Level
    • SIOP Review and Evaluation >
      • SIOP Feature 27 ​Give a comprehensive review of key vocabulary
      • SIOP Feature 29 Provide feedback to students regularly on their output
  • Other Programs
    • Teacher Training for TESOL Programs
    • Professional Development for Higher Education >
      • SIOP for College Faculty
    • Multicultural Education Professional Development >
      • Intercultural Competence Training Programs
      • The Culture of US Academia
    • NM TESOL Endorsement >
      • Getting Your TESOL Endorsement
    • International Schools Professional Development
  • CONTACT
  • More...
    • Setting Students up for Success Tour
    • Resources >
      • TESOL Trainers K12 Resources
    • About TESOL Trainers
    • RSS Feed and Forum
    • Blog
    • Careers with TESOL Trainers
  • Reviews of TESOL Trainers

Strategies to Check for Student Comprehension

9/1/2020

1 Comment

 
TESOL Trainers K12 Professional Development
The number one job a teacher has is to assess his/her students. It is knowing what the students know and what they don’t that gives teachers the information they need to set their students up for success.  Without comprehension checking, a teacher may erroneously move ahead too fast/slow or increase/decrease student practice. 

The trick is always, ‘how do I get them to show me what they know?’  Once we figure this out, we can give students an opportunity to demonstrate their level of understanding and adapt our instruction according to their needs.

Working with English language learners (ELLs) pose even more challenges.  In addition to how safe students feel with the teacher and with one another, Non-native English speaking students may not understand the question, lack the language to respond, or remain silent for fear of making a mistake.

​There are both effective and not-so effective ways to check for comprehension
.  Here are five typical ways teachers check student understanding:

TESOL Trainers K12 Professional Development John Kongsvik
  1. The Look:  This instructor looks at the students’ faces and thinks, “They all seemed to understand.”
  2. The Feeling:  This teacherscans the classroom with his/her intuition and says, “It really felt like they were getting it.”
  3. The Question:  This educatorasks the class if they understand and states, “I asked them and they all nodded, yes.”
  4. The Test:  This instructor usesformal test, reviews it and considers, “It looks like they’re getting this but not that.”
  5. The Show & Tell:  This teacher gets the students to show they understand and considers,“What is this telling me about the students’ needs?”

Checking for comprehension is not only vital, but it can be a wonderful way to engage students when it's done effectively.
As TESOL instructors or content-area instructors, we are constantly searching for ways to determine when learning is or isn’t taking place.  We have undoubtedly used a host of different ways of checking for comprehension, and have gotten useful and not-so useful feedback on learning progress.

Let’s examine each of these comprehension checking ways to uncover the benefits and challenges that each presents.
TESOL Trainers K12 Professional Development Remote Training sessionsWho dare not understand?
The Look:  Looking at our students for signals of whether or not they are getting it is, in and of itself, not a bad strategy.  After all, when students are totally lost, it’s hard to hide the global confusion.  

The challenge is weeding out those who aren’t confused from those who are confused.  It doesn’t feel good to ‘look’ foolish, and some people tend to veil this more than others.  




Gauging student learning by looking at the students’ faces gives us a surface level understanding, but it’s not always accurate and rarely complete.

The Feeling:  Intuition is a good thing; the effective teachers that I’ve known always seemed to sense exactly when we got off track.  The more experience that we have teaching, the more honed this skill becomes.  It is perhaps how we use this that matters most.

The challenge comes in putting so much trust in intuition his alone.  Some students may feel like they are getting it but aren’t getting it at all.  Other students may sense they aren’t getting it may do their best to hide this.  

Using our sixth sense gives us a piece of the puzzle, but doesn't get to what is helping or hindering learning.
TESOL Trainers K12 Professional Development John Kongsvik directorAnybody got any questions?
The Question:  There are some cases in which ‘do you understand?’ and ‘any questions?’ work.  Confident, out-going students may voice their lack of comprehension, but most will not.  

Think about your experience as a student.  How many times has a teacher asked your class this question only to receive silent answers?  For a variety of reasons (fear, boredom, proficiency) we respond, ‘yes, we understand’ when we should say, ‘No, we don't understand’.  

The challenge comes when students say they understand but don't, or one or more students that seemed to be struggling confidently say they got everything.  


Asking students if they get it may be the easiest way, but it rarely gives us any useful clues.

The Test:  Formal tests whether on one lesson or a unit provide key information on where learning is happening.  Armed with this data, we can make decisions on what to students have mastered and what they need more of.  

The challenge is that we often receive this data after the fact.  Waiting until after the teaching is over to assess student learning inhibits us from adjusting our teaching in real time.  

Formal assessments are powerful comprehension checking tools but often come too late.
TESOL Trainers K12 Professional DevelopmentToday I'd like to show you...
The Show & Tell:  Getting students to show what they know in the moment gives a teacher a lot of insight in real time about learning.  Showing and telling is simply providing students with opportunities to demonstrate comprehension non-verbally, verbally, or in writing at any point in the lesson. 

The challenge is to do this effectively and efficiently.  Asking each individual student to show comprehension eats up a lot of time.  


Of all of the comprehension checking strategies outlined, the Show & Tell is the most effective in checking student comprehension.  
  • Students become more engaged as they understand their teacher may ask them to demonstrate their comprehension.
  • When a student demonstrates the learning effectively, students who may not have fully understood benefit; students who did understand have their comprehension validated.
  • When the student is unable to show his/her understanding, other students who struggle are encouraged; students who do understand, have the opportunity to peer teach.
  • The teacher can immediately gauge whether they need to back up, stay put, or plow ahead.

Getting students to demonstrate their understanding is the ticket to understanding their needs.

There are many ways to check for student comprehension.  

The Look, the Feeling, the Question, the test, and Show & Tell are perhaps the most common.  Each comprehension checking strategy has its advantages and disadvantages.  Effective teachers use a combination of comprehension checking tools to measure student learning.  

Non-native English speaking students may make checking for comprehension more challenging.  Teaching ELs provides instructors with a wonderful opportunity to consider how they check for comprehension and develop additional ways.

I’m tempted to ask you if you understand and dying to know if there are any questions.  So, come on; show me what you know about checking for comprehension strategies.

​John Kongsvik
John Kongsvik director of TESOL Trainers

John Kongsvik

John Kongsvik is the director of TESOL Trainers, Inc.  As an education consultant, John works with K-12 schools, colleges, and universities that serve English learners and non-native English speaking students.  Contact John to learn about professional development options TESOL Trainers has for your teacher training needs.   

TESOL Trainers offers K12 professional development to schools and educational institutions in traditional and online formats.

1 Comment

The Simple Guide to The SIT TESOL Certificate Course

8/1/2020

0 Comments

 
John Kongsvik SIT TESOL Certificate Course Santa Fe NM
Alright, so you're thinking about taking the TESOL Certificate course and have visited our website and perused our blogs. Perhaps you are wondering whether or not you need to get TESOL Certified (read about this here). 

You can get in-depth information by downloading an information packet.  Yet,  here is a Simple Guide to the SIT TESOL Certificate Course in a just-the-facts sort of way.

The Simple Guide to The SIT TESOL Certificate Course
Taking this TESOL Certificate course is an investment in time, money, and energy.  While many say it is one of the most challenging things they have done, they also say it was one of the most rewarding!  So, here is a look, by the numbers of the type of investment you are making in your education.


TESOL Course Length:  140 total hours
  1. 70 hours of workshop sessions
  2. 16 hours of lesson planning sessions
  3. 6 hours of practice teaching sessions
  4. 30 hours of teaching observation sessions
  5. 18 hours of reflective feedback sessions
John Kongsvik SIT TESOL Certificate Course NM
John Kongsvik SIT TESOL Certificate NM
TESOL Course Format:
  • Intensive format:  
    • Lasts 20 days
    • Monday-Friday
    • Practice teaching in the morning;  
    • Workshops in the early afternoon; 
    • Lesson planning in the mid afternoon
  • Extensive format:
    • Lasts 11-14 weeks
    • Weekends & 1-2 evenings per week
    • Practice teaching 1-2 evenings/week
    • Workshops on Saturday mornings
    • Lesson planning Saturday afternoons
TESOL Course Schedule:   current schedule
  • Spring Course:  Jan 19-March 27, 2020
  • June Course:  June 1 - June 27, 2020
  • July Course:  June 30 - July 24, 2020

TESOL Course Cost:  
  • $2350
  • Covers all course materials
John Kongsvik SIT TESOL Certificate Course Santa Fe NM
John Kongsvik SIT TESOL Certificate Santa Fe NM
John Kongsvik SIT TESOL Certificate Course Santa Fe NM
Types of Classwork:
  • exploring ways to teach the four skills (speak, listen, read, write).
  • examining strategies and techniques
  • experiencing sample lessons and methods of facilitating learning
  • discussing what helps/hinders learning and why
  • practicing techniques and strategies in a controlled environment
  • presenting projects and modeling positive teaching practices
  • planning lessons and preparing for teaching practice
  • teaching real English language classes
  • observing peers and trainers teach
  • reflecting on aspects of teaching and learning language
  • deciding on measurable steps to improve one's teaching practice
Types of Homework:
  • Writing 2 essays 
  • Writing 3 practice teaching reflections
  • Writing 10 lesson plans
  • Completing a self assessment periodically
  • Preparing course portfolio
  • Preparing warm up activities
  • Reading articles on TESOL
  • Other related tasks
John Kongsvik SIT TESOL Course Santa Fe NM
John Kongsvik SIT TESOL Certificate
Types of Jobs:
  • The types of jobs teaching English to non-native speakers are limitless...
  • Read more about that aspect of the TESOL field here.  
    • I've got my certificate, now what?
    • Close your eyes, spin the globe, & pick a place to teach
    • The macro and the micro of the TESOL field
    • Get Certified to Teach Your Way Around the World
    • Top 10 Websites for TESOL employment
    • Finding a TESOL Job Overseas;  5 Crucial Considerations
If you're thinking about getting TESOL certified and teaching your way around the world, TESOL Trainers can help you.  TESOL Trainers provides professional development for K-23 educational institutions around the world.  Contact us to hear how we can set you up for success.

Staying Connected

  • TESOL Trainers Home Page
  • Everything Teaching TESOL
  • TESOL Trainers Newsletters
  • Join TESOL Trainers on Facebook
0 Comments

Actively Engaging Students in the Classroom

7/1/2020

1 Comment

 
Caleb Gattegno, an expert on the teaching/learning paradigm, captured these roles perfectly, "it's the students' job to learn the language; it's the teacher's job to learn the students."  Thus, while the learners must do their own learning, the facilitator of that process is the teacher. Effective teachers understand how to facilitate learning through engaging the whole of the learner.

Read More
1 Comment

Why Should I Use SIOP?

6/1/2020

1 Comment

 
TESOL Trainers K-112 Professional Development
SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) is an instructional framework that has been used in K-12 schools since the 80s.  

While SIOP was developed originally as a support tool for English Learners, educators quickly found that its 8 components and 30 features supported all learners in the classroom.

Let's examine why teachers should use SIOP and how TESOL Trainers can help.


Read More
1 Comment

The format of the SIT TESOL Certificate Course

5/1/2020

2 Comments

 

What is taking the SIT TESOL Certificate Course like?

This is a great question to ask as this TESOL Certificate course probably isn't like many courses you've taken in the past.  There are many 'sit' and 'get' kind of TESOL courses where the instructor doles out the information, the students take notes, and passing the class is dependent on passing the tests. 
World Learning's SIT TESOL Certificate course is different in all aspects.  As previously mentioned, this TESOL course is the kind of course for people who want to take charge of their own learning.

This TESOL Certificate program is a very interactive, experiential course that encourages participants to think critically, take risks, and involve their whole selves in the process from the beginning of the course to the end.
John Kongsvik director of TESOL Trainers K12 Professional Development
Here’s a look at our current TESOL Certificate course schedules.  If you’re an educational institution, contact us to learn about how we can create a TESOL Certificate course for your English language teachers.

The format of the SIT TESOL Certificate course

There are four key segments in the course:  workshops, lesson planning, practice teaching, and feedback.
John Kongsvik director of TESOL Trainers K12 Professional Development worldwide
Lesson planning sessions help participants gain competence in designing a learner-centered lesson plan and confidence in being able to plan productive (speaking & writing) and receptive (listening & reading) lessons.  The experiential aspect of this segment and the guidance the trainers provide scaffold the participants into being able to design a lesson that supports student language ownership.  Participants have many opportunities to hone their planning skills throughout the course.
John Kongsvik director of TESOL Trainers K12 teacher training workshops
The reflective feedback sessions follow the practice teaching classes.  They help participants deepen their understanding of the principles of teaching and learning the English language.  The trainer-guided discussions that occur are centered around how to become even more effective English language teachers.  These sessions also help participants further develop their teaching skills by encouraging each individual to create measurable goals designed to improve how they support student learning in the classroom.
TESOL workshops explore the fundamental aspects of teaching English by examining how to teach language skills (speaking, listening, reading, writing) through role play, experimenting, and unpacking practical strategies.  We look at sample lessons, techniques for engaging the students, strategies for encouraging practice, comprehension checking tools, and practical tips related finding a job teaching English to non-native speakers.  All participants develop a foundation in the fundamental principles of language teaching and language learning.
John Kongsvik director of TESOL Trainers K12 Professional Development
Practice teaching segments give participants a chance to put their skills to practice by teaching real English language classes.  This is a wonderful opportunity to gain confidence and competence.  In addition to teaching the classes, participants observe their peers and their trainers teach as well.    The SIT TESOL Certificate course gives participants a chance to teach 6 hours of classes and observe 30 hours of real teaching.  These observations help participants develop a keen sense of what helps and hinders learning.This component is vital to developing the skills an effective English language teacher needs.
John Kongsvik director of TESOL Trainers K12 PD for teaching staff

Summary

These 4 components of the SIT TESOL preparation course come together to form the experiential learning cycle the SIT TESOL Certificate Course offers.
  1. Participants explore teaching and learning a specific language skill, speaking for example;  
  2. Participants plan a learner-centered lesson that works on that specific skill; 
  3. Participants then teach the lesson.
  4. Participants reflect on what they learned from the experience and how it will impact the next trip around the experiential learning cycle.
If you are looking for a TESOL Certificate course that allows you to take charge of your own learning, this course will be a nice fit.  For a peek at our current schedule click here.

John Kongsvik

John Kongsvik is the director of TESOL Trainers and its senior most trainer and presenter.

TESOL Trainers

TESOL Trainers John Kongsvik Teach Your Way Around the World

We are an educational consulting company serving K-23 educational institutions worldwide.  TESOL Trainers sets all students up for success, one teacher at a time.

TESOL Trainers offers K-12 professional development and teacher training workshops on TESOL strategies, the SIOP Framework, Academic Vocabulary Acquisition, Peer Coaching, and so much more.

2 Comments
<<Previous

    Archives

    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020

    Categories

    All
    Checking For Comprehension
    Positive Teaching Practices
    The Format Of The TESOL Course
    The SIT TESOL Certificate Course Guide

    RSS Feed

Copyright © 2020. All Rights Reserved.
Written by Dr. John Kongsvik - TESOL Trainers
Designed by: Ciego Productions