Delivering Instruction
Coaching Performance
Indicator 36 - Supervises Independent Practice UETS 3d., 5a.
Effective teachers move through the classroom to examine that the assignment is being completed, and inspect individual papers frequently, providing assistance as necessary. Circulating during independent practice and group work increases student engagement on the task. Additionally, through observation of student work, the teacher can identify misunderstandings and correct them in a timely manner.
IDEAS/SUGGESTIONS:
- Increase the effectiveness of student work by circulating throughout the room to provide brief individual explanations and offer specific help for difficult problems.
- Initiate interactions with students during independent practice, rather than waiting for students to ask for help.
- Ask questions and give feedback frequently.
- Encourage reluctant learners.
- Use cooperative learning, students working in pairs or groups, to enhance the effectiveness of independent work and increase student success.
- Hold students accountable for assignments as soon as possible after they are completed (the end of class or the beginning of the next class).
- Break independent practice into time frames that allow for periodic checking for understanding and additional instruction, as needed.
- Independent practice that is assigned as homework should be something the student can complete without help. Homework should be collected, scored, recorded, and returned to students promptly so that they can correct errors of understanding before these become ingrained.