Revising Teaching

A colleague of mine, Chris DeLorenzo, has turned the mundane activity of taking attendance into an insightful means of assessing his teaching. A hallmark of outstanding teachers, we know, is the constant drive to assess their teaching and use what they learn to improve their practice. Chris does this by passing around a unique attendance sheet. Rather than asking students to merely sign their names, he also asks questions such as the following:

• “How much did the assigned reading help you in writing your last paper?”
• “Have you ever formatted a works cited page before?”
• “On the paper you're currently writing, do you need more help with transitions or clarifying your thesis?”

He says this last type of question helps him assess the effectiveness of his previous mini-lessons and helps him decide which lessons need follow-up. Questions such as the first one, on the other hand, help him re-design the course the next time he teaches it. It never would have occurred to me to use a mundane activity like taking attendance in such a valuable way.