As a classroom teacher, providing the necessary accommodations to your special education or 504 students may feel like ONE MORE THING added to your already very full plate. However, most accommodations can be simple to implement and even improve your teaching practice for all of your students. Today’s accommodation we will explore is often seen on IEPs as “Checking for Understanding”.
Checking for Understanding is a common accommodation for students who tend to fly under the radar. Perhaps the child struggles with advocating for help or has a weakness with processing language and therefore, has a hard time understanding class material and directions. In the classroom, this may look like a child struggling with completing class assignments and spending a lot of time sitting quietly, but not getting much done, or goofing off with peers during independent work time to avoid the task.
Many teachers who use this accommodation will simply ask a student if they “got it” or if they have any questions and will accept a quick “yes” or thumbs-up answer. However, this doesn’t actually accomplish the goal and get you the information that you need to make an informed decision on how to help the student further!
My number one tip to make this accommodation actually work for you is to avoid questions that lead to one-word responses. Instead of asking students if they understand, ask the student to explain the directions back to you or lead you through the first problem of the activity. Most students will answer affirmatively that they “got it”, even if they really don’t. Sometimes this is deliberate, as they want to avoid attention from the teacher, and other times, they truly don’t what they don’t know. Having a student explain the directions or concept back to you in their words will help show you any misconceptions or holes in their understanding, allowing you to address the problem or missing piece before they’ve gone too far into the assignment or wasted too much class time with not knowing what to do.
An additional benefit of this accommodation is that it helps you build relationships with your students. As you check in and support these students individually, they see you as someone who cares about them and wants to help them, which can sometimes lead to students feeling more comfortable in advocating for themselves and expressing their needs.
It can be easy to forget the students who need this extra support, especially in the moment during a lesson, so I suggest putting their names or initials on a sticky note on your computer or lesson plan. Rotate through the list while students are working to check in and have them explain the problem they are working on. Check them off as you go, and record this information in your grade book to track your use of the accommodation, if your school asks you to! If you have a classroom assistant or student teacher, it is easier to divide the list and check in with students at the same time!
Checking for Understanding is a simple strategy to help your students, and is a common classroom accommodation. It’s also a great idea to try with students who don’t have identified needs, but you are noticing are struggling in your class!
Do you use this strategy in your classroom? Let me know in the comments below!
Disclaimer: Always check with your specific special education team for guidance with IEP accommodations and modifications, as IEPs are legal documents that must be followed accordingly. Each district may have a specific procedure or location to document the use of IEP accommodations as well.