Monitoring students’ progress It is essential that a student’s progress be properly managed and monitored for their learning and development.
Monitoring students with regards to their performance in their subjects are strongly associated with the student’s personal goals and the critical designing on the practices and materials that the teacher employs for teaching. Research on successful teaching have reported that the instructional goals of the teacher and the tools for monitoring and gauging the progress of a student are essential in achieving successful teaching methods. It is imperative that teachers follow a precise and detailed set of instructional goals and these must be delivered to the students in a clear and firm manner which will not result in fear in the students but actually generate a good understanding of the goals of the course. It is also essential that the student understands the expectations of the teacher with regards to this subject itself.
The teacher in turn should be able to clearly describe how the subject will be presented to the students and how the teacher will gauge the students in terms of their comprehension of the instructional material. The teacher should also clearly state how he wants each assignment be done, including the neatness, clarity and specificity. It has been determined that once the student understands what is expected of him in the course, the student can perform his best and actually result in very satisfactory performance.Teachers should be able to explain to the students that they are responsible for finishing their assigned exercises in class and that the expected quality and standard should be fulfilled (Kulik and Kulik, 1987).
In turn, the students should understand that the efforts they perform in class and the related assignments signify an important goal in their learning. The parents of the students can also facilitate in teaching their children to be responsible in finishing their assignments and exercises. Parents and teachers can actually work hand in hand in imparting the importance of discipline and responsibility of students to their assignments and exercises. It is helpful that teachers let the parents of the students understand the importance of a good learning environment not only in school, but also at home, so that the students are induced to continue with their learning outside the school premises.
The teachers can also describe to parents specific tips on how to help and strengthen learning within the home.A number of strategies have been designed to track the activities of a student. Teachers are trained to be highly competent in providing specific instructional goals which they could follow to know whether a student is progressing at the right pace and whether the student is working on the appropriate topic for the subject. Instructional materials commonly consist of diagnostic tests that will assist the teacher in analyzing the range of the students’ grasp and knowledge of the subject.
The diagnostic tests can quickly detect any changes in the performance of a student and the teacher can thus respond to the corresponding analysis and perform the expected corrective action to put the student on the right track. The teacher can also apply the concept of cross-referencing between a particular item of the diagnostic test and the particular lesson of the curriculum so that the corresponding action with regards to teaching could be administered.Another strategy that may be employed in monitoring students’ progress is for the teacher to be highly perceptive of any changes in the attitude and performance of each student. The employment of diagnostic examinations must be sensitive and precise enough to identify subtle to major changes in a student’s performance.
More importantly, the diagnostic tools should be highly capable of determining the specific topics where the student is experiencing hardship in learning and comprehension. Finding and employing the appropriate diagnostic test will greatly augment the teacher’s detection of any problems with the student’s study habit and attitudes and if detected early, the appropriate actions may be taken by the teacher in order to put the student back on track.The teacher may also use the diagnostic tests at regular time intervals to make sure that any changes in the student’s performance will be immediately determined and it will not be too late for the teacher to administer or perform any remedial actions to save the student from further confusion. It is ideal that the teacher designs a daily lesson plan which he will follow, with a corresponding weekly diagnostic test that will gauge the comprehension of the student of the particular lessons for the week.
The employment of instructional programs is very useful in assisting a student in his learning and development. It has been established that the development of the proper attitude towards learning is essential in the success of a student in school. Aside from using diagnostic tests as a teacher’s gauge in determining the comprehension of a student, diagnostic tests can also be perceived by a student as a form of achievement, resulting in a sense of accomplishment to the student. It would be helpful if the teacher would explain what the diagnostic tests are for and what they actually mean to the teacher and the student.
Once the students understand the purpose of these tests, they will treat the diagnostic tests are not mere difficult exams given in class, but actually as tools that will train them to be more proficient and effective in their development of learning skills. The teacher could explain that the diagnostic tests are markers of success and when the students see that they have good scores in the diagnostic tests, these will directly mean that they have improved in their course of learning. It has been determined that students tend to learn more and absorb and process information faster if they feel good about themselves and their corresponding skills. The opposite effect is also seen among students, wherein a student perform poorly if they see that their scores are unsatisfactory and there is no coaching that is felt from their teacher.
Thus the proper planning, designing and implementation of instructional materials will facilitate in monitoring the progress of a student. ReferenceKulik, C. C., & Kulik, J.
A. (1987): Mastery testing and student learning: A meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 15(3), 325-345.
