Say What You See
Turning everyday student interactions into progress
In a single class period, a teacher sees dozens of behaviors and interactions. A student explains how she got her answer. Two partners build on each other's ideas. A boy still hasn't picked up his pencil. Most of those moments are gone by the bell.
I taught science in San Diego for 35 years, and the moments I remember best are the ones I named out loud. When I retired, I turned what I learned into an app, Teacher Supreme, to support a simple, but powerful, process: know what to look for, know what to say, and find a way to record it.
What to look for
Progress starts when you name what you see. Not praise like "Good job," but specific actions you spotted, such as "You explained why, not just what."
Interact and talk with your students as you normally do. While you do, say what you see and hear them doing, in your own words.
When you describe exactly what a student did, two things happen. Not only does the student learn what to repeat, you have something specific to write down. Over time, these specifics become a picture of how each student learns.
You can mentally sort what you, the teacher, see into two groups: signals that move students forward, and signals to catch early.
Signals that move students forward
These are the behaviors and actions that show a student is invested in the learning, not just getting it done. The student is thinking out loud, building on someone else's idea, or doing something about being stuck instead of waiting it out. These are behaviors you want to reinforce. For example:
- Explains Reasoning - The student explains how they reached an answer: the steps and the evidence, not just the result. In math: "I got 24 because I added the ones column first, then carried the one." The explanation is where understanding shows, and where a misunderstanding shows up in time to fix it.
- Peer Collaboration - The student builds on a partner's idea instead of replacing it. "Your way is faster, so let's use yours and check it against mine." It is the moment a group becomes smarter than any one member.
- Help Seeking - The student asks for help after trying, and names the step that broke. "I set up the equation, but I'm stuck after step two." Many students hide when they are stuck. A student who asks well is doing what strong learners do, and the rest of the class sees that it is safe to ask.
Each one is worth naming the moment you see it. A student who hears exactly what they did right can do it again without you.
Signals to catch early
These are the behaviors and actions that show a student is starting to drift away from the work: not starting, rushing to be done, or turning to a neighbor about something else. They are rarely defiance at first. More often the student is stuck or unsure, and the behavior is a way out of the work. Caught in the first minute, each one is easy to turn around.
- Task Avoidance - The work hasn't started. The student sits at the desk doing nothing.
- Rushed Work - The student finishes far ahead of everyone, with careless mistakes.
- Side Conversation - The student talks with a classmate about something else while you or others are speaking.
None of these is a crisis the first time. Each one is easier to turn around in the first minute than in the tenth.
The response I recommend is also the quietest: walk over, stand beside the desk, and speak so only that student can hear. A public correction gives a student an audience. A quiet one gives them a way back to work without losing face.
What to say
Turn your discussion into progress by asking a series of deeper questions. For example when a student explains their reasoning.
- Try first: "You told me why it works, not just what it is. That's explaining your reasoning. Do it again every time you learn something new: saying the why out loud is how you find the part you don't understand yet."
- Say next: "Now explain it a second way, with a different example. Which explanation is clearer, and why?"
- Go deeper: "Now teach your partner: what it is, why it works, and one example. Then have your partner explain it back to you."
Your feedback and next steps come in three levels that each asks more of the student. The goal is a student who can do it again without you and can teach it to someone else.
Praise the process, not the student
John Hattie and Helen Timperley (2007) described four kinds of feedback: about the task, about the process the student used, about how the student manages their own learning, and about the student as a person. Praise of the person was the least effective. Feedback about process and self-management carries into the next task.
Claudia Mueller and Carol Dweck (1998) found something similar with fifth graders. Children praised for being smart, then given a harder problem set they could not solve, enjoyed the work less, persisted less and did worse afterward than children praised for their effort.
Naming the strategy gives a student something they can do again. "You're smart" gives them something to protect.
Keep a dated record
A memory is not a record. By Friday, I could not tell you which day a student first explained her reasoning, or how often another was off task. Keeping notes changes that. It doesn’t have to be extensive, but be sure to include: what you saw, what you said, and how the student responded.
Now at a parent conference you can say, "On Tuesday and Thursday, Ana explained her reasoning without being asked," instead of, "She's doing better."
When I first started teaching, paper notes were the only option, but as technology improved, I began developing the Teacher Supreme app.
It works like an air traffic controller's screen for a classroom: one view of every student. Speak or type a memo, or tap one of 25 research-based indicators for academics and behavior, and it is saved to that student's dated record. I can also use it to capture photos of a student's work as it develops through a period, a week or a semester, with research-backed words to say about that assignment.
Teacher Supreme combines my indicators with these photos and connects them to a student's grade, missing assignments, recent scores, attendance, citizenship, visits for extra help and any IEP or 504 supports. I view what is has compiled, make edits, and quickly send a Progress Report to each family.
It's your turn tomorrow!
You can improve your student observations and interactions with this simple plan.
- Pick one signal from the move-forward list.
- Watch for it for one week, in every class.
- Name it every time you see it, stating in a full sentence what the student did.
- Write down the date and the student's name, even on a sticky note.
- On Friday, read your notes: who showed it, who didn't, and what changed.
The next week, add one signal to catch early, and answer it quietly.
Teaching is full of moments that matter. Say what you see, and keep a record of it.
Sources
Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 81–112.
Mueller, C. M., & Dweck, C. S. (1998). Praise for intelligence can undermine children's motivation and performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75(1), 33–52.
Most Read
