When you work with students, part of your responsibility is to report back to the teacher. But what should be included? Give the teacher as much information as possible to help determine if the task needs more time or new materials before moving on to another task or activity.
If the teacher provides a form, fill in as much information as possible. If there is no form, include:
– the task you worked on and how much was completed
– what went well – mention the successes for each group students (did the students understand the activity ? were they able to complete the task with limited adult supervision?)
– what questions or skills the students need more time to develop
– what behavior issues needed your attention (did the students work well together/follow directions/participate?)
Here is an example:
” The maps group worked on vocabulary today. They understood all the terms except latitude and longitude. We can start there next time and finish the chapter. This group works well together, follows directions and participates well. We had fun finding examples of each of the map components on the world maps. Each person picked a favorite place. Pat chose Bora Bora because of the sound of the words; the rest chose places they’d read about or had visited on family trips. Next week I’d like to spend our extra time with the maps again, looking for names of rivers, lakes and seas. Then we’ll be ready for a new activity.”
One last consideration. Confidentiality. When working with students, it is imperative to discuss their progress only with the teacher. Sure it’s fun to share stories and their naive misunderstandings ,etc., but that is not acceptable. Resist the temptation to mention incidents to friends and neighbors. School is a student’s work and needs to be treated with respect and confidentiality.