Class Survey

If you want to find out what children really think of that lesson, ask them.

How often do we ask for feedback from children. Probably not much and yet we are obsessed with giving them the stuff.

Creating a class survey is one way you can find out more and it’s something to do now and again, perhaps towards the end of a half-term.

Giving children the opportunity to speak their minds gives us a chance to get better at what we do. An example is given by Griffith and Burns (2014) in their book Teaching Backwards and I think it’s one well-worth adapting.

They say that the use of a class survey enables us to learn more about our learners. It might reveal one or two things that we just hadn’t accounted for, good and bad!

Here are some of the questions used:

Enjoyment

1. Do you enjoy science? Why/why not?

 

2. What could Mr Dabell do to make science lessons more enjoyable?

 

Progress

1. Do you feel your science lessons are well prepared and let you make progress?

 

2. Tell me when you think you make the most progress.

 

3. What could Mr Dabell do to help you make even more progress and get better at science?

 

Seating

1. Does sitting where you are make a difference to you learning science? Do you think you could make more progress sitting in a different place?

 

General

1. Are there any aspects of our class that get in the way of you making progress?

 

2. What does Mr Dabell do best?

 

3. What could Mr Dabell stop doing?

 

4. Are there any things that other teachers do that Mr Dabell could try in his science lessons?

 

Overview

Can you write a summary of this half-term with two examples of ‘What Went Well’ (www) and two ideas for ‘Even Better If’

 

How do you know what your students are thinking? Would you be willing to try a class survey?