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Session 2. Knowing Your Learners
Objective. Gather quick evidence about pupils' readiness, interests and language background with paper tools, and use it to form three provisional groups for one topic.
A teacher can guess who is ready for a new topic, but guesses are often wrong: the quiet pupil may know more than the confident one, and the pupil who answers in Russian may understand the idea perfectly in Uzbek. You do not need long surveys: five minutes at the start of a topic, a few questions on paper and a careful look at the answers give you the evidence to plan groups and support. This session shows how to read the results fairly.
Key ideas
Start from readiness
- Readiness is what a pupil can do now in relation to this objective. It is not intelligence and it is not permanent.
- The same pupil can be ahead in fractions and behind in reading. Always ask: ready for what?
- Check readiness before teaching a topic, so the check can change your plan.
A five-minute entry ticket
- Write three or four short questions on the board that go from the easiest prerequisite to a slightly harder one.
- Pupils answer on a half-sheet of paper, with names. This takes about 4 minutes; sorting into piles takes about 2.
- Sort into three piles: not yet, nearly, ready. Do not mark; you are looking for patterns.
Interests and language background
- Interests make tasks meaningful. One line on the ticket, such as 'one thing I like to do or read about', is enough.
- Language matters. A pupil who speaks Tajik, Karakalpak or Russian at home may know the idea but not the word. Ask aloud before writing the pupil off.
- Treat what you learn with respect and keep it private; use it to plan, never to label.
From evidence to provisional groups
- Form two or three groups for this topic only: start-from-basics, core, and stretch.
- Look for exceptions: a blank paper may mean a language barrier or a shy pupil, not a gap.
- Say to pupils that groups change. Re-check after the next lesson or two.
What to learn about a pupil, and how
| What | What to look for | Quick paper tool |
|---|---|---|
| Readiness | Can the pupil do the prerequisite skill now? | Entry ticket with 3-4 questions |
| Interest | What draws this pupil in? | One line: one thing I like to do or read about |
| Language | Does a gap come from the idea or from the word? | Ask the pupil aloud or let them draw first |
| Work habits | Alone or with a partner? Pace? Needs a hint? | Your notes while circulating, 2 minutes |
From entry ticket to provisional groups
Designing a question ladder
A good entry ticket is a short ladder. The first question checks the simplest skill the topic depends on, the last one asks the pupil to explain or apply, and the questions in between step up gently. For a Grade 5 lesson on comparing fractions, that could be: name the fraction shown in a picture, say which of two fractions with the same denominator is larger, order three fractions, and explain in one sentence how you know.
Avoid yes or no questions and avoid asking 'Does everyone understand?' because pupils answer yes to please you. Ask for something visible: a number, a picture, a sentence. Keep the ticket short so you can sort 35 papers into three piles in two or three minutes, and keep it separate from marks so that pupils answer honestly and not nervously.
Reading the evidence fairly
A paper with no answers is not always a gap in understanding. It may mean the pupil did not understand the language of the question, did not hear the instructions, was nervous, or has handwriting difficulty. Before you place a pupil in a group, add one more piece of evidence: ask a spoken question, let the pupil draw the answer, or look at the previous exercise book.
Keep a few lines of notes while you circulate in the next lesson. Who explained to a neighbour without being asked? Who copied? Who stopped after the first step? These small observations fit with the ticket results and prevent you from judging pupils by one paper. Treat all this information as private, use it for planning, and update it often, because readiness changes quickly once a pupil has understood the first step.
Examples from the classroom
Grade 6 decimals: a surprise in Tashkent
Scene. Aziz in Tashkent always began the decimals unit with the textbook's first page. This time he runs a three-question ticket first. Nine of 35 pupils cannot place 0.5 on a number line, and nine answer all three correctly. He changes the first 20 minutes: nine pupils start with a number-line strip and a partner, nine begin with a harder problem, and he teaches the middle group himself.
Insight. A short check before teaching turns one lesson into three well-aimed starting points.
Grade 5 maths: a blank paper in Bukhara
Scene. Rustam in a Bukhara school leaves his ticket empty. His teacher Malika could place him in the lowest group. Instead she crouches next to his desk and asks the first question aloud in Tajik, which he speaks at home. He answers correctly and explains with his fingers. She moves him to the core group and gives him a bilingual word card for fractions.
Insight. Check whether a gap is in the idea or in the language before you decide what the pupil needs.
Grade 4 reading: using an interest
Scene. Dilnoza in Samarkand asks pupils to finish the line 'One thing I like to read about is ...' at the bottom of their ticket. She finds that eleven pupils chose football, four chose horses, and many wrote about the cotton harvest at home. For the reading task about main ideas she prepares two short paragraphs, one about a football match and one about cotton picking, and lets pupils choose.
Insight. One line about interests costs seconds and gives a reason for pupils to care about the same objective.
Common pitfalls
- Asking 'Does everyone understand?' and treating a chorus of yes as evidence.
- Putting a pupil in the lowest group because of a blank paper without checking language, shyness or hearing.
- Keeping the same groups after the topic has changed, even though readiness differs from topic to topic.
- Reading results aloud in front of the class, which makes pupils afraid to answer honestly.
Sort the Entry Tickets
- Read the sample entry ticket and the results for 12 pupils from a Grade 5 class (Activity Kit). The topic is comparing fractions with the same denominator.
- Alone (5 min): put each pupil into one of three groups for this topic: A start-from-basics, B core, C stretch. Write the name and the reason next to each.
- In pairs (10 min): compare your groups. Find the pupils whose notes make the score unclear and say what you would check next, in under two minutes, to decide.
- Design (15 min): write your own entry ticket for a topic you teach soon (3-4 questions from easiest to harder, one interest line). Swap with a colleague and answer it as a pupil would.
Your facilitator will guide you through this activity in the session.
Questions to discuss
- Which pupils were hard to place, and what extra check would settle it?
- Which question in your own ticket shows the real prerequisite most clearly?
- How will you tell pupils the groups are for this topic only?
Reflect
- How do you currently find out what pupils know before a new topic?
- Which pupil may be quiet because of language rather than ability?
- What would you stop doing if an entry ticket gave you the information in five minutes?
Try it tomorrow
- Write a three-question entry ticket for your next new topic, going from the simplest prerequisite to a short explanation.
- Sort the papers into three piles in under three minutes and write the number of pupils in each pile on the page of your plan.
- Pick one pupil with an unclear result and ask a spoken question or request a quick drawing before you decide on a group.
Further reading and links
Check readiness before you teach, read the evidence with care for language and shyness, and form groups for one topic only.