ABSTRACT
One of the best ways to discern children’s progress and understanding is to ask them to explain to you what they are doing. Children may be completing the tasks and activities with apparent ease, yet failing to learn a lot from doing so. This process requires that you are trusted by the child and are sufficiently clear about your expectations for the work. By asking the children to explain what they are doing, you not only gain insights into their grasp of the subject but allow them to reinforce their understanding. Children should be encouraged to set targets for their own learning and this is most effectively achieved through dialogue between teacher and child. To assess the quality of their own work with any exactness, the children must understand what constitutes satisfactory or good, and be encouraged to make honest comments about the standard that they have reached. Some under-confident children will respond by saying that they have underachieved because they are bored or confused. This gives you a vital opportunity to intervene, give fresh direction and encourage them to greater things. It goes without saying that children should be judged on the basis of their potential and the less able should not be unfairly compared with their more illustrious classmates.
