I used to think...but now I know

One of the many techniques I have been learning to use on a regular basis is a formative assessment tool, "I used to think, but now I know".  You give the students a piece of paper, and have them write these phrases with spaces in between to finish the thought.  I give them examples so they know what I am talking about.  For example, in my drama class, we played a game last week where the students each got up and talked about a subject that I chose for one minute.  They also tried to stump me by giving me some difficult topics to talk about.  One topic was "golf", and I had no problem, the other topic was, "what is inside a ping pong ball", and that was not a problem either, I never had space between my thoughts, just kept letting it flow!  So, my example was, "I used to think I could stump Ms. Frank in the one minute monologue game, but now I know she can continue on and on until the cows come home!" I received some interesting responses for this.  "I used to think that standing in front of people was easy, but now I know it is even easier than I thought." "I used to think I was bad at talking to people and now I know that I was right." I used to think these drama games were boring, but now I know they are fun, because it tells you about people" "I used to think not talking as the audience would be easy, but now I know it's hard to not talk when I am the audience." "I used to think that it took no courage to stand and talk in front of a class.  Now I know that it takes more courage than ever, but you just try."

I also used this technique in my music class, when I was teaching them about what opera is.  "I used to think opera had no words in it, now I know that it tells a story and has words and costumes and scenery."  As a formative assessment, it is very efficient, because it tells you exactly where students are at, and where they have been coming from the whole time.  Try it and let me know how it might help you drive your instruction too!! See you next week with more wisdom and fun from this seasoned but still learning teacher!!