I found the tutorial on running records to be very informative. Perhaps this is because I’m not a teacher or an education major, so I had absolutely no clue what a running records was, much less how to do one. Like the tutorial says, I think running records are a really valuable lesson planning tool. Since running records are individual assessments, they can help teachers develop lessons that focus on individual issues. Moreover, running records allow teachers to see why students are making certain mistakes. When you know what’s wrong, you can figure out how to fix it.
Of course, running records are only useful if teachers actually *use* them to direct instruction. Jeanne Gunther points out, “[A]lthough you may find running records to be valuable time spent with individual students once in a while, you may also believe that all these individualized assessments are taking up valuable class time — time when you feel you could be teaching.” I think this is a good point, but I also think that if teachers actually make use of the running records instead of doing them because their school system requires them to, then the records will be invaluable teaching tools. Teachers can use the records for individual instruction and full class instruction. If the teacher notices that a lot of her students are consistently having trouble in the same area, then she can focus on improving that area instead of spending a lot time on an area that most of the students understand. Likewise, not every student will be in the majority who understand that area, so the teacher can develop instruction to help that student individually as well. I really liked the idea of integrating running records into the normal school day routine. It’s easy to sit beside a student and listen to him or her read aloud during independent reading, and this would be a good time to do a running records without making a big deal about it. I always find assessments to be awkward if they are taken out of context and not embedded within instruction, and I see running records the same way.
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March 22nd, 2009 at 3:50 pm
I so agree that running records are only valuable if you are using them to direct your instruction. I have seen so many teachers do the running record for the simple fact that their school system makes them do them on each child. As a teacher, if I am going to take the time to do an assessment then i am going to take the time to use the information to help the childs learning and my teaching. Yes, it may be more work now, but in the long run it is going to be less work because it is going to help you as well as the child.