Numbers, numbers, and more numbers. They’re all around us. From grades to test scores, to the number of absences. It’s hard to avoid them in a school setting and even more as an educator. Also as the policies of your state require and push you for numerical success with standardized testing. Reading the articles for today, I’ve understood that when an educator learns to look past the numbers and is able to make the connection between the reasons of the data and our students’ lives, that’s when real success is achieved.

There are many ways educators can use data to understand their students and to analyze their own teaching styles and make the appropriate adjustments to better fit their students’ needs. In my futuristic classroom one of the things I would like to heavily reinforce is teacher-student communication. Data doesn’t necessarily have to be just numerical, although it can come in handy to assess overall academic standings and learning. However, data can also come from observation and getting involved by walking around the classroom when students are working with their peers. By doing so, I can get a better sense of how many students are participating and how many are interested in the activity. In one of my last semester classes, one of the ways a professor collected data through student self-evaluation by doing an exit slip as we were leaving the room every Thursday class. The exit slip was her way of receiving feedback about that particular lecture. She was able to see if there was need for clarification or if her students understood and gained new knowledge from her class. This method is surely practical and approachable and is something I would like to apply in my future classes as well. It is important for educators to show their interest and see in what areas their students need help.