Through proper active monitoring a teacher can keep students on-task and just as importantly, keep them accurate in their responses.
Circulate
When students are working independently on written assignments, the teachers should move around the classroom looking closely at students' work. The teacher should not be seated at a desk. It is not possible to scan student work from one position. The teacher must get close enough to read what students have written. Desks and chairs should be arranged so the teacher has easy access to each student.
Reinforce correct answers
The teacher should show that s/he cares whether or not students are getting the material right. Active monitoring is most effective when the teacher appears to be excited about students getting correct answers. Giving recognition to students with correct answers motivates students to care about their work.
Correct while walking
The teacher can complete a lot of correcting while walking around the room. The teacher can put a star next to every correct item s/he has looked at on a student's paper. Those items won't have to be reviewed later. The teacher should spend no more than 30 seconds with each student.
Point out errors
An equally important component of active monitoring is to indicate when items are wrong. The teacher should make a mark on the student's paper next to the incorrect item and tell the child something like, "Oops. That one is wrong. Look carefully and try it again."
Do not re-teach individuals
The teacher can be sympathetic but should NOT stop to teach a student who has made an error. If the teacher teaches students individually, students will learn that they don't have to pay attention in class during instruction because the teacher will help them individually.
Re-teach the whole class
If three or more students have the same error, the teacher should immediately stop the class and provide a whole-group correction. The correction should be worded exactly as in the original instruction.
Reinforce good behavior frequently
It is critical for the teacher to have a system in place where s/he can frequently reinforce students for following classroom expectations. Here's the rule: The teacher should reward good behavior at least four times as frequently as s/he corrects inappropriate behavior.
Correct off-task behavior
The teacher needs to provide consequences for students who are not on task. The teacher can take a point as part of the Teacher-Student game. The teacher can say something like, "Gee, I'm sorry you're not working, I get a point. When I see you working, you can get a point."
