Looking at Student Work Through a Responsive Lens: Part 1

Looking for Evidence of Thinking

When we look at student work, it’s easy to focus on whether an answer is right or wrong. But responsive teaching calls us to go deeper—to examine how students are reasoning and why they approached a problem in a particular way.

Instead of just marking responses as correct or incorrect, try asking:

🔹 What does this work reveal about the student’s thought process?

🔹 What strategies are they using, and what might that tell me about their understanding?

🔹 Are there patterns in their reasoning that could inform my next instructional steps?

By shifting our focus to student thinking, we can uncover rich insights. Maybe a student is consistently using an additive strategy when multiplication would be more efficient. Maybe another student has a solid grasp of place value but struggles with regrouping. These observations help us tailor instruction, celebrate student strengths, and address misconceptions in meaningful ways.

Try This in Your Classroom:

The next time you review student work, resist the urge to “grade” right away. Instead, sort responses into categories based on reasoning strategies. What do you notice? How might these patterns inform your teaching moves?

How do you uncover student thinking when analyzing their work? Do you look for specific strategies, common patterns, or something else? Share your process—I’d love to learn from your approach! 💡👇