The education system is designed not only to give our children a certain set of knowledge, but also designed to control their learning. Without proper control, consisting of different methods and systems, pedagogy cannot exist. After all, only with the help of different methods can a teacher make sure how much children’s skills are mastered and determine whether it is possible to proceed to the next block of knowledge. To date, many methods and forms of control have been developed. One of them is a frontal survey, which we will talk about today.
Delve into the terminology
For educators with experience, the front-end survey form is one of the most beloved and used in lessons in various disciplines. The reasons for such love are the wide possibilities that this form of control gives. After all, it allows you to simultaneously evaluate the knowledge of a whole group of students in a few minutes. It can be selective several people or a class entirely, but in any case, the teacher will receive the necessary information and will be able to adjust the further course of the lesson on its basis.
To put it as briefly as possible, a frontal survey in pedagogy is a form of control of knowledge and skills aimed at interviewing a large group of students. This system allows you to get the result as soon as possible, but at the same time it does not give an understanding of the depth of knowledge.
Current survey: basic survey type of students
When we talk about the frontal survey system, it is worth noting that it is part of the current survey. And it, in turn, is the main form that allows for the systematic monitoring of students' knowledge at any stage of training. Teachers say that it is the current survey that makes it possible to work out and consolidate the material, as well as to identify and fill in the gaps that have formed.
The features of this process are several factors:
- as a conclusion, conclusions and generalizations are always made;
- the whole group takes part in the work, each member of which will be able to share their knowledge;
- students develop speech.
The current survey is conducted in two well-known ways. The most popular of them is the frontal survey. In this context, it is perceived as a verification of not only knowledge, but also the identification of the degree of their assimilation. Once again we repeat that almost all students of the same group are involved in the process.
The advantages of this method of control
Each teacher will easily name the mass of advantages of a frontal survey. We, too, could not fail to mention them in our article. We have identified five advantages of this method:
- saves time by allowing you to cover the maximum number of students in a short period of time;
- there is a development of the skill of a concise and accurate answer;
- makes it possible to highlight the main thing from the whole topic and remember these moments;
- teaches to answer according to the plan, substantiating each statement with a consistent statement of facts;
- involvement in group work keeps all students busy.
Thanks to the frontal survey, the teacher can perform many tasks. For example, check the fulfillment of homework, the degree of perception of new material, the willingness to learn a new block of knowledge, and so on.
Disadvantages of Concurrent Group Polling
A frontal lesson survey is a unique opportunity to occupy a large group of students and conduct ongoing monitoring. However, despite the abundance of advantages, this system has its own pronounced disadvantages. Of course, teachers are well aware of them, but still consider the methodology effective and continue to actively use it. The significant disadvantages of a frontal survey include the following:
- short answers do not give the opportunity to work out the skill of a detailed answer;
- group work does not allow one student to work out the transition from one thought to another, which is used in complex topics;
- the depth of knowledge remains hidden for the teacher, who notes only a superficial assimilation of the topic;
- This form of control does not develop a logical and linguistic culture.
In order to reduce the negative impact of the frontal survey, the teaching methodology contains recommendations for its periodic use. That is, in his work, the teacher must use all known types of control of knowledge, skills.
Types of frontal survey
Since this method of verification is considered basic, it implies two types. These include oral and written front-end surveys. Each of the species has its own characteristic and distinctive features.
It is the description of the mentioned categories that our next sections will be devoted to.
Oral Interview: Definition
This category includes the control method, which makes it possible to perform several tasks simultaneously. Thanks to the direct interaction between the teacher and the student, the first one not only interrogates and evaluates the tested knowledge, but also corrects the answers, directs, and also corrects the errors. In such a dialogue, the material passed is consolidated.
Based on the foregoing, teachers quite often use this form in their work, considering it as efficient as possible.
Pros and cons of front-end polling
Before applying this method of controlling knowledge, skills, it is necessary to clearly understand all its advantages and disadvantages. The methodologists include the following characteristics to the pluses:
- flexibility and speed;
- the ability to maintain contact with a whole group of students, filling gaps in knowledge simultaneously with their identification;
- promotes the development of all types of oral speech;
- help to overcome the fear of speaking to the audience;
- developing skills of interaction at a fast pace.
However, you should not lose sight of the shortcomings of the oral survey of students. I would like to clarify that there are few of them, but nevertheless, the teacher should be aware of them:
- the inability to conduct an audit without thorough preparation of pupils and students;
- often the group simply submits to the authority of the teacher;
- due to the inexperience of some teachers, part of the group remains outside active work;
- takes a considerable amount of time.
In general, teachers themselves believe that the oral control method is ideal for experienced teachers and requires certain skills. However, he fully justifies himself and gives good results. It is proved that in classes where group oral polls are often conducted, students are better prepared in subjects and have better academic performance.
Oral survey techniques: briefly
We have already mentioned above that a frontal survey can be oral and written. However, speaking on this topic, one cannot but mention the oral individual survey, which is also often used by teachers.
Frontal and individual polls are similar in only one way - in both cases, students give verbal answers to the teacher's questions. However, in the first case, the knowledge of the group is clarified, and in the second, of individual students. Interestingly, there is a method of sequential control in both ways.
Front survey techniques
Front-end oral interviews can be carried out in various ways. Of these, teachers usually distinguish five options, which we now describe in detail:
- Traffic light. This method is usually used in elementary school, when students are still quite difficult to organize. The teacher prepares two cards for each student (green and red). After the question asked, if the children know the answer, then they pick up a green card, and otherwise a red one. Such a frontal survey is good for checking homework and as a control after explaining a new topic.
- Chain. The reception is based on the need of the group to give a detailed answer to the question posed. In this case, each subsequent student voices additions without repeating.
- Quiet. If in the process of explaining new material the topic turned out to be misunderstood by a certain group of students, then the teacher works only with them, asking questions and identifying difficult moments while the bulk of the team is busy with other tasks.
- Programmable. This type of front-end survey is often referred to as the “oral test”. Along with the question, several answers are given, which makes the student consolidate the material more firmly.
- Mutual Question. Before the tests, teachers often use this type of front-end survey. Its essence lies in the fact that the teacher gives a direction vector, and the students interrogate each other themselves. Such control does not take much time.
A distinctive feature of all these methods is the search nature of the questions. They should encourage the group to seek answers and thereby activate their thought processes.
Written Surveys: Pros and Cons
A written frontal survey is considered an easier form of control. He leaves the opportunity to focus and change the order of answers to questions. Of the advantages of this technique are:
- lack of pressure on the authority of the teacher;
- provides deep control;
- allows you to control theoretical and practical skills at the same time.
The disadvantages include considerable time spent on the implementation and verification of tasks.
Most often, a written frontal survey is conducted in the form of a dictation or test work. In recent years, teachers often use new techniques. These include blitz polls (students answer in writing several questions asked by the teacher), testing and factual dictation (each student receives five or six questions on a sheet that they must answer for a given time interval).
Methodologists advise teachers to alternate between oral and written front-end surveys in order to fully control the learning process for each student.
Recommendations for increasing the effectiveness of group surveys
Some educators consider front-end polls not very effective, however, methodologists advise to adhere to a number of recommendations that will make the work as effective as possible:
- Do not focus on one student, asking him question after question. In this case, the teacher risks losing the entire group of students, which will switch their attention to foreign objects.
- The teacher must clearly control the amount of time allotted for such a survey. If you tighten the control, then its monotony will lead to a decrease in performance in the group.
- Compliance with the principle of communicativeness should be combined with the general course of the lesson, harmoniously complementing the presentation of new material.
Also, do not forget that the frontal survey should be conducted at a very fast pace, and the question is asked earlier than the name of the student.