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A KWL can be a chart or graphic organizer designed to gauge student learning. KWL charts were originally created by Donna Ogle for the traditional classroom (Ogle, 1986). The letters KWL are an acronym for "what we know", what we want to know", and "what we learned". A KWL can be a great way to check for understanding in a traditional classroom. What about the online classroom? KWL's can be a great way to assess student's prior learning while engaging them in the content. This strategy is a great formative assessment that can increase motivation and attention by activating student's prior knowledge. This allows us to understand the type of information our students come in with and the areas that we may need to re-teach. From this knowledge we can create wrap-ups and lead our students to areas of improvement. A KWL works well in order to examine the individual student or the entire class in order to understand their thinking and learning (Struble, 2007). 

Presenter Information:

Tom Dyer

Tom earned his Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Arizona State University. He then graduated with his Master's degree from Grand Canyon University in Educational Administration with an emphasis in Organizational Leadership. He is a Certified Teacher in the state of Arizona. Tom is scheduled to earn his second Master's degree in Psychology with an emphasis in General Psychology this August.

Teaching has always been Tom's first passion, but has sort of been a second career. Tom has been involved in youth ministry for many years as an interim Youth Pastor, Director, and Staff member. Tom spent 10 years in private aviation as a Manager and trainer, which fueled his love for teaching. Tom has also served as Manager in the Office of Field Experience in the College of Education at Grand Canyon University. Tom currently enjoys being a Fulltime Online Faculty Member at Grand Canyon University.

Tom has been married to his high school sweetheart, who is a Ground Traditional Professor at Grand Canyon University, for over 14 years. Together, they have two amazing and energetic boys. Tom is a huge sports fan and enjoys both watching and participating in various sports. He greatly enjoys spending time with his family supporting various Grand Canyon University events.

John Steele

John Steele entered the United States Army upon graduation from high school where he spent three years in the 82^nd Airborne Division. John earned his Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with K-8 certification for Science and Social Studies. Furthermore, he has a Master's in Education with Emphasis on School Counseling and a K-12 school counseling certification.  In addition to teaching, John has several years of teaching experience in the K-8 classroom, case manager experience, and coaching experience.  John enjoys teaching at Grand Canyon University and has also been an adjunct at Phoenix College! When out of the office John loves being outdoors, playing sports, and spending time with family!