Get Your Students Hired
Favorite formative evaluations for my classes include, quizzes, games, trivia games on smart board and having students create some of their own tests by submitting questions of their knowledge learned that day in class.
I teach a sersafe class and once a week we do a kitchen inspection. As they learn, the students write down more offences each week. On the last week I give back all there inspection sheet to show them how much they have learned.
Many of the repliesto this thred mention tests, quizzes, Q&A, and reflection / discussion. I find actually planning for and executing the formative evaluation the hardest part of the equation. Taking the time needed to tell the student where they are and then providing guidance for continued improvement, is not as easy as it seems.
In my online class, I have weekly discussion boards that cover a variety of topics that are addressed during that weeks unit.
Hi Donald - thanks for your post to the forum. Your formative assessment plans look really good. The advantage to having the students come up with questions as a group will certainly increase the level of participation. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I have no real experience in this yet, but I would think the standard quizzes would work, possibly a Q&A session, possibly a hands on evaluation, and maybe even have the students take 20 min as a group and come up with 10-15 questions for me about things that are not clear to any of them. Then as a group(reporters) question(interview) me. That way they could see where there weak spots are.
Hi Denelle- Thanks for your post to the forum. Also, if students know that a "Pop Quiz" may happen at any time, they are more likely to pay attention! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Hi Lori- Thanks for your post to the forum. You are wise to include the frequent quizzes in your assessment plans. Too often instructors wait till mid-term and find that their students have not achieved the competency that was expected at that point. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I have used quizzes at the end of each chapter discussion to assess student comprehension.I would then give the students a major test after each five chapter block. I have also used research papers to assess comprehension.
Lori
I give a short quiz at the beginning of every class period. The quiz covers the material from the previous class period. It help me know if students have retained the previous class periods material
Pop quizzes at the end of the lecture are a great way for the instructor to evaluate how much they paid attention and how well the information was absorbed. I might have to change my teaching style the next time.
The use of quizzes is excellent tools to evaluate student learning. This lets both the instructor and student know where they stand. The use of workbooks also helps assess learning comprehension from the reading.
Hi George - Thanks for your post to the forum. You have the right idea - it is much more effective to add occasional questions as you are lecturing, rather than waiting to you are finished and asking "Does anyone have any questions?". The question that a student had about some topic at the beginning is now long lost and, for that student, probably also much of the content that followed! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I like to use questions during the instruction to have the students relate what I am instructing on to a personal experience so that I can determine that I am meeting my learning objectives while at the same time motivating the students to be involved.
I have a variety of evaluation methods that range from quizzes, written assignments, presentations, and projects. As an educator it is important to understand that there are several different learning styles in my classes and I need to honor each style and not favor one over the other.
Renee Bipes
HI Christina - Thanks for your post to the forum. Having students present is one of the best ways to be sure that they have gotten what we have taught. Aso, by "teaching back" they will greatly increase their retention of the concepts they present. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I like small group sessions on topics and have each student present and discuss what they learned.
There are time when I will ask individuals questions to see who knows what and at times ask questions in general to what the class might know as a whole and see where that goes.
Hi Susan - thanks for your post to the forum. Interesting, as you mention , students come up with tougher questions than we would have. What is this telling us - should we have higher expectations, or is it, as you suggest - that they are just trying to prove themselves??
Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I'v also done this and find that students are tougher on themselves than the need to be. Perhaps they are trying to prove to themselves that they can create difficult questions. In any event, it does generate some interesting discussion.