In 2005 I wrote an NSF grant application to advance the concept of "real-time continuous formative assessment" based on clickers and laptops. I was rejected with grades of EXCELLENT, GOOD, GOOD, GOOD, POOR. But I was not dejected, since for one thing NSF does not usually get appliations from high school teachers, and for another thing it was a lot of fun (that is, hard work) to write the application.
Anyhow, I am a big fan of clickers -- I think they can be integrated with a Socratic method.
Hi Marilyn- Thanks for your post to the forum. Skills application assessment is essential in career education. Not only will you be able to get a good idea of what they know, but by utilizing what they have learned in a workplace simulation, your students will be more likely to retain that knowledge. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I have used group exercise that require the students replicate an actual office visit and explain why the information that is obtained during the visit is important is medical billing.
You can assess what a student knows about a particular subject through questions, but testing covers much more. You then can easily assess how the student is progressing as far as different topics are concerned. I can also evaluate the student's progress as far as his or or her likes and dislikes, strengths, weaknesses on different subjects. This alo gives the instructor the opportunity to review areas of weakness in instruction that need re-evaluated.
Hi James - Wow - Bravo! You are doing an exceptional job of getting your students involved in their own learning - excellent! Best wishes- Susan
You can assess what a student knows about a particular subject through questions, but testing covers much more. You then can easily assess how the student is progressing as far as different topics are concerned. I can also evaluate the student's progress as far as his or or her likes and dislikes, strengths, weaknesses on different subjects.
I have been experimenting with having the students submit quiz questions each day on the topics discussed. They are then reviewed orally which gives me a sense if they know the information. I then use some of the student produced questions in quizzes.
For each class I teach, I take time to explain Bloom's to the class and why it is important for them to be able to form and answer questions from each level. Then after a lesson is completed, I break the students into groups and have them develop what they believe would be good test questions using the levels of Bloom's as a guide.
Typical Test and quizes but also, skills evaluations that evolve throughout the term adding new skills with each new evaluation. This gives the student a clear assessment of the actual progress throughout.
Hi Jacob- Thanks for your post to the forum. You are using a terrifc mix of formative evalautions!
Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Some formative evaluation strategies that I have used include:
- asking students to write in 1/2 minutes what they have learned in a class session
- marking and going over homework
- give short quizzes for each sub-topic of the class
- longer tests between short quizzes
- mid-term and final tests
I allow my students to play baseball with questions they create and I have found that they become very competitive and serious, their question are really tough and they have to spend a few minutes thinking before they reply with an answer. Plus they have fun, which in turns keeps their interest. I even use their question as a bonus on test to encourage them and see if they remember the answer.
Besides tests and quizzes, games can be an excellent way to evaluate students. Jeopardy is a good game to play. It can assess groups or individuals for retention of materials.
Hi Jeanette- Thanks for your post to the forum. I agree - using games in your lessons is a great way to get students engaged while they are learning. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I like to play games during class which help me to know if students understood the material presented. I find that with game playing they are learning and retaining without realizing that this is one of my teaching methods.
Students need to have a means of assessing their progress and knowing their standing in the class through the course. Quizzes and graded assignments are two methods I use. When it comes to the quizzes, I remind students that they can expect to see the same material future exams. That reinforces what measurements will be used to assess success in the course and provides them with a good indication of what final grade they can expect.
Because I teach an on line class. Written assignments are the sole measure of success. I had never heard the term "formative feedback" before training to teach this on line class. As I see it, it is giving a positive "spin" to the assignment so that I look for the best feature while trying to point out the flaws. I have had to learn not to use words like "but" or "however" when making my evaluation. I try to point out the strengths of the assignment, especiall if a student has an unique perspective on the problem.
Hi Joe - There is nothing better than showing students how what they are learning will be applied in their career! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I like to watch how the students, perform there lab assignments, and how they answer some of the questions on their lab sheets. When they are able to figure out how something works using the previous training as well as what they are currently being taught that helps me to see what they know and use.
I like to use exams to check my students understanding of material at certain points of the course.
I also like to have research projects. Teaching accounting can be very dry and boring for students so I like to add real life projects that they can use and apply. For instance, ratio analysis is used in some of my classes. Students just think it is a calculation and nothing more. However, I show them how to find this information on real world companies and how they can apply them to decision making in business.
