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That said, where I feel that I could definitely improve is the area of assessing during instruction. I teach technology class to fifth and sixth graders, so typically my class involves a lot of independent project work. While students are working, I walk around the room, redirecting, asking clarifying questions, and troubleshooting issues that may arise. It is clear that when learning is assessed during instruction, opportunities arise for clarification of information, for connections to be made, for instruction to be differentiated/tiered/scaffolded, and for re-teaching and mini-lessons to help further understanding. The Ohio Resource Center offers a sample of how one teacher integrated formative assessments in a Grade 6 English Language Arts classroom. This particular teacher gave a mid-project formative assessment to monitor progress and bring to light which students or groups needed further assistance. She speaks highly of the value of this type of assessment, and the article elaborates: "The teacher felt that these students would have slipped by and never would have fully understood their part of speech, had it not been for this assessment" (ORC, 2015).
Technology can be used to support the types of formative assessments that take place during instruction. Nicol & Macfarlane-Dick tout the necessity for formative assessments to encourage students' metacognition and their own reflections on their learning progress and the "judging of progression to goals." Judith Dodge emphasizes the need for the teachers' ability to reflect, as well, by asking the questions, "Who needs my attention now? Which students need a different approach? Which students are not learning anything new, because I haven’t challenged them?” Some of the tools that I would like to try to incorporate more frequently and as soon as possible are:
- Padlet – Padlet is great for brainstorming, as each student can create a 'post-it' type note with a thought or other contribution. When used as a whole-class activity, it can be projected on whiteboard/big screen so that students can see how others are responding and what questions they also have. Padlets can be printed, shared via email and social networking, or embedded directly onto websites or blog pages.
- Blogger - Blogging is a great tool that can be used for students to self-assess throughout the learning process. With structured questions or topics to address, students can reflect on their progress, assess their movement toward task goals, and share their thoughts and ideas with their teachers, as well as with the larger community. Students could also use Blogger to upload work-in-progress, screen captures of their projects, or other mid-way artifacts that will show progression and document the process. Students can also respond to a teacher's blog in comments to show understanding or ask questions, and they can also respond to their peers in the same way.
- Google Forms - This Google App is a valuable tool for teachers. During instruction, educators can share Google Form created surveys with students via email, direct links, or embedded on a webpage. Questions posed can be multiple choice or open-ended, depending on the goals of the teacher. When students complete the surveys, responses are automatically imported into a Google Spreadsheet and can be organized and analyzed by column or row. A results summary also exists that graphs student responses.
The following video was created using Keynote and QuickTime Player, and explains why formative assessment during instruction is so important, as well as gives visual examples of the three tools described above:
Alfonzo, P. (2014, May 20). Frictionless Formative Assessment with Social Media. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
Dodge, J. (2009). 25 Quick Formative Assessments for a Differentiated Classroom.
Dyer, K. (2013, July 22). Digital Technology Tools for Implementing Formative Assessment - Post Two.
Nicol, D., & Macfarlane‐Dick, D. (2007, January 24). Formative assessment and self‐regulated learning: A model and seven principles of good feedback practice.
Clear Targets and Expectations Provide a Direct Path to Learning. (2015). Retrieved May 28, 2015.