by Cari Mathwig-Ramseier
We’re just past the first half of the semester. If you are feeling like your course needs a boost, consider thinking formatively. The purpose of using formative strategies in teaching, such as formative assessment, in your course is to improve learning, rather than just an assessment of learning. Formative assessment can be used as a diagnostic tool, to plan instruction, or to gather feedback from students. Formative assessment involves students in their own learning and can be motivating—so if this sounds like what your class needs, let’s talk about ways to get started.
Formative assessment doesn’t need the use of online learning technologies—though they certainly can be used. Some formative assessment tools that could be used in the classroom:
- Pop quizzes and exit tickets, to learn if your students are ready for what’s next
- Student journals, for student reflection
- Student discussions and Think-Pair-share
- Four Corners activity, to get students moving and share perspectives
If you are interested in using online learning technologies, consider trying:
- Backchannels, such as Twitter
- Student response tools, such as Clickers, Socrative, and Polling tools like PollEverywhere
- Online surveys via Moodle, OneDrive Excel Surveys, or Google Forms
For more information, check out Harvey, T., Moroz, K., and Lindquist, B. (October 2015). Leveraging Digital Tools for Formative Assessment. Presented at the Teaching Professor Technology Conference, New Orleans. Retrieved here.
For more information, contact Cari Mathwig-Ramseier by email or 608-796-3868.