Regular assignments and assessments are indispensable activities for students. Despite the dynamic nature of educational patterns, the school information management system cannot change some parts of the curriculum and teaching methodologies. Assignments that assess student knowledge and progress are one such integral activity.
Over the years, educational institutions have become open to educational discussions that go beyond traditional forms of learning. Consider the inclusion of attendance management software in the management. Such technology was not as widely accepted previously because teachers considered getting the task done themselves. The pandemic made them realize how helpful digital tools can be.
Similarly, the way students are tested has also diversified. The school information management system is adapting new assessment strategies to improve the quality of education. Here are some assessment strategies teachers can consider adopting in their curriculum;
Open-ended questions
An open-ended question does not have a fixed answer, such as a yes or a no. The question inspires students to think more about a topic and come up with answers from their point of view and perception of the knowledge.
These open-ended questions promote the creative thinking capacity of students. It is effective for regular assessment since they always remember the right way of thinking to answer it, and adapt the same methodology to understand and memorize other answers.
Self-reflection
Students should be asked to reflect upon their day, or a week before the weekend begins. Children like spending their weekends relaxed since all week long they study and work hard. To ensure by the end of the week all that they have learned is clear in terms of concept and understanding, teachers should ask them to self-reflect.
It is one of the finest forms of assessment strategies. Teachers rely on it because when students are asked to constantly self-reflect, they develop it as a habit, and in time they do it without being told.
Quizzes
Quizzing questions are in style and trending. the pandemic made every institution rely on multiple choice questions and quizzes. With short quizzes at the end of each class, teachers could judge the understanding capacity of students and teach accordingly. Since they were not faced to face with every child, observing their gestures was not possible to understand if they had paid attention in the class. Quizzing them regularly keeps them alert during classes.
Response cards
A response card could be in the form of posted notes on the bulletin board, comments on the whiteboard. Feedback, or even handouts collected after the class is over. It is a type of feedback students provide almost anonymously for teachers to improve on. Their teaching methodologies including varied teaching styles, without judging the students providing the feedback.
When a child is ensured that their response would not cause them to be treated differently in a classroom, the user responds card wisely and express themselves freely.
Signaling
Often teachers are too engrossed in a teaching process and feel interrupted when students have doubt and announce it in the middle of an explanatory session. On the other hand, these students two need to express their doubts. This way they can keep up with the topic being taught. To avoid an uncomfortable and interrupting situation, students can signal the teacher by raising their hands.
The teacher would know who has a doubt, stop the pace of their explanation once the point they were making is complete, and resolve the doubt. It is a helpful learning strategy that helps teachers coordinate large groups of students.
Think, pair and share
Students don’t respond to questions even though they know the correct answer because they are unsure. In this, they can first think for a few minutes after the question is asked. Pair up with a person of their choice in the classroom, and then share their ideas to finally answer. Every child will get an opportunity to answer questions in a similar pattern to encourage maximum responses.
Choral reading
Sometimes going through the text is enough to clear all doubts. Students can read the marked text or highlighted portions along with the teacher as she explains to revise concepts. It improves their listening skills, reading and writing skills, and understanding capacity.
Which assessment and self-reflection strategy are you adopting in your classroom? Test your students regularly, keep them engaged, and watch their academic learning quality improve with these everyday assessment strategies.
