Written by Michael Plocher
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS
Assessing learning is an important part of teaching. Whether in a traditional classroom, confirmation class, Sunday school, or other learning environment, purposeful formative assessments can raise standards of achievement (Black and Wiliam, 1998). Popham (2008) and Ainsworth (2015) also tell us that formative assessments are a planned process in which teachers or students use assessment-based evidence to adjust what they are currently doing rather than using it to gather information for letter grades. The cycle of teaching new information, figuring out who understands the content, and planning for how to reach the student who does not, happens in a variety of educational settings. Using traditional methods of conducting formative assessments can be time-consuming, provides limited temporary information, and can produce results that can be difficult to interpret.
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS USING TECHNOLOGY
When technology is used to conduct formative assessments, data can be collected more efficiently than when using other methods (Burns, 2017). Additionally, using technology when doing formative assessments . . .
- improves student participation,
- frees up learning time,
- is more informative,
- is cost-effective,
- is error-free,
- guarantees equal participation opportunities, and
- creates a fun and exciting learning environment.
(Bennett & Gitomer, 2009; Elmahdi, Al-Hattami, & Fawzi, 2018)
When teachers purposefully integrate technology tools within formative assessments, another benefit can be realized. Responses from students can be electronically collated to create robust learner profiles. These profiles can include student preferences, interests, biases, and performance data (Spector et. al. 2016). Learner profiles can then follow students through the year, giving teachers a broad understanding of where each student is in their learning journey.
EXAMPLES
Here is what it looks like when using technology to assist with formative assessments:
BEFORE THE LESSON
Traditional Approach: Give a paper pre-quiz (catechism, math, etc.) to find out what students know.
Technology Approach: No need to take time to correct the quiz and analyze the data. Software corrects and collates data in real time as students answer questions using Chromebooks, phones, iPads, etc.
Benefit: The teacher knows immediately what direction to take their lesson. This can include what material needs to be reviewed or which students should be grouped together for the lesson.
Traditional Approach: Create a KWL chart to determine current knowledge.
Technology Approach: K (know) and W (want to know) can be submitted to a collaborative online site, allowing students and teacher to see each other’s responses.
Benefit: The teacher can greatly reduce the time needed for student responses, allowing every student to participate simultaneously. The teacher can also quickly circulate around the room, clarifying misconceptions.
DURING THE LESSON
Traditional Approach: Orally poll students who raise hands to respond.
Technology Approach: Students submit answers in a whole class or teacher/individual-student digital space instead of raising hands.
Benefit: Those reluctant to raise their hand in a large Bible class or other classroom setting can quickly share with you what they know. Data can also be saved for the teacher to review later, allowing further adjustments to their instruction.
Traditional Approach: Listen in on student group or partner work to determine understanding.
Technology Approach: The teacher enters data in an online survey tool using a tablet, phone, or other device as they wander around the room.
Benefit: The data is listed in a spreadsheet, allowing the teacher to see patterns of understanding. They can then have mini-lessons with small groups of those who are still missing the concept.
AFTER THE LESSON
Traditional Approach: Students write a quick response on a sticky note to an exit question then post it on the classroom wall or door.
Technology Approach: Students submit electronic exit ticket responses that automatically get stored in a spreadsheet.
Benefit: The teacher can quickly look over the data in the spreadsheet to find patterns of understanding. They can see who gets the lesson and who still needs more time, and adjust their next lesson accordingly.
Traditional Approach: Ask students to tell you something they are still confused about.
Technology Approach: Students create a screencast using their voice and drawings on the screen to explain what they learned.
Benefit: You can listen to your students’ thought processes and see how they solve a problem.
USING TECHNOLOGY WITH FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS MAKES SENSE
Even though formative assessments are done regularly and are an integral part of the learning process, it can be difficult to do them well using traditional means. We all know that time is a big factor in many teaching situations. It doesn’t matter if you have a dozen students you teach in all subject areas, a large single-grade classroom, a multi-grade classroom, tens of members in a large Bible class, or dozens of students you instruct over the course of the day. Having the time to collect, analyze, and act on formative assessment can be a struggle (Wagner, 2011). Technology tools can make this task more manageable by saving you time while giving you the ability to react more quickly to the data, allowing for speedy and meaningful adjustments to your instruction.
Michael Plocher (BS in Ed DMLC ‘93, MS Ed Tech ‘16) teaches at St. Paul Lutheran School-New Ulm MN, focusing on science, math, and ed tech. He also teaches the undergraduate course EDT3002 Teaching with Technology at Martin Luther College as an adjunct instructor.
REFERENCES
Ainsworth, L. (2015). Common formative assessments 2.0: How teacher teams intentionally align standards, instruction, and assessment. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin
Bennett, R. E., & Gitomer, D. H. (2009). Transforming K–12 assessment: Integrating accountability testing, formative assessment and professional support. In C. Wyatt-Smith & J. J. Cumming (Eds.), Educational assessment in the 21st century: Connecting theory and practice (pp. 43-61). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.
Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (2010). “Kappan Classic”: Inside the Black Box – Raising Standards through Classroom Assessment. Phi Delta Kappan, 92(1), 81–90.
Burns, M. (2017). #FormativeTech meaningful, sustainable, and scalable formative assessment with technology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin
Elmahdi, I., Al-Hattami, A., & Fawzi, H. (2018). Using Technology for Formative Assessment to Improve Students’ Learning. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology – TOJET, 17(2), 182–188.
Popham, W. J. (2008). Transformative assessment. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Spector, J. M., Ifenthaler, D., Sampson, D., Yang, L. (Joy), Mukama, E., Warusavitarana, A., … Gibson, D. C. (2016). Technology Enhanced Formative Assessment for 21st-Century Learning. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 19(3), 58–71.
Wagner, D. A. (2011). Smaller, quicker, cheaper: Improving learning assessments for developing countries. Paris, France: UNESCO.