Karina Higuera

Professor Trombley

RDG323

25 September 2021

Formative Assessment

Formative assessments are used to see what the students retained from their lectures and

studies. This could be used before, during and/or after directions and lectures have been given to

see where they stand and if they understood the material or not. It is up to the teacher to see if the

students understand and change the way things are being given if many students are struggling to

grasp the concept given. One of the old school ways of doing so was to do a pop quiz throughout

the lesson. It’s said to be used because it keeps the students on their toes and engaged with the

lesson because any part of it could be used on the quiz. However, it’s not really effective because

many students are bad test takers. They could have been paying attention the whole lesson, but

blank out the second that test is put out in front of them, it happens. Or students miss class due to

sickness and other instances. Their grade also depends on this quiz, which missing one question

could really mess up their grades as tests are usually weighed heavier than homework and in

class assignments. It works, but is it the most effective?

As we move into a whole new terrority of teaching due to Covid-19 and many classrooms

having to be ready to switch online within a day, we have to use the digital tools at our disposal.

One great one that has been used throughout my college courses has been, Peardeck. Districts

who Google Classroom and Cnavas will find this website to be even more helpful as they have

teamed up with Google to have it right there, easy to access for the students. However, it’s easy

to access either way as the only thing students need is a code like in Kahoot. This would be used
in my classroom during lessons as I’m able to put up slides and ask questions throughout the

whole thing. However, there are many ways students can answer such as putting their circle on

one side or another (example being if they enjoy the lesson or not) and it would show me all their

little circles. The nice thing about Peardeck is the fact that everything can stay anonymous, it

makes students nervous of putting their answers in front of others in case they are wrong. I could

display their answers without any names and it will give the other students a sense of whether or

not they are heading in the right direction. Some other ways students can answer is by writing

out their responses and drawings. Teachers are also able to put videos and audio recordings to

present to the students. I find this very helpful as I personally don’t think students should be

punished for not understanding the material. Yes, at the end they should know what is taught, but

Peardeck will be used throughout to see where they stand. Peardeck tells me which students

answered the questions and let me grade them based on participation. I would adjust my lessons

based on what lessons many of the students are struggling with as this tool isn’t only a reflection

of the students’ learning but also my teaching.