good at math: Formative Assessment

One of my roles at schoolhouse is to nowadays a brusk pedagogy in addition to learning slot inward staff briefing on a Mon morning. The Lead Practitioners create this on a rota, thus I'm on every nine weeks. This is a challenge - it's difficult to notice practiced pedagogy ideas that tin hold upward clearly explained inward a ii infinitesimal fourth dimension slot in addition to are relevant to teachers inward every subject.

In final week's briefing I chose to nowadays on formative assessment because this is role of my pedagogy exercise that I've improved significantly over the final couplet of years. I've non perfected it yet, but I'm getting better.

I used to recollect that circulating to a greater extent than or less the room during lessons in addition to looking at my students' classwork gave me a practiced insight into whether they'd learnt anything. In most lessons I'd conclude that plenty of them were getting the correct answers, in addition to this meant that I'd taught the topic good plenty to motion onto a novel topic. Later inward the term they'd create a show in addition to I'd hold upward disappointed when they got the incorrect answers. Had they forgotten the things I'd taught them, or non learnt them properly inward the start place?

Over the final couplet of years I've developed to a greater extent than effective formative assessment techniques, strongly influenced yesteryear Kris Boulton's fantabulous post 'How tests instruct in addition to motivate'. As a outcome I at nowadays direct maintain to a greater extent than reliable data on which to base of operations my determination making in addition to I'm able to deed to a greater extent than rapidly when a educatee needs support.

In my briefing presentation I talked virtually ii techniques for formative assessment: exit tickets in addition to low stakes quizzes. These approaches run good inward maths in addition to inward many other subjects (though non every subject, equally an fine art instructor pointed out to me afterward my presentation!). You may direct maintain already tried these techniques but inward representative you're non familiar amongst them, I volition briefly explicate how they work.

Exit Tickets

The thought hither is that students pass 5 minutes completing a few questions individually at the halt of each lesson in addition to thus mitt their answers to the instructor equally they leave. The instructor marks the move out tickets on the same twenty-four hours - this helps them position misconceptions in addition to create upward one's hear what to instruct inward the adjacent lesson.

Exit tickets capture data from every unmarried student, allowing the instructor to straight off position students who are struggling. This allows teachers to intervene at the correct time, for representative yesteryear emailing a video link or yesteryear cry for a educatee to remain behind afterward schoolhouse for extra support. Some teachers also exercise move out tickets for RAG123 - this is where students charge per unit of measurement their ain agreement in addition to endeavor (you tin read to a greater extent than virtually it here).

Using move out tickets does nowadays some challenges. They are solely effective if each educatee completes a ticket on their own, without conferring or copying. Whether or non y'all tin easily acquire your students to run silently for 5 minutes at the halt of the lesson depends on the behavior in addition to civilization at your school. Exit tickets are best introduced at the start of a schoolhouse twelvemonth equally role of a laid lesson routine. Another challenge is inward cry for the correct questions - the questions on the move out ticket must hold upward rattling carefully chosen to ensure that they accurately assess students' novel noesis or skills. Some move out tickets simply inquire students to write a judgement explaining 'what they learnt today' - I recollect this is in all likelihood less helpful than really testing their noesis directly.

If you're considering using move out tickets, or if you're sceptical virtually their value, I recommend that y'all read Harry Fletcher-Wood's post 'How tests instruct in addition to motivate'. As a outcome I at nowadays direct maintain to a greater extent than reliable data on which to base of operations my determination making in addition to I'm able to deed to a greater extent than rapidly when a educatee needs support.

Exit Tickets

If y'all exercise move out tickets inward your lessons delight comment below - I'd honey to hear how they run for you.

Low Stakes Quizzes

Low stakes quizzes are direct maintain transformed my pedagogy over the final ii years. I currently exercise them amongst both my Year 7s in addition to my Year 11s in addition to am considering introducing them at Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 grade too. Every Fri I ambit my students a xv infinitesimal show inward the lesson. They create this inward silence, but for my Year 11s it's an 'open book' quiz, thus they may refer to their notes (this is partly to encourage practiced banker's complaint taking).

My tests are multiple choice. Questions are drawn from diagnosticquestions.com, a fantastic website that contains thousands of questions for maths in addition to a divulge of other subjects. Multiple selection quizzes are rattling quick to mark, in addition to I could brand that fifty-fifty quicker if I used an automated marker tool similar Quick Key. Every Mon morning time I render the quizzes to my students, displaying a slide similar to the i shown below (this representative was for a Year seven class).

My students direct maintain responded really good to these quizzes in addition to really seem to aid virtually their results. They acquire a sticker when they acquire sum marks in addition to fifty-fifty my Year 11s honey getting those stickers! Results are recorded on a canvas (Year 7s direct maintain this tracking canvas stapled into the embrace of their exercise book) thus they tin easily run into which topics demand to a greater extent than work. I experience similar I know my students really good since I started using these quizzes. I've blogged virtually this earlier inward my posts 'How tests instruct in addition to motivate'. As a outcome I at nowadays direct maintain to a greater extent than reliable data on which to base of operations my determination making in addition to I'm able to deed to a greater extent than rapidly when a educatee needs support.

Exit Tickets

This technique is a chip less 'real time' than move out tickets equally it's i time a calendar week instead of every lesson, but I notice it easier to manage. Some teachers direct maintain expressed line of piece of job organization that it eats into pedagogy fourth dimension also much, but I at nowadays consider it to hold upward a vital role of my teaching. Running in addition to returning the tests takes no to a greater extent than than 25 minutes of lesson fourth dimension a week.

Further Reading
This post has provided a couplet of examples of effective formative assessment techniques - in that location are many other techniques that I haven't mentioned here, such equally questioning, mini-whiteboards, Plickers in addition to Socrative. If you're looking to larn to a greater extent than virtually formative assessment inward maths, the Mathematics Assessment Project has provided a sum professional evolution module which includes links to books such the classic 'Mathematics within the dark box' yesteryear Jeremy Hodgen in addition to Dylan Wiliam.

I'd honey to hear virtually approaches used yesteryear other maths teachers. How create y'all assess your students' progress during lessons? How create y'all gauge the correct starting indicate for your adjacent lesson? How create y'all know which students demand a chip to a greater extent than support? Please allow me know inward the comments below.

Saturday, March 9, 2019

Formative Assessment