Re-Imagining Formative Assessment with Digital Tools (Part 2)
In our introductory blog on using digital tools to re-imagine classroom assessment practices, we explored the purpose of Formative Assessment for educators - and the ways in which it may have a role in developing Students' Learning to Learn skills, using the example of a well-known exit ticket activity Triangle, Circle, Square. In part two of our series, educator Marija Petreska invites us to re-imagine another familiar formative assessment activity, Student Interviews, using #Flipgrid.
What is Re-imagining?
At Immersive Minds we are passionate about creating innovative and meaningful learning experiences for learners of all ages. Most of the time, this means you'll find us investigating new and emerging technologies to appraise their suitability for that purpose, but our core belief is that technology is not a silver bullet. If an existing activity works well, why re-create the exact same exercise using technology, unless there is some additional benefit for the students? Re-imagining for us, challenges us to look beyond just recreating activities digitally, and instead seek out the added value a digital tool can bring to a tried and tested lesson, activity or process. We invite you to join us in this week in re-imagining an oldie, but a goodie none the less - Student Interviews for formative assessment.
Student Interviews
Original idea
Students take a few minutes at the end of class to discuss what they’ve learned. Students enjoy this activity when conducted in pairs in a TV interview style, but the format is open to any interpretation that suits your learners. Some question suggestions include:
What was the most useful thing you learned?
What did you find most challenging
How can you help somebody else learn better?
Did anyone suggest a strategy that might help you learn better next time?
What’s your learning goal for next class?
How can you Reimagine this activity with Flipgrid?
Create a Grid with one topic for each question. You can embed the Grid into Microsoft Teams and use the same topics as formative assessment throughout the school year. As suggested in the previous activity, use key words for Topic Names and use a helpful prompt question in the Description of the Topic.
What are the benefits of using Flipgrid here?
This activity is incredibly effective in it's original format, however using Flipgrid here creates an added dimension by enabling the thoughts of the students to be recorded verbally, and if this activity is repeated regularly (for example every week during a project, or at the end of every block of learning) teachers can build up a longitudinal portfolio of student learning – much like a Time Capsule of progression. This can also be collated with Mixtape, and used to aid student reflection or shared with parents (using the feature Grant Topic Guest Access) to provide a more personal insight into student progress. As a tool for Formative Assessment, insights into student challenges - and strategies they used to overcome these, are invaluable to educators in adapting and shaping their teaching practice to better understand and support students in developing their learning to learn skills.
Extend the Learning
The questions posed by the teacher can be scaffolded over time to become increasingly reflective, encouraging students to consider tools, modes of thinking and strategies that led to success, and how they might apply them in new situations. You can also use some of Flipgrid's features to encourage extended thinking and responses. When you are creating the Grid Topic, try adding a video recording of yourself. Students often enjoy this personal interaction and feel more comfortable when they see a familiar face asking them to reflect on the lesson. You can also try out the 'spark a response' feature? Simply take a student's video response to a Topic of a Grid, and make it into a new Topic for future lessons.
Watch Marija's Top Tips video and find out how to use some of Flipgrid's most useful features including Mixtape, Guest Access and Spark A Response.
More on Formative Assessment with Digital Tools
This blog has been created as part of our series of Re-imagining Formative Assessment with Digital Tools. Each week this month, we'll be releasing a formative assessment activity, re-imagined with Flipgrid along with a hints and tips video from Marija. Look out for the releases on Twitter @immersiveminds
Marija Petreska is a former classroom teacher and Immersive Minds Associate. For this blog Marija created all of the images used in the Flipgrid grids, and has been instrumental in the development of our new course focusing on Digital Tools for Formative Assessment (coming very soon!). Get in touch if you'd like to find out more about using digital tools in the classroom, or browse our Professional Development Courses online.
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