California Educator

August/September 2022

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D I G I T A L T O O L S are more than a quick way to review quiz responses amid instruction. They can help more students reach you and enable you to gather higher-quality information. Below are tips to help you check for understanding in the middle of a lesson. These strategies build upon traditional best practices. For exam- ple, while a turn-and-talk strategy doesn't need to include technology, the benefit or value that tech adds to this interaction is that students can share more widely and let you hear from every partnership. Check for comprehension during a lesson In the middle of a lesson, pausing to check for student understanding can be a strategic and purposeful part of your goal to make sure instruction is meeting students' needs. Here is what this might look like in a tech- friendly classroom: Turn-and-talk: Students chat with a classmate and then submit their responses to a shared space. This could include a discussion board like Schoology (app.schoology.com) where students post their thoughts to a discussion thread, or a collaborative board like Padlet (padlet.com) that lets students add a voice note, link or several sentences to their post. Stop-and-jot: With this strategy, students pause to capture their thinking in various ways. Options could include a text, sketch or even audio recording. Try having them draw a picture in a space like Seesaw (web.seesaw.me) or add a virtual sticky note to a collab- orative space such as Jamboard (jamboard.google.com). Quick question: Students reply to an open-ended, short-response ques- tion, which can give you a sense of their current level of understanding. An interactive tool like Lumio, Near- pod, or Pear Deck (hellolumio.com, nearpod.com, peardeck.com) lets teachers insert a question into a teacher-led or self-paced lesson to check for understanding with a quick response. Pulse check: With this, students share their confidence level, how they 're feeling, or an indication of what more they might need to succeed with the lesson. You can use options such as a word cloud, a scale, or ranking with a free tool like Mentimeter (mentimeter.com). To get a read of the room, ask a question of the entire class, with students responding anonymously. Alternatively, ask students to share a response tagged to their name so you can follow up with them one-on-one. Making a formative assessment plan When planning mid-lesson moments to check for understanding, first determine the direction and intended outcomes of the lesson. Know where you're headed and what you'd like to see students accomplish by the end of the lesson or activity. Identifying "Identifying success criteria is helpful during all phases of formative assessment, including in the middle of a lesson." Simple tech options can help ensure that every student is getting the most from the lesson By Monica Burns Using Apps for Formative Assessment 48 cta.org Teaching & Learning T E C H T I P S

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