Formative Assessment

 

Thought I'd share an interesting article I read in the October 2011 issue of Arts & Activities Magazine.  The article is on formative assessment and provides eight different ideas to assess for student understanding in a quick-non obtrusive way.  Here's what they wrote:

Formative Assessments are:

-Quick
-Usually done mid-lesson or throughout the lesson in an ongoing manner
-Proivde multiple opportunitities for students to demonstrate and express understanding of topics.
- Allows the teacher to make on the spot modifications to teaching or adjustments to overall lessons as they happen.
-Can be whole group, small group, or individual

1. 'Exit Slips'- As students leave the art room they write the answer to a question based on the lesson they learned that day. This way, you can see how much of the class understood the concept you introduced.

2. 'Entrance Questions'- The same as exit slips only done at the begining of the class and is based on a topic you had taught the previous week.  This can be used to assess what the students retained and what needs to be reviewed.

3. 'Labeling'- Have students plan their artwork and use labels in demonstrate their understanding of vocabulary.  An example of this would be having students do preliminary sketches of a clay project they will do and then having them label the techniques they will use. 

4. 'Thumbs-up/Thumbs-down'- A quick way to scan who understands the concepts, if the statement is true, the students give you a thumbs-up, false, the opposite. This is particularly good for whole group instruction.

5. 'Sticky Notes'- Students use post-its to highlight specific techniques or concepts in their artwork, their peers artwork, or professional artwork viewed during the lesson. 

6. 'Lists'- Students can work in small groups or independently to generate a list of things they learned or even better a list of their thought process while working on a project.

7. 'Chants, Rhymes, or Songs'- Any time you add music to concepts, students are much more likely to retain them. Speaking from personal experience on this one, I teach my kinders a primary color song, a secondary color song, and a line direction song, and they'll remember it 5 years later in 5th grade!

8. 'Image Deck'-As students line up to enter/exit the room, create a deck of image cards that you can ask questions from.  (I think this would also help the line to stay quiet!)



Arts & Activities Magazine