Classroom assessment techniques for elementary students
The teacher’s aim is not only to provide knowledge. To be sure that students absorbed the necessary information is much more important. If you want to evaluate the quality of teaching, look at student’s grades or answers. The assessments are included in each subject curriculum. They aim at the evaluation of student’s knowledge in a particular topic. However, each teacher worries about the student’s understanding of the crucial statements of the lesson.
In this case, the various Classroom Assessment Techniques come to aid. They are particularly important for elementary students. The elementary school itself lays the foundation for building further competences. To rely solely on mid-term and end-term assessments in elementary school is irresponsible. It’s better to analyze the level of student’s comprehension in class. Further, it lets you evaluate the teaching methods and change them to meet your student’s needs.
In other words, CAT’s are special strategies and ways the teacher uses to check the understanding of the lesson or the whole course. They’re rather useful when done correctly. Concerning classroom assessment, each teacher has greater freedom of action. It means you can choose well-known methods or develop your own. You may take ideas from personal experience or ask for help.
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The Advantages of Assessment Strategies
The benefits of using classroom assessment techniques are bilateral. Not only the teacher understands the significance of its use. However, besides the mentioned effects of CAT’s, there are several points important for the tutor. The feedback lets you see which theme is unclear for pupils and requires further study. All the strategies are flexible. You can change and modify them according to the classroom settings. You won’t need a lot of time to use them. It’s an important aspect now when we often lack time to encompass all material.
The students can achieve the following skills with CAT’s:
- They can track their progress easier;
- The student’s feedback influences the teaching method; it means they take part in their education;
- It’s a great way of consolidating received knowledge;
- The students are the active participants of classwork and don’t feel isolated.
The Most Effective Strategies for Classroom Assessment
The range of strategies is broad enough. Some of them are directed to the evaluation of knowledge, other – to instruction methods. It’s also possible to use methods analyzing students’ attitudes and values. You may combine and change them to achieve the best effect.
- Short essay. Give students 1-2 minutes and ask them to write what they remembered from the lesson. If the writing is still hard for them, let them speak about the learned material.
- The checking of basic knowledge. It gives the best result when used at the beginnings of a new theme. The feedback lets you know what material should be emphasized during the teaching process.
- Anxious moments. Give each student the possibility to explain what topic or aspect is still failed to understand. The teacher’s task here is to tell that the students shouldn’t be afraid of being mistaken. The feedback can be used in lessons dedicated to the repetition of material.
- The questionnaire in an envelope. This strategy fits right for students who feel embarrassed to speak. You should define the key question of the theme and write it in the envelope. Students’ task is to write an answer, put in an envelope, and pass to other classmates.
- Quiz. Create a short quiz with basic questions from your lesson. You may conduct both in written or oral form.
- Non-verbal signals. Give all students the cards or any other items of two different colors: black and white, green, and red. Explain that each color denotes the understanding. And then, at some point, ask them to hold up the card: red – if they don’t understand the material and green if everything is clear. This method is effective in all levels of education.
- The evaluation of methods. You needn’t load children with hard questions. Simply ask them what way of explaining the material they like the most. Maybe they absorb the material better when listening. Some children prefer images and other visual learning tools.
- Work in pairs. Choose two students, one of which will play the role of teacher. The task is to try to teach what he or she learned from the lesson.
Bear in mind that the techniques aren’t 100% effective. Students can understand more than they can say by reason of a young age. However, the CAT’s still are the best ways of evaluation. Spend your time on their development and implementation. We guarantee that you’ll see the results – the good grades.