School is back in full swing for many, with many exciting introductory activities, All About Me boards, and Get to Know You questionnaires. As we get more into carrying out lessons, teachers will also need ways to collect formative math assessment data to ensure that students are making progress, identify gaps in learning, and to gain an overall pulse on the classroom environment.
While Desmos is a popular digital tool for math teaching and learning, there are other tools and ways that can be used to capture math assessment data across various areas including algebra, economics, geometry, and statistics, to name a few. The great thing about many digital tools is the flexibility of use across content areas.
In a previous article we discussed leveraging technology to assess student learning, broadly focusing on infographics, mind mapping and demonstrations across content areas. In this article we discuss ways to use Plickers, polling, and QR codes and to capture real-time formative assessment data in math classrooms.
Plickers
As many schools have been altering cell phone and device policies, Plickers offers an opportunity for teachers to use a free online technology platform to create formative assessment questions, and allows for students to respond without the requirement of having to have a technology device. To learn more about how Plickers work, check out Plickers: How to Use It to Teach.
Plickers can be used to collect formative math assessment data when teaching arithmetic and algebra by having students select the correct solution to number problems and algebraic equations. It might be helpful to allow students to have a dry erase board or scratch paper to work through some of the problems, as both are low-tech options that would align well with the use of Plickers. When done with their work, students hold up the Plicker response card (looks similar to a QR Code) that matches their selected answer.
Plickers may be particularly useful in schools with limited or no broadband internet access, and the collected data will still be able to be accessed in the future for review.
Polls
As an alternative to a quiz, engaging poll questions could be asked during lessons to capture formative math assessment data. Many polling tools are available, with different features.
Slido is one option, which is seamlessly embedded into Google Slides presentations, while Kahoot! offers a more gamified experience. Regardless of the tool used, asking a variety of poll question types can help gather unique information on students’ learning. This means using multiple choice, open-ended, word cloud, and even the doodle features.
When creating a poll question, a teacher can insert images of household and community items and spaces, for example, and have students submit a poll response on what type of angle it closely represents. Using polls with graphs and tables while asking students questions about statistics (probability) and economics (supply and demand) content could encourage discussion, and help clarify their understanding of topics.
QR Codes
QR codes could be seen as more of a high-tech version of Plickers. Scanning a QR Code will require a device, but can also allow students to move around the classroom and work more independently or in teams.
QR codes can be used for simple and complex math word problems. For example, a gallery walk with QR codes could be placed around the classroom to encourage movement, and students can use the QR codes to solve the word problems. QR Codes scanned can take students to a prompt that could be on a platform into which students can type, such as Padlet or a Google Doc. In these platforms, students can work through the word problems, jot down notes, and develop the solution. You can also create a resource space for where QR codes lead to alternative questions (hints) that can support students in solving the word problem.
Whether you use Plickers, polls or QR codes, choose technology tools that you and your students have access to and that can help you gather, in real-time, formative assessment data, while making learning math an engaging and exciting experience.