For Teachers: Having Fun With Evaluations

I know what you're thinking, the word “fun” and “evaluations” couldn’t possibly share a sentence. The word “evaluations” brings to mind frantic students, lots of paperwork, and the looming report card. But wait—hear us out.

Emergency distance learning has shaken up the ed-world, forcing teachers to tweak many of their time tested techniques. The good news is that teachers now have a little more leeway with how they can track student progress.

Paper has come up with some ways that will have students excited about working while also providing teachers with interesting material that is fun to evaluate.

1. Discuss it!

Discussions are a great way to assess what students know and how they verbalize it. In a normal classroom setting, this can be close to impossible to coordinate effectively. However, with the help of a virtual toolkit, it actually becomes easier! Platforms like Zoom or Google Meet offer new possibilities. Teachers gain the power to call on one student at a time by muting and unmuting microphones so there are no interruptions and everyone contributes. Teachers can also schedule conferencing with smaller groups, organize team debates, or have one-on-one presentations, keeping the class spirit and community alive and well.

2. Film it!

With the TikTok craze upon us, every kid can be the next Spielberg. A great way to capitalize on this enthusiasm is to ask your students to show understanding of a topic through video. Thanks to social media or programs like Flipgrid and Seesaw, students can easily create videos that highlight their knowledge on a wide range of topics. It is a great way to get students more involved in their learning and put those creative thinking caps on at home.

3. Map It!

Getting students to write something is hard enough in a classroom. Now that they are working from home it can become outright impossible... Enter the concept map. Concept maps allow students to focus on key points of their understanding and not become discouraged or too concerned with writing. This is also a great way for you to get a sneak peek of how your students’ minds work and how they conceptualize different topics. If you want some ideas with concept maps check out this resource.

4. Play It!

Ever dream about hosting your own game show? Who hasn’t, right? The internet is filled with different games that can be used to assess and evaluate student understanding. Kahoot and Quizizz have become popular choices, already used as a staple in most classrooms. Added bonuses are the homework features that can extend student learning, and even offer grading options that will save you time. Factile’s Jeopardy game is another great resource. With lots of preloaded game boards, you can quickly start playing and eventually build your own personalized boards to fit a theme or topic of your choice.

Students really love the quiz format of these platforms, and it injects learning with a little innocent competition to keep things interesting!