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University of the People
Master of Education
EDUC 5440- Assessment and Evaluation - AY2024-T5
Dr. Lina Kadi
Written assignment 2
The Impact of Formative Assessment on Teachers and Students
1 Introduction:
Formative assessment is a continuous process that includes measures a teacher uses during a lesson to monitor what students know and do not know, aimed at understanding and enhancing student learning. It stands in contrast to summative assessment, which evaluates student learning at the end of an instructional period. The primary goal of formative assessment is providing on-going feedback that can be used by teachers to improve their teaching and by students to improve their own learning.
According to (Deignan, 2022), "Formative assessments are checkpoints that let a teacher know if they can move on to a different concept or if they need to reteach certain aspects of a lesson. They are similar to taking a taste of cooking food to check if it is done or what ingredient it needs more of." This paper will analyze the statement that "formative assessments are more formative for teachers than for students" and examine how formative assessments are also formative for students, providing relevant examples for each point.
Teachers' Perspective:
The statement that "formative assessments are more formative for teachers than for students" suggests that these assessments primarily benefit teachers by informing and shaping their instructional strategies. Teachers use formative assessments to gather detailed information about student understanding, misconceptions, and learning progress. This data enables them to adjust their teaching methods, provide targeted interventions, and improve lesson planning.
For example, consider a primary school science teacher who regularly employs formative assessments such as quizzes, exit tickets, and class discussions. After administering a quiz on scientific expressions, the teacher discovers that a significant portion of the class struggles with photosynthesis. This insight allows the teacher to revisit the concept, employ different teaching strategies such as peer tutoring. Without this formative assessment, the teacher might have proceeded to more complex topics, leaving students with foundational gaps.
From a personal experience, critical reflection is a basic part of teaching. (Finlay, 2008) stated that it aims to make us more aware of your own professional knowledge and action by ‘challenging assumptions of everyday practice and critically evaluating practitioners’ own responses to practice situations’
I include the reflection into my practice by questioning myself about my whole performance in the class. What happened? What did I do? What was I trying to achieve? What was good or bad about the experiences? So What? (The Analysis)
What is the importance of this? I also discuss with other colleagues, it's a great way to get advantage of one's ideas and learn of their notes.
This gives teachers the opportunity to identify areas of student interest.
2 Students' Perspective:
While formative assessments undoubtedly benefit teachers, they are equally formative for students. Formative assessments provide students with timely feedback on their learning progress, helping them identify strengths and weaknesses. This feedback loop empowers students to take an active role in their learning process, set personal goals, and develop self- regulation skills.
For instance, in a literature class, a teacher might use formative assessments like journal entries or draft submissions for an essay. When students receive feedback on their drafts, they can see where their arguments need strengthening, where their evidence is weak, and how their writing could be more coherent. By revising their work based on this feedback, students improve their writing skills and deepen their understanding of literary analysis. This process encourages a growth mindset, where students view learning as an ongoing journey rather than a series of final judgments.
The power of this assessment intention is that it is done with a view to making on-going changes or to improve learning before it is too late (Lamprianu& Athanasau, 2009)
Moreover, 3-2-1 pattern is an effective way.Student are going to write the three important points, two questions, and one thing confused them. This strategy provides a structure for students to record their comprehension and summarize their learning. Not to mention that reflecting with students allows them to play an active part in their learning and gain insight into what needs to improve to support student development.
Conclusion:
Formative assessments are integral to the teaching and learning process, benefiting both teachers and students. While teachers gain valuable insights to refine their instructional strategies, so they can explain how classroom instruction has been adapted to meet the needs of the students (Erie, 2017), students receive the feedback necessary to enhance their learning and self-assessment skills. By fostering a continuous feedback loop, formative assessments create a dynamic and responsive educational environment. The true power of formative assessment lies in its ability to transform teaching and learning into a more interactive and reflective practice, ultimately leading to improved educational outcomes.
Effective formative assessments create a dialogue between teaching and learning, fostering a collaborative environment where both parties actively engage in the improvement process. For formative assessments to be truly effective, they should be designed with clear learning objectives, provide actionable feedback, and encourage reflection.
3 References:
Deignan, S. (2022). 6 Formative Assessment Examples & Ideas .
4 Finlay, L. (2008). Reflecting on ‘Reflective practice’. Practice-based Professional
Learning. The Open University. https://oro.open.ac.uk/68945/
Lamprianu, I., & Athanasau, J. (2009). A teacher’s guide to classroom assessment. Sense Publishers. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234071924_A_teacher's_guide_to_assessment
