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My dream is to reduce the workload of Japanese teachers so that they can spend more time on the aspects of teaching that are important to them. Using google forms is one way I hope we can reduce your workload. These have been written to use as part of the student workbook resources.
These forms are designed for you to edit and make your own if you want to. Feel free to add in your favourite images or youtube clips etc. You can use them in any way you like but I will share with you how I use them to give you some ideas.
WHERE DO I START?
1. Unpack the content.
I usually begin by unpacking the material in a section of the textbook (eg Jake’s weblog 1 page 2-3). I would read the text with the class and discuss the students’ background knowledge and personal experience of the content.
2. PDF or on-line?
Next I would decide if I want the students to answer the related tasks to this section of the textbook, using the PDF copy or the on-line version. I may choose to have the whole class use PDFs or some students to use PDFs and some to do it on-line. This is one step of your differentiation process.
I prefer to use the online version as I am aiming to increase the amount of feedback I give each student. Hattie has noted in his studies of Visible learning that teacher feedback has one of the highest effect sizes on improving student learning gains. Using google forms allows me to provide basic feedback such as a sample answer to all the students in my class – without writing it out 30 times. It also though, allows me to add individual comments specific to the student.
One of my favourite techniques to ensure students read all the feedback is to hide a code word eg Emperor in the feedback. I only write this code word on the work that has impressed me. I do not tell the students what the code word is and I change the code word each time. When I return work I give the students 2 minutes to read their feedback in silence. If they believe they have received the code word they come to me to receive a reward such as a school merit, a Japanese lolly or the privilege of sitting in the tatami area for the lesson. I call this system, the Emperor feedback system.
3. Hand out the Unit progress sheet.
This sheet has visuals of all the tasks available. Some are hard copy worksheets and some are google forms. After unpacking the content I would write on the board the tasks I want everyone to do (eg the Meet the family google form) and other tasks that they may choose to do next (eg the pretest or Japan: Why it matters). I keep the hard copy sheets in a folder that they can come and select from. I email the relevant google forms directly to them.
The students can access the forms from their email account at any time so although you may send them the link on Monday, some students may not attempt the class until later in the week when they are more ready.
HOW DO I SHARE THE GOOGLE ASSESSMENT WITH MY STUDENTS?
1. Once you have made a copy and moved it to your google drive (my drive) I recommend making a copy for each class. That way, the results for each class will be kept separate.
2. Click on the send button and enter the email addresses of your students. See images on the next page. Your student simply follows the link from the email to the form each time they want to enter. If they receive the email but cannot open it, it is usually because the computer has defaulted to the student’s other gmail address that has not been on the invite. If they sign out of that address and into the email you used to invite them, it should work.
Click send
Enter students' email addresses
HOW DO I MARK THE GOOGLE FORMS AND RETURN THEM TO MY STUDENTS?
You can view your students work as soon as they click submit. Begin by clicking on the RESPONSES tab. It will have a number to indicate how many students have submitted their work.
Your form will then open naturally at the summary view. If your task involved multiple choice questions, these will already be marked for you. You will need to go in to mark the open-ended questions though manually. To do this, click on INDIVIDUAL.
When you click on INDIVIDUAL it will show you the first student’s work. You can select a student to mark by clicking on the drop down option when the email is listed. The name of the student is also visible on the form under the email address which helps in case it differs to their name. You will see their current store in the top left hand corner and this will change as you mark any additional material. When you are happy with the feedback and marking press the RELEASE SCORE tab. This will email the student their result and the feedback.
To add in marks, click the arrow on the right. It will provide you with the mark the question is out of. You can add in the individual feedback by clicking on ADD INDIVIDUAL FEEDBACK. This is where I hide my EMPEROR code words. Don’t forget to press SAVE to add in your changes.
When you have finished marking send the results to your students by simply clicking RELEASE SCORE. If you click on the green box with the white cross it will save all your results for this task to an Excel spreadsheet.
WHY ARE YOUR GOOGLE FORMS ABLE TO BE EDITED BY STUDENTS?
The google form work is designed to be formative assessment. We want the students to learn from their mistakes and to learn from each other. Research on computer game use by students reveals that students are not disheartened by challenge or making errors when playing computer games as they have a chance to try again and improve. Classrooms however rarely provide such an opportunity and students learn to fear making a mistake. Research by Angela Duckworth regarding growth mindset highlights the importance of teaching students to embrace errors and obstacles as a natural part of learning, rather than fear them as an indication of their fixed lack of competence.
“Children develop more of a fixed mindset when their parents react to mistakes as though they’re harmful and problematic. ”
“Children develop more of a fixed mindset when their parents react to mistakes as though they’re harmful and problematic. ”
Page 183, Grit : The power of passion and perseverance by Angela Duckworth. Vermillion, London.
For these reasons, our forms allow the students to go back and edit their work. (Please note that google forms will begin to erase earlier work if they make more than 5 attempts at a task.) It can be beneficial to look at the student results before marking and noting if several students have struggled to understand the concept. You can then reteach to this group and have them try again before you finalize their marks. MOST STUDENTS ARE HAPPY TO TRY AGAIN TO IMPROVE THEIR WORK BEFORE GRADING, BUT RARELY AFTER!
“Feedback is one of the crucial components of video games… Importantly, feedback encourages players to reflect on strategy and to re-evaluate their decision making. If players use an ability that proves ineffective, then they can change to a different strategy, utilizing more effective options. Such learning through failure and feedback is both an important aspect of learning theories and a hallmark of video games…
“Feedback is one of the crucial components of video games… Importantly, feedback encourages players to reflect on strategy and to re-evaluate their decision making. If players use an ability that proves ineffective, then they can change to a different strategy, utilizing more effective options. Such learning through failure and feedback is both an important aspect of learning theories and a hallmark of video games…
Players are allowed, repeatedly, to try again if they do not succeed, which is not common in classroom-based learning.”
Players are allowed, repeatedly, to try again if they do not succeed, which is not common in classroom-based learning.”
Turkay,S., Hoffman,D.,Kinzer,C., Chantes,P & Vicari,C. (2014) Toward Understanding the Potential of Games for Learning: LearningTheory, Game Design Characteristics, and Situating Video Games in Classrooms, Computers in the Schools, 31:1-2, 2-22,
DOI: 10.1080/07380569.2014.890879
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