Direct Instruction & Formative Assessment

OVERVIEW

In this module, you will be learning about a variety of instructional technology tools and strategies that support content delivery for student consumption as well as formatively assessing student understanding.

OBJECTIVES

  • transform a traditional lesson plan that incorporates content delivery and assess student understanding through meaningful instructional technology tools and strategies

WONDER

Have you ever wondered how you can make your lectures more engaging and better assess student understanding?

INVESTIGATE

Choose some tools/strategies from the list below that you'd like to investigate further.

LEARN

Visit the Resources page to view some video tutorials and read various support materials about your chosen tool/strategy to learn how to integrate technology into your lesson. Don't see what you'd like to learn? Please contact Rob Leo, Coordinator of Instructional Technology Training for support.

CREATE

Create a real-world example of whichever tool/strategy you have chosen, transform a lesson plan that integrates your selection, and deploy your lesson with your students.

TOOLS

      1. Google Drive
      2. Google Slides
      3. Google Classroom
      4. Screencastify Chrome Extension
      5. Khan Academy
      6. TED-Ed
      7. MIT+K12
      8. Google Forms
      9. AwwApp
      10. Scratchwork
      11. Flipgrid
      12. Seesaw
      13. Padlet
      14. Google Keep
      15. Lucidchart
      16. Edpuzzle
      17. Kahoot, Socrative, Plickers, other formative assessment tools
      18. Nearpod or Pear Deck
      19. Backchannel Chat

STRATEGIES

      1. Post Google Slides lectures on Google Classroom for 24/7 viewing.
      2. Use Google Slides presentation tools to have a live Q & A session while you are lecturing. Students can “join” your slide show with a code to participate.
      3. Record your Google Slides lectures using Screencastify and post the video to Google Classroom. Alternatively, share video content from Khan Academy, TED-Ed, or MIT+K12. Require students to view video lectures prior to class and reply to assessment questions related to the lecture on Classroom or Google Forms. Alternatively, create a video-based lesson using TED-Ed and assign to students for homework. During class, created differentiated activities for groups of students based on their understanding of course content and work with those groups to support their learning.
      4. Post your Screencastify videos to YouTube. Using Edpuzzle, upload your YouTube video and periodically assess student understanding. Use Google Classroom to assign your video lecture to students.
      5. Deliver direct instruction using AwwApp or Scratchwork (virtual whitebaords). Boards can be exported and shared with students via Google Classroom. Teachers can add collaborators to the boards with a link. Alternatively, task students with creating virtual whiteboards to collaboratively solve problems in small groups.
      6. Task students with talking about science, using metacognition to explain how they arrived at an answer. Appropriate tools include Flipgrid, Seesaw, and Padlet.
      7. Task students with solving equations or photographic authentic scientific artifacts using Google Keep (using the camera and pen tools) and insert Keep notes into a Google Doc.
      8. Task students with using Lucidchart to create graphic organizers for active note-taking during class lectures.
      9. Deliver your traditional lecture using Google Slides. After the lecture, assess student understanding using a digital formative assessment tool like Kahoot, Socrative, Plickers, or some other digital assessment you have pre-created.
      10. Deliver a traditional lecture and allow student to take notes collaboratively or individually using a Graphic Organizer (table) you have pre-created using Google Docs. Assign the Google Doc via Google Classroom and make a copy for each student. If students are taking notes collaboratively, assign a group leader to invite peers to the document to edit.
      11. Upload your Google Slides presentation to Nearpod or Pear Deck and insert assessment questions between your slides to check for understanding in real time.
      12. Set up a "back channel" for students to communicate and ask questions as you deliver your lecture using Backchannel Chat. Refer to the transcript to respond to students' comments and questions after your lecture has concluded or in real time.