Putting the Fun into Formative Assessment - Engaging Learners

“Student engagement is the product of motivation and active learning. It is a product rather than a sum because it will not occur if either element is missing.” - Elizabeth Barkly

Learning should be exciting and fun. Assessments can also be fun? All types of assessments have a place in a classroom, but relying on only a few traditional types of assessments makes the classroom a dull place for both the teacher and the students. 

Engage students with fun game-based assessments. Students are more engaged when they are active learners in the process and the assessment. Game based assessments can enhance engagement and boost excitement for both students and teachers. There are many great formative assessment tools that can bring a competitive game show experience to your classroom.

One of my favorite formative assessment tools is Kahoot. (While I love Kahoot, I do think that using a mix of formative resources is important. Too much of anything good is not always a good thing. Be sure to check out some of the other assessment tools later in this post.)

Kahoot Jumbles
If you have not used Kahoot for a while, be sure to check out the Kahoot Jumble Game. Jumble questions challenge players to place answers in the correct order rather than selecting a single correct answer.

Creating a Kahoot
Kahoot allows a teacher or student to create a learning game made from a series of multiple choice questions. Creators can add videos, images, and diagrams to the questions. Kahoots are easy to quickly set up. There are also "Public Kahoots" that can be copied and modified for your students. At last count, there were over 9.7 million Kahoots for almost every subject under the sun. 

Learn how to get started with Kahoot: Kahoot Professional Development & Teacher Resources

Engagement
Kahoots can be played in class or outside of the classroom. There are more than 9 different ways to play. Students love competing with each other in a classroom setting. There are many built-in tools that encourage students to engage in the questions.

Learn more about the 9 Ways to Play Kahoot

Assessment
When Kahoots are done in the classroom each question is followed by a view breaking down the responses. This is a great opportunity to clarify misconceptions and answer questions.. The results from a completed Kahoot can also be saved to Google Drive. 

Additional Game Based Learning Resources

• Quizlet Live
  Quizlet Live is an in-class, team-based learning game. Students work together to correctly match a Quizlet set of terms and definitions.
• Quizizz
  Quizizz allows you to create and play awesome multiplayer quiz games, both in class and at home.
• Quizalize
  Quizalize lets you engage your class and deliver instant assessments for personalized learning on any computer, tablet or smartphone.
• Socrative
  Socrative has both traditional assessment tools and some game based resources.
• Triventy
  Triventy is a collaborative game-based learning platform, which allows teachers & students to co-author and play quizzes in class.

For even more formative assessment fun, visit the Recharge Learning Site Page on Assessment.