Incorporating short-cycle assessments into the lesson plans are a great strategy for increasing student achievement. This strategy provides English Language Learners feedback on their progress so that they can successfully learn and apply new concepts. Steve Whitney, a science teacher at South Middle school, is using this technique with a student-response system by Qwizdom. Students are able to use remotes that are used to vote or respond to questions. Today Steve used the system to take an impromptu assessment to gage how much knowledge students retained from previous activities, discussions and lessons. Immediately upon receiving the data from students Steve was able to launch a lesson that addressed the area of weakness for the majority of students. While Qwizdom is one effective technology that enables a teachers to instantly receive feedback from students, there are others. One of the more prevalent student-response systems out in the district is by Promethean. Another technology that is being applied is the use of “Clickers” by Turning Point. Whichever technology is used however, the important thing is that it provides instant reliable feedback that enables teaching to become even more student driven.
NETS for T: IVb. Teachers use technology resources to collect and analyze data, interpret results, and communicate findings to improve instructional practice and maximize student learning.
