Philadelphia teachers are asking their students to give 'em more feedback:
Almost daily, Haverford Middle School science teacher Theresa D'Andrea asks for feedback about how she is doing. And her students answer with a wave of brightly colored index cards.Green means yes, the student understands the lesson. Yellow means maybe, sorta, kinda. And a red card held aloft is a signal that a student needs an extra dose of instruction. Some days, just a few cards are in the air, and D'Andrea offers a quick refresher and also reminds her students that they can get extra help after school.
The cards function as an early warning system that alerts D'Andrea and her students to lapses in learning.
Nifty (thought this method will be pretty funny to any student who plays soccer). Other examples of "formative assessments" in Philly schools:
At Upper Merion Area High School and elsewhere, for instance, students use handheld clickers to answer a teacher's question, and the instant record of responses shows the entire class whether some, most or all students got the lesson.Posted by kswygert at November 30, 2005 07:56 AMAnd teachers in the Garnet Valley School District use Palm Pilots to take in-class notes on student achievement. Moving from desk to desk, the teacher can observe and record whether a student is at an entry level or advanced understanding of a particular math or reading concept.