Vijay -

There are a number of websites that have information on doing formative assessment in the classroom. My first stop is usually the Field-Tested Learning Assessment Guide developed by the Wisconsin Center for Educational Research: http://www.flaguide.org.

My "go-to" book is:

Angelo and Cross. 1993. Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers, 2nd Ed. Jossey-Bass Publishers. It appears to still be in print.

Regards,

David

Dear Sir, at the end of the class have some time to revise the portion of lesson you taught and can assess by how active is the participation of the students in responding is one way to understand whether the student are attentive to learn or not. Thanks

Vijay -

There are a number of websites that have information on doing formative assessment in the classroom. My first stop is usually the Field-Tested Learning Assessment Guide developed by the Wisconsin Center for Educational Research: http://www.flaguide.org.

My "go-to" book is:

Angelo and Cross. 1993. Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers, 2nd Ed. Jossey-Bass Publishers. It appears to still be in print.

Regards,

David

Also, you might consider asking them individually - perhaps even by email! I found Nuthall's (older) work really helpful in conceptualizing the rich interior processes that students experience. It is also a reminder that vague generalities that we think we observe among "the class" as a whole might be incorrect (I like his analogy of an orchestra). See Nuthall, Graham. "The cultural myths and the realities of teaching and learning." New Zealand annual review of education 11 (2001): 5-30.

Harvard

Short orientation test.

Problem to the solution (homework).

Discussion on results.

It is feedback :-)

You can also consider the following:

1. Peer assessment

2. On site questions and answer, You request one student to stand and try elaborate some concepts taught in the class

3. Have online group discussion on specific topic which require students to participate and share experiences with other

4. Another interesting assessment is working on individual response.

The answer to your question involves several variables.. 1.The level of the course, introductory, advanced or graduate.2.The number of students in the class. 3. Whether the approach to the class is empirical or traditional. I use rubrics to evaluate the various class assignments.. I employ three forms of evaluation. Frequent tests, power point presentations, and opposing viewpoints. Homework in the sine qua non. In the end, we are paid to evaluate the performance of the students and results will vary depending on student performance and the degree of student participation and comprehension. Please remember the student has responsibility in the learning process. That is why I allow time after each lecture or discussion for questions and answers.

Good responses! I include short quiz within my PPTs while I am teaching, so that I can gauge whether students are "getting it or not." Please see attached as an example.

Best regards,

Debra 

Data Flexible Learning Environments-Theories-Trends-Issues

Well, students' performance can be measured via a number of ways that can be determined by the class size, the teacher's educational philosophy, the level of the materials and the alike. To know how much students are approaching the intended outcome, authentic tests, feedback, alternative means of evaluation could be suggested areas where all stakeholders of teaching and learning can use for knowing whether students are learning or not.

Students are like that nodding their head as if they all grab what the teacher is painstaking teaching. Well one of the problems is that, they don't have the culture of reading. They only rely on what the teacher told them...so one of the major thing to do in such situations is to create an avenue of interactive learning sessions with the students where everyone is fully enjoined to participate...,you will see that it will help the students and also helps the teacher to fish out those strong students who are intelligent and those weak ones among them

I like to ask the learners to summarize their learning at the end of the learning session. If they can clearly relay the concepts, they have learnt.

Ask learners to split into small groups of 2 or 3 and summarize their learning by informing the others in English.

In the last ten minutes of lecture, I always ask randomly to the students,what five new ideas you learn today. In these five things,  I try to check the concepts that I have taught today. Never finish the lecture without a good conclusion.

Ask learners questions that are related to what you taught them, let them form small discussion groups to help others especially those who hardly understand when you teach. Give learners the topic that they can debate about but remember the topic should be related to your lesson plan topic so that they wont loose you on track or they will not be out of the topic. Sometimes is important to introduce your lesson topic by starting asking questions to test learners knowledge( see if they know what you will teach them, how much they know and what you can add from their knowledge).

When can use both summative and formative assessment techniques. Formative is more useful as you are able to monitor the learners progress as the interact with and build knowledge. Summative approach is good too but is may come too late when learners have missed on formative concepts which can be prevented through formative assessment methods as you progress through the course.

Barbara,

Thank you for the important links which have information to help me help my students.

Since my primary language is English; when I teach in China my language and accent is a caveat.  In China the "head nod" is a very assertive affirmation of understanding.  However, it's more cultural and it carries even less weight than your students "head nod" because it's polite to acknowledge the master even though his Putonghua is terrible.

At several times during a lesson I have the students act as my apprentice and teach other students who are acting as a novice.  If the novice has properly learned the content and application of content from the apprentice, it's clear that the student acting as the apprentice has learned the content themselves.

In my setting, it may also be a little more complicated. Culturally, superiors are respected and so in the classroom, head nodding is common even if they do not understand. In addition, a 'yes' can be just a yes but meaning a 'no'. With English as a third or fourth language for some, it is surely not an easy task. However, the problem may be minimized by the usage of the different tools of assessment used. Most times, avoid ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions; use analogy prompt; peer instruction and always finish with a good conclusion.

The following link may also be useful:

http://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/assessment/20-simple-assessment-strategies-can-use-every-day/

https://teachingcommons.stanford.edu/resources/teaching/evaluating-students/assessing-student-learning

Hi Vijay, there are some interesting answers to your question from different individuals. I have found conducting online quiz and creating online discussion forum for every topic that I have presented in the class very useful to assess students' learning. Asking questions at the end of the lesson or in between the lesson for me has been unproductive as in your situation. Actually this issue brings us back to the concept of 'student engagement'. The learning in the class would largely depend on how we as a teacher engage our students in the learning process. Literature talks about three types of student engagement- behavioural, cognitive and emotional. My point here is, if we are able to take care of all these three aspects of engagement, the issue of checking students' learning would be minimised to a great extent. There are many action research papers on student engagement.

The skillful use of high-leverage teaching practices such as eliciting and interpreting student understanding would move the assessment from a closed-ended affirmation of "knowing" to an interactive appraisal of understanding.

See: http://www.teachingworks.org/work-of-teaching/high-leverage-practices

As a teacher of the course management I put myself in the position of manager and present a hypothetical situation that is impacting the company and ask that students to "help" me in the solution. The problem situation is related to the theme of the class.

Thanks every one who participated in discussion, some very good points of view came, which could be tested for potential. But, actually I am looking for some reliable indicators of learning or not learning in class, in respect of individual as well as class as a whole. Please extend discussion further in light of this view.

I don't think that any student gets "the point" exactly the way it is intended by the lecturer/teacher. Irrespective of what the teacher does, each student constructs their own meaning of the subject matter that is engaged with in the classroom. We can also never know exactly what learning is occuring in each student. When we assess we made inferences about what is being learned. The validity of inferences are strengthened when multiple assessment methods are used.

You have already a very good range of ideas. With concept maps I suggested they don one at the start middle and end of the series of lessons- change colour of pen each time and let them add to map, cross out and change. The colours show the learning journey to you and then and exactly where ideas have changed or evoked. 

For younger aged learners try getting them used to self reflecting and answering ' what one thing do I now know which I didn't yesterday? One thing I'm still a bit confused about.' Works really well within an AFL approach to assessment.

For older learners try creating a  special multiple choice question around a common area of confusion for the lesson or topic. Chris Harrison calls these 'hinge point questions' ( NB they don't work with UK primary aged children as the process is poor practice within our good primary pedagogy ...) 

Here is how they work: Have 3 answers that  cleverly tease out the sort of confusion learners typically have and one correct  answer. Ask the question to the whole class at the same time by writing it down on the board and saying it -  3/4 into  the lesson. On a  mini white board or folded paper each student writes ABC or D as their response. The teacher can quickly scan the room to see where each learner has answersed and then decide how to spend the remaining 1/4 of the lesson to scaffold the learning. This might include regrouping the learners according to their responses and giving them specifically planned activity to address the area of confusion or buddying up the ones who are secure in their understanding with the others. Or finally if e ergo e confused - retract the lesson but in a different way.

these questions take a lot of time to craft well - but once done they can be used again. Work with others in the department to create a bank of social  formative questions and use every year.

Until I taught courses online, I was never sure what students were understanding about a lesson.  Typically, even in a good discussion, only half of the class or so contributed to illustrate understanding and questions.  With online instruction, everyone contributes so that you have data from everyone.  Thus the issue then is asking the right questions to assure comprehension of the material.  I like to ask for a brief synthesis of understanding the concepts central to the learning module or unit under study for each assignment, asking for how their perception of the concept has changed, based on new material.  This response may take the form of a graphic organizer or a log or a brief essay.  i also like to email students who may not be revelatory about their own learning to dialogue with me online; the real time equivalent would be a conference.

Simple, actually. Predicate curriculum on everyday knowledge needed to be a citizen, and determine whether or not, or to what degree, instruction is facilitating this.  So-called "authentic assessment" is based on this premise but in is predicated on a curriculum that is rooted in sociocultural realities, plus advances looking forward.

In this view, all learning--concepts, ideas, etc.--are approached as skills for living.And the test of success is how well they serve the good living proposed.

An example: in music, can the child play the instrument, take part in the praxis of musicking in and outside of school and contribute musically to the community and society at large?.  The "point," thus, if relevant to life for students, not to the teacher's adherence to some abstract curriculum, should be apparent to students..  "Why are we learning this" should be perfectly clear to them: because is it life, and useful in life.

May be you need to take it back to the beginning, the lesson objective . I still cannot see how you can seperate what your objective is from the assessment of learning ( How you know they have learned).

Nodding is just a communication gesture. We cannot  know that learning has occurred occurred with out the opportunity to transfer the knowledge.  the critical factor of learning styles cannot be overlooked too. 

The PACT learning cycle stages are:

Procure. New knowledge (theory) or ability (skill) is acquired.

Apply. The new knowledge or skill is then practiced in some way.

Consider. The results of the practice are evaluated and/or assessed.

Transform. The original knowledge or ability is modified accordingly.

To expect confirmation that learning is or has taken place with in the lesson, is kind of ambiguous.

Find more at: http://www.skillsyouneed.com/learn/learning.html#ixzz42ccWK5iA

Finding out what students know first by using Thinking Maps 

http://www.thinkingschool.co.uk/resources/thinkers-toolbox/thinking_maps

Example:

Using mini whiteboards, students use Circle Map to Describe/define key words/ideas they already possess in relation to the learning objective (individual, 1 minute)

In pairs - use different colour to complete new words from partner (1 minutes)

It can be extended to groups (magpie method of getting further ideas from others) 1 minute

The activity involves conversation about what they know and participation motivates them to be engaged in order to deliver. 

Depending on what is being taught, any of the other maps can be involved (classification, analogies, etc) which again puts students in the driver's seat and offers instant indication of how much they learn/understand.

Ask them. Use clickers or phones or coloured cards to ask (multiple choice) questions in class that are about what you have taught. Or set a short case problem scenario. They 'vote' for the answer that they think is the best. You see who votes for what. You can then ascertain right there in the lesson, how many are on the right track and respond by re-teach aspects that represent student misunderstanding. They then see you are trying to help them to understand and put their knowledge to work in practice.

Repeat the process.

I hope this is clear!

Understanding - it is going step by step in the learning process, and there must be feedback in each step. Understanding is formed by formative assessment.

Application is an indication of understanding. A good example is when they can correctly apply demonstrated skills like in practical disciplines. Feedback through question and answer can also do.

Some ideas which jump to mind are...

• Ask the student to explain to peer 
• Ask the student to create an exam question with the likely answer
• Ask students to debate the topic
• Ask the students to create materials which explains the topic and are aimed at high school students (13-16yrs of age)
• Ask the student to create a dynamic or creative way of explaining the topic

Hope this helps

It all depends on the relevance of the topic.  Topics mandated by curriculum demands from Ministries or local officials are not necessarily going to meet students' interests (intentionality) for learning,  The idea of creating exam questions strikes me as greatly missing the point.  "Topics" are what teachers decide on (often based on curricular constraints.  That doesn't strike me as the basis for a living curriculum; i.e., one related to living life in postmodern society where "topics" intersect in all kind way that break down disciplinary barriers.  Consider, e.g., social inequality, as a "topic" or the role of arts and music in contemporary society. The answers given so far are disappointing, especially from those pretending to teach teachers how and what to teach.  This is not a good forum for this debate.  Just consider whether education schooling should "transmit" topics from he status or "transform" the status quo. Depending on your answer, we might discuss this intelligently.  

there are several ways to establish whether students have learned in the class room. one way is giving a supervised practice ( a question(s) done in class as the teacher goes round checking) . Here the teacher is able to deal with individual needs. Another way is allowing students to give key points as a way of evaluating whether they have learned. This is best done as a way of concluding the lesson. Another way is giving an assignment that a teacher marks to check whether the students have mastered the content covered in the lesson