Blog

For many years, educational centers like universities, and colleges have been using examinations, and assignments so that they can assess the comprehension of their students. The use of such mechanisms is usually not a proper indicator of how much such students know. It is necessary to evaluate the student understanding so that you can know the right measures to take for better grades and success in their studies. The development of technology has led to the emergence of new and innovative digital assessment tools like Otus to potentially address assessment for students. The use of best digital formative assessment tools usually offers an exact mechanism for assessing students. You can interactively monitor the development and progress of your students by the use of the best digital formative assessment tools which are readily available like Otus. The teachers are allowed to identify areas where their students are weak and strong so that they decide the right teaching mechanisms to use. They can alter their instructions in teaching so that they can address the needs of their dear students hence success in their studies. 

As mentioned there above, there are several benefits which come along with the best formative assessment tools hence the need for the teachers to ensure that they choose the right one. It can sometimes be challenging for one to select the best assessment tools unless they have a suitable strategy to do it. There are several factors which people should put into their minds when looking for the best digital formative assessment tools including determining the end objective. It is advisable for one to base their selection for the best formative assent tool on their own purpose or aspiration so that they can make the right decision. For you to choose the best digital formative assessment for your students, you need to check on the technology used in electronic devices to be used for evaluation. You should also consider the mode of engagement and interaction for the students and the formative assessment tool. Click here to learn more: https://otus.com/standards-based-grading.

Identifying the type of data you need which can either be qualitative or quantitative is also helpful when looking for the best digital formative assessment tool. The right formative assessment tool like Otus standards-based grading tool can help both the teacher and their students stay organized. With the use of technology in the best digital formative assessment tools, you can meet the needs of your students as it makes life easier. You are always prepared to assess your student’s ability and development when you have the right assessment tool. Discover more here: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/matthew-lynch-edd/classroom-management-in-a_b_1153384.html.

Are you a school out there wondering how to get the best out of your students? Well, let me highlight a few things here that we can all relate with. As a teacher, I want you to cycle back to the days when you were on the other side of the desk as a student. I can bet that one of the most frustrating times was receiving a dismal grade in a subject (that you thought you knew) and failed to understand why. Often what happened was, the topics you understood were fewer than those that you didn’t understand, and ultimately this was your downfall. Therefore, you find that overall grading of a subject does little in enabling the student it improve on the weak points as they don’t even become apparent in the initial setup. Discover more on this link: https://otus.com/building-better-learners-through-classroom-culture.

This weakness here in traditional grading opened the door for standards-based grading. In this system, a subject is broken down into content standards or targets that hold a teachable concept that a student must grasp before the end of the course. They are then graded based on their performance in the standards in an entire subject. This way as a teacher you can measure the student’s progress by knowing whether they’ve understood basic concepts and are now ready to move up to the tougher stuff. So the grades, in this case, demonstrate an understanding of a specific idea. So being such a substantial educational innovation, what benefits lie in SBG?

One primary gain of SBG is that it inspires a growth mindset. Intelligence is dependent on the amount of effort you put in in the long-term as opposed to short term consistency. SBG reaffirms this thought by ensuring learners know their specific weak points and work towards fixing them. The policy of reteaching and reassessing, which is a hallmark of SBG, means that students are given a bigger room of improvement hence fostering a progressive mindset instead of a fixed one. Equally, the teaching staff becomes better at instruction delivery as they know what parts they didn’t teach well, and where they were solid. Learn more about formative assessment tool here. 

SBG enables parents, and teachers alike, to figure out the particular problems facing their children academically. Teachers will note of times when parents visit them or call them up to ask why their children are not doing so well. Sometimes this question can be tricky and so, as a teacher you end up giving a general answer. With SBG, however, you will be able to tell the parent that their child doesn’t necessarily have a math problem but is facing specific challenges in algebra thus a need for extra effort in that area.

It equally enables the teacher to give differentiated instructions to students. You see with the concept standards in place, and consistent formative assessment, the teacher, can tell where every student is in terms of the targets. Based on this info, they can tailor their instructions based on the levels their different students are at and also give different assignments as per the student’s proficiency levels.

Finally, standards-based grading will aid in ensuring that the students have mastery of content and don’t just memorize stuff before exams. This way, the overall grade they get will be a reflection of the individual grades they got at each proficiency level. Click here to learn more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classroom_management.

For every successful learning, classroom culture will play a very important role. Therefore, teachers should always try to work towards a culture that will encourage the success and participation of the students. A strong culture is associated with academic excellence. Other negative and distractive incidents such as violence will also reduce. As a teacher, there are several important tips that you may consider so as to build a strong and positive classroom culture. Some of these tips are discussed below in details.

Firstly, you will need to set up a high expectation for your students. The expectation, in this case, may be one the work of the students or on their behaviors. Set up an expectation of your student doing well. Give them an encouraging heart so that they get to know that you believe that they can do better. More to that, you will also need to provide all the support that they require so that they can meet the set expectations. Discover more on this link. 

Secondly, put more efforts in building positive relations with the students. This will, however, arise by allocating enough time and effort in listening on what they have to say. Get to know more about them and in the same measure, let them know you better. Positive relationships have a magic of building a culture that is more solid. Thirdly, you will need to utilize effective, evidence-based learning activities. In this case, you will need to find the activities that will bring a classroom together through strong bonds. Contact Otus to get this services. 

Fourthly, you will need to encourage constructive relationships among the students themselves. You will need to model the students such that they treat each other in a way that pleases you as a teacher. You may go on to make this as a demand in the class. In this case, set higher demands with regard to the students’ relations with one another in the classroom. To booster this, it is important that you teach your students the social skills necessary to build positive relationship. 

Lastly, you will need to come up with a process that can assist you in managing the behaviors of the students in your classroom. The process should, however, be fair. Also, ensure that such a process is understood by students. You will need to teach and show the students what you expect from them. Give them an opportunity to practice. Where possible, you may consider the use of positive reinforcement. Click here for more: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-mcguire/what-makes-a-good-school_b_779035.html.