Formative assessment can be characterized as assessment for learning because this approach allows teachers to adjust materials, instructions and makes goals transparent to students. Significantly, formative assessment is crucial and should become a routine during the learning process. With the help of formative assessment, educators can close the achievement gap between students and receive desirable outcomes. Thus, a teacher should focus on identifying opportunities for improvement instead of only assessing students’ performance. I will employ formative assessment in my classroom by providing and asking for feedback, learning based on students’ discussions, results, and progress.
Moreover, I will encourage collaborative activities, such as sharing students’ opinions and understanding of concepts with one another during the class. Hence, formative assessment will enable me to increase achievement standards and reveal students’ misconceptions. Dodge (n.d.) suggests that formative assessments relate to the support provided by the teacher during the learning process. Therefore, I will introduce classroom discussions, encourage feedback and observations sharing.
In addition, I will employ the Response to Intervention (RTI) approach. According to RTI Action Network (n.d.), this multi-tier approach identifies and supports students with various behavioral and learning needs. RTI approach includes high-quality and tiered classroom instructions, continuous student assessment, and parent involvement to enhance the screening process and accelerate students’ learning rate.
Notably, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an excellent practice to improve students’ understanding, engagement and increase learning motivation. UDL practice suggests that there is no standard model for learning; thus, education varies across individuals, tasks, and development. When implementing UDL, a teacher should remove learning barriers by considering students’ needs and personal characteristics.
I will use UDL during my lessons by presenting flexible ways of the content and various methods of expression. Therefore, I claim that the classroom materials can be customized according to the range of students in the class, their experiences, ideas, and abilities. For example, after writing assignments, I will ask my students to evaluate their performance and provide feedback. Consequently, I will be able to assess their needs, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.
References
Dodge, J. (n.d.). What are formative assessments and why should we use them? Scholastic. Web.
RTI Action Network (n.d.). What is RTI. RTI Action Network. Web.