One way I assess my students' understanding of key concepts is through a version of a gallery walk. My students learn a tremendous amount when they can talk with each other. I can quickly gather information on what my students know, what concepts they are "stuck" on, who is excelling and who is struggling all while reducing my marking load. Instead of giving them a quiz on the concepts, I make 1 question per page and print them off. I write the answer underneath the question and cover it with a post-it note. I then post the questions around the room. I break my students up into pairs/ groups of 3 (3 is the magic number, most times in my class) and have them grab a clipboard and pen from their table. In their groups, they are given a set time to move around the room and answer each question I ask that 1 person read the question aloud and check to make sure every group member understands what the question is asking (the strong readers naturally help the weaker readers and teach them how to break apart a question... this naturally evolves during their discussion. It is wonderful to listen to them ask questions and explain to each other!) Then they all must come to consensus on the answer. If they do not agree, I ask them to try and convince each other with evidence from the question's data, from their knowledge of the concept and so on. Again, the conversations that come out of this stage really show who has learned what and who needs further clarification. As I am moving from group to group listening to their conversations, I also hear if there are any misconceptions or errors in their understanding that I can address as a whole class later on. When the student group agrees on an answer, they lift the post-it to check. As I walk from group to group, I get a good sense of how much each student understands and make quick jot notes on my class lists- I gather evidence without having to mark a stack of paper-pencil quizzes. I ask them to record any questions/ concepts they want to review as a whole class after the small group discussions are over. After every group is done, we meet back as a whole class to go over any misconceptions/ problem areas I over heard and any questions the students may have had during the process. The learning that happens is far better than a passing out and handing back a short quiz where students focus on their mark and not their understanding. I also like this method because I feel it benefits my students to be up and moving while they think and learn.
I will sometimes follow up by give the students an exit slip, a formal lab or an assignment that they submit for a formal "mark" in my gradebook, depending on the concepts being covered.
