Using Nearpod as a tool for Formative Assessment

Besides OneNote, many of us use PowerPoint slides as our main tool when it comes to lesson delivery. It is a very traditional tool that contains most of our lesson content and is handy when teaching in the classroom. But how is teaching effective without gauging how students are able to follow the lesson and understand what is being taught? Therefore the emphasis on formative assessment.

Introducing Nearpod, an online tool whereby a presentation deck of slides comes with the capability of embedding activities comprising question types such as multiple choice and open-ended questions. There are other existing tools whereby Assessment for Learning could be conducted, for example via Microsoft Forms, Kahoot, Spectrum and Literatu. However, Nearpod offers the added capability of allowing students to present their answers in the form of drawings.

Here are some reasons why you would want to try out Nearpod:

Create easily:

It is easy to put up your lesson content on Nearpod. The interface is user friendly and creating a lesson is fast. You can also add a decent range of activities to check on your students’ understanding.

                        

Teacher’s screen: Lesson content options.

Teacher’s screen: Choices of question types.

             Slides can be uploaded onto Nearpod and used just like a normal presentation. 

“Draw It” function:

I think the best part of Nearpod is that it allows students to present their answers in the form of a drawing. A picture is worth a thousand words. You may either use an empty canvass or even put in an image for students to add on their answers to it.

Join spontaneously:

Just like the popular Kahoot tool, students need only to key in a short PIN (called CODE in Nearpod terminology) to access the quiz via their PLDs or smartphones.

Screenshot of teachers’ screen.

Screenshot of students’ screen on mobile phone/ PLD.

Awaiting students’ responses.

Teacher’s view of students’ responses. 

                    Individual students’ response being shown on the teacher’s computer. 

Instant feedback:

Teachers can give immediate feedback after the students have submitted their answers to address any areas for improvement. Peer critique can also be carried out, whereby students question their peers’ answers and suggest alternative answers. This allows the students to learn as a community, build on one another’s answers and learn from common misconceptions surfaced during the quiz.

Analysis of results:

Nearpod generates reports showing the performance of the students. Teachers can use the data to assess how well or badly the students did for the formative assessment and adjust their pedagogy and pace of lesson.  

Hope you find this tool useful in carrying out formative assessment for your classes. If you have any questions or feedback please let us know!