Assessment for Learning with Padlet

In carrying out formative assessment, teachers may want to consider trying out Padlet. Padlet is an online bulletin board where users place digital sticky notes. The content of these notes may be in the form of text, web links, uploaded files, images and videos. 

To access Padlet, students may be required to log in or they can be anonymous. Should there be a need to identify students’ notes, instructions may be given to the students to state their name(s) or group number(s) when they are jotting down their stickies. Padlet can be accessed with a link or QR code online via learning platforms such as the new Google Sites or Student Learning Space. Moreover, it is also available as a smartphone app for easy access and bite-sized learning on the go. 

Since we are talking about the new Google Sites, do you know that the new Google Sites has a new feature which allows educators to control who can access and view the content they publish on their Google Sites. This means that teachers can easily create and publish content that can be viewed only by their students or anyone else whom they specify. Also, Google Sites can also be embedded or added on a learning resource on Student Learning Space so this may be something you might wish to consider when designing the learning experience for your students. 

What is ideal about Padlet is that it can be used to activate students’ prior knowledge or to check on students’ current understanding with regards to where they are in their learning. For instance, Padlet was recently used as a form of formative assessment after the students have completed an outdoor fieldwork learning module to gather primary data for their geographical investigation. From the questions posed, the teacher was able to get the students to consolidate what they have learnt, to find out where the learners are in their learning and use the “real time data” to address students’ queries and provide feedback that moves learning forward. Thus, the teacher was able to provide meaningful feedback to review what they need to improve upon in their learning during the students’ subsequent learning in class. This was done face to face in class in response to the students’ reflections. 

STEP 1

Open https://padlet.com and get started. Sign up to get an account. 

STEP 2

Create your padlet by clicking on + MAKE A PADLET

STEP 3

Follow the intuitive instructions to create your padlet. The user-friendly functions on the top right-hand side STEP 3

Follow the intuitive instructions to create your padlet. The user-friendly functions on the top right-hand side allow you to modify the settings of your padlet, customise the design and layout, change the sharing rights and even remake (make a copy).

allow you to modify the settings of your padlet, customise the design and layout, change the sharing rights and even remake (make a copy). 

STEP 4

Once done, then you can share the link or QR code with your students. For this example here, both the link and QR code are embedded in the web site used by the Core Geography students to gather qualitative sensory data and capture their fieldwork reflections.