Classroom assessment techniques are the latest way of identifying the effectiveness of a session, permitting the incorporation of modifications for improvement.
The common procedure to evaluate the effectiveness of the teaching techniques used by teachers is to keep a close watch over the student’s body language, facial expressions during each session. This implicit process doesn’t always reflect the depth of understanding of the students. To facilitate this, one needs to implement various classroom assessment techniques.
The Classroom Assessment Techniques or the CAT consist of a series of techniques that aim to understand the effectiveness of the teaching methodology employed by the teachers. This technique offers the teachers a feedback of the teaching process, offering them an opportunity to make the necessary modifications mid-course. Typically, it is during the grading process that one comes to realize the fact that much of the information has not been grasped in the way it was meant. But, by then, it is too late to make the corrections, the introduction of the classroom assessment techniques are highly relevant.
Under the classroom assessment techniques the teacher makes a pick on the tool which will be used and this can be a minute paper, chain notes, memory matrix, one-sentence summary, direct paraphrasing, to name a few. Then, he informs the students on his intention and the method of performing the assessment and then he waits for their feedback. Once the feedback has been collected, he evaluates them and takes the effort to reveal the modified mode of operands to the students to make their participation in the process seem complete and to motivate them in their endeavor. This succeeds in developing a better rapport with the students and increases the effectiveness of teaching.
Classroom assessment techniques implementation is an ongoing and mutually-beneficial activity for both the students and the faculty. It is a technique adopted by the teaching faculty to measure the depth of the students’ understanding on a new topic or on a subject before introducing it in the class. When a few questions are asked before teaching the subject, he can understand how simple, fragmented or incorrect their assumptions on the subject are. This makes it possible to employ a teaching technique that satisfies the level of knowledge of the students.
The day-to-day feedback presented by the classroom assessment techniques creates a platform to clear the misconceptions and misunderstandings which the students might have, thereby encouraging a good working relationship between the two parties.
