Assessment for Learning has always been something I’ve felt I’ve needed to really work at to do well, and do

regularly enough that it’s useful. In my first year teaching, for me it meant lots of marking. Gradually I realised that,

actually, it can be far less didactic than that and involve the students far more. The iPad has revolutionised how I

assess my students’ learning, particularly google classroom.

A key skill that I feel students need to develop, not just for their English GCSEs but also to become individuals who

can interpret, and challenge, the ever growing onslaught of biased media, is criticism and evaluation. I believe our

students need to have the ability to challenge an idea and explore alternatives, and I have been using google

classroom to do this.

It seems obvious that to challenge an idea, someone must comment on it. If done in the traditional format of class,

or table, discussions, it can be tricky to keep an eye on how focused each individual is on the actual task and very,

very noisy! So, I now ask my students to have silent discussions.

Prior to the discussion, we will explore a key topic, or idea, and different aspects of this. I then post a statement on

google classroom, usually a controversial one, and students then post their personal, initial, response. From there,

the discussion begins. Students are then expected (as I’ve set it up this way) to challenge their peers’ opinions,

using evidence where possible. The thread below is an example of the type of online discussion that happens within

the lesson.

Silent discussion using Google Classroom

Silent discussion using Google Classroom

This silent discussion has meant that I can see the students’ level of understanding and comment in ‘real time’,

posing questions that push their responses further. A consideration: what topics in your curriculum area could lead

into a silent debate?

Written by Mia Lowney

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