Student Post: Alyssa Peterson: Games as Assessment

 Assessment in elementary education is a crucial aspect of student learning. Teachers must evaluate their students' understanding of the material and adjust their instruction accordingly to ensure that each student is making progress. While traditional assessments such as tests and quizzes have been used for decades, there are other creative ways to assess student learning. One such method is using games as an assessment tool. Games have long been a favorite pastime for children, and they can be an excellent way to assess student learning. Games allow students to apply the knowledge they have acquired in a fun and engaging way, which can increase their motivation to learn. Additionally, games can provide immediate feedback, which is beneficial to both students and teachers.

In the video "Using Games as Assessment Tools," produced by Edutopia, we see several examples of games being used in the classroom to assess student learning. One example is the "I Have, Who Has" game, which is a fun and engaging way to assess students' understanding of a particular concept. In this game, each student is given a card with a question or statement on it. The student who has the correct answer or matching statement then reads their card, and the game continues until all the cards have been read. Another example shown in the video is the use of Kahoot, a popular online platform for creating quizzes and surveys. Kahoot allows teachers to create interactive quizzes that students can take on their mobile devices or computers. The quizzes can be customized to fit specific learning objectives and can provide immediate feedback to both students and teachers. Online platforms such as Blooket and Gimkit also provide online quiz games in slightly varied ways. Blooket is a free alternative to Kahoot and Gimkit integrates the quizzes into minigames.

One of the benefits of using games as an assessment tool is that they can be used in a variety of subjects. For example, in math, games like "Math Jeopardy" or "Math Bingo" can be used to assess students' understanding of various math concepts. In language arts, games like "Hangman" or "Word Scramble" can be used to assess students' knowledge of spelling and vocabulary. Using games as an assessment tool also provides an opportunity for students to work collaboratively. Many of the games shown in the video require students to work in groups, which can improve communication skills and foster a sense of teamwork.

While using games as an assessment tool can be an effective way to evaluate student learning, in order for the assessment to be valid, it's essential to ensure that the games are aligned with the learning objectives. The games should be designed to assess the specific skills or knowledge that the students are expected to learn, and the results of the games should be used to inform instruction. All this being said, I think that games are an excellent tool for informal assessment. However, they should be treated as only one tool in the toolbox to be combined with other assessment tools to provide accurate assessment information for a variety of different types of learners.