Student Post: Charlotte Will: Assessment through Games

Using games as an assessment tool is a great way to understand how your students think. Watching the moves they make while playing a game can show you a lot about what they know, their critical thinking skills, and how they apply their knowledge. In my experience assisting in a pre-k and young 5’s classroom, children are more engaged in their learning when they are learning through a game or activity. When children were given worksheets they would have a hard time staying on task and were not as motivated to do it. When I have played shape bingo or number bingo, the children are engaged and motivated. I think using games is not only a good tool for assessments but also an important tool for learning the material. Using a game as an assessment tool can also reduce anxiety and take some pressure off the students. In the video, they stated that sometimes the students are having so much fun that they don't even realize they are being assessed. Thinking back to my time in k-12 schooling, I would have appreciated that kind of assessment environment and it would have saved me a lot of stress, rather than inducing it. After watching this video I definitely want to implement more games in my own classroom one day.