Student Post: Kamayia Smith: Games as Assessments

Assessing students using games is a great way to show what students know and how they think. The video discussed that when students make moves while playing a game, it provides information on what the students do and do not understand as well as how they apply problem-solving and critical thinking skills. It also talks about how students are able to take control of their own learning when playing games because they get immediate feedback from their choices. Using games as an assessment tool is a fun and engaging way to assess students. Games can break down content students have learned for better understanding. I also think that games can be a good opportunity for students to learn content in the classroom.


In my experience, I have assisted in a 5th-grade classroom where my cooperating teacher played bingo in science with vocabulary and definitions to assess what students have learned in a unit. Students were motivated and focused on the content they were learning while playing bingo rather than given a worksheet with vocabulary and definitions. When I was in high school, I remember playing jeopardy in class to assess my learning on a topic. I felt engaged in the game and it helped me better understand the material I was struggling with. I also remember creating my own board game in a history class in high school. I was able to modify the Guess Who? Game by using important people during the civil rights movement. I learned how to differentiate what each important person had done to complete the game. After watching the video, I appreciate the use of games to assess students and I would like to use games in my classroom.