Fast Formative - Google Form

I need a quick way to assess my kids, so fast that I can give the formative and act upon it within a minute, is there a way to do that?

Google Forms to the rescue!

A big idea is to keep the number of questions you are asking between one and three.

Creating a Google Form

To start, open Google Drive.

Click +New in the upper left.

Click Google Forms or the little arrow for more otpions.

I usually click Google Forms.

If I need inspiration I choose From a template.

1. Name the Form something meaningful and by reading it will give you instant context to what it is all about.

2. I can't stress this enough, add directions!

Click on Multiple choice.

By clicking Multiple choice you will see all the question types you can ask.

For this example we are sticking with Short answer.

I can't stress this enough, add a description!

1. Click the ice cream cone, the three dots.

2. Pick description.

3. Add the directions.

While a Google Form can automatically collect names, I usually recommend adding name fields.

I like adding a box for first name and a box for last name. It will make sorting the data far easier.

If I was teaching more than one hour, I would add that as a filed to fill in.

To rearrange the question order, grab the 1/2 waffle and drag.

Click Settings at the top of your form.

You can toggle the collect email off if needed.

If you are sending the form to people who do not have a school address, toggle it off.

At the top right, click the eyeball to open a tab with the live form.

I always look at the live form to make sure it is exactly what I need.

I then copy the address and send that to the students.

Accessing the Date

At the top of the form you were building is a tab for responses.

You can tell 4 people have filled it out so far.

I usually scroll down to see results.

You could also export all the results to a speadsheet by clicking the little green flag.

Ideas

One teacher would create a form and ask the kids to enter the answers to three questions from the previous nights math homework. She would pick one from a previous unit and another that was generally a little tricky from the current unit.
Another teacher used the form once a week as a check-in to see how the kids were doing emotionally.
It is also a great way to gain feedback on what they think of the class.
Use the File Upload to collect an image of their work. A good use case is a PBL project or a page from their math or science notebook.

Resources

Learning in the Lou