Teachers can ask students questions to see if they understand the class material. For example, if the students are supposed to read a story before coming to class, the teacher can ask students specific questions about the story to see whether they read the material.
With oral exams, teachers ask students questions and the students must answer them aloud. This can prevent cheating, since the student cannot hide notes or copy from a neighbor. However, it also can embarrass students and is more time-consuming. It is more common in foreign language courses, where the teacher is assessing the student’s fluency at speaking the language.
Teachers can give students quizzes. The quizzes usually have questions that students must answer correctly. Question formats can include multiple choice, true or false, fill-in-the-blank, matching or short answer.
Teachers can turn assessments into a game. For example, the teacher could have students earn points by answering questions correctly. The teacher can give students crossword puzzles to take home, which contain vocabulary words.
Essays allow teachers to see whether students understand class concepts thoroughly enough to write about them. Students are often given a question and asked to write an essay in response to it. For example, “How would you organize a recycling program?” Or students could research a topic related to course content and write a report on it. The teacher must often create a rubric that allows them to give points for different aspects of the essay, such as the tone and grammar.
Teachers can have students create projects that demonstrate their knowledge of the course material. For example, students can take principles learned in a science class and use them to create inventions. Giving students flexibility in the project they choose allows them to practice being creative. Students can present the project to the class, and through the presentation, the student can practice public speaking skills. Students can also work in groups when performing the project, which helps them develop teamwork skills.
Presentations require students to independently research information and present the information to the classroom. Students must orally explain their research and use visual aids such as posters, PowerPoint presentations and videos to keep their fellow students interested. Students are assessed by a rubric both on their presentation skills and on the content they put together.