Socrative

I have been experimenting and utilising the Socrative APP within GCSE PE lessons.  It is proving to be a really useful addition to the teaching & learning experience.  The students relish the opportunity to test their knowledge & understanding of a particular area within the range of topics.  Students also appreciate the immediate feedback they receive and become competitive when their results are displayed on the whiteboard.  As soon as the test has finished I welcome the fact I am able to download the individual responses and overall class results on a spread-sheet.  This provides me with valuable information about what information the students thoroughly understand and what needs to be revisited and reinforced. 

 

I have also used Socrative within a lesson observation, setting a test as a starter activity to gain an understanding of prior knowledge.  The class then retake the test at the end of the lesson topic which (hopefully) demonstrates the progress made.

 

I am learning that there are many options that you can use as a teacher to improve any test you design.  I like the fact I can randomise the questions so that pupils cannot simply copy or ask their classmates the answer to a particular question, as question 1 for student X will be different to question 1 for student Y.  I have also been able to change my Room name to Rackham instead of the random letters & numbers I was originally allocated.  This also makes it easier for the pupils to remember, especially when accessing the test at home.  The use of Socrative has been cascaded throughout the PE department where it is currently been used in KS4 & 5 theory lessons. We are all designing and sharing tests so that we create a bank of quizzes.  Importing pictures to enhance the questions also adds a visual aid for learners.  The next step is to produce a quiz for KS3 students to use within the range of practical activities.