3 ways to use a quiz during your lessons

Thomas Courtley, ex teacher and LessonUp education specialist

Thomas Courtley

Education Specialist

Most students love to answer bundles of quizzes. They are quick and snappy interactive assessment features that don’t require extensive answers. Quiz questions offer immediate feedback, allowing students to assess their own understanding. Quick feedback helps students identify areas of strength and weakness, contributing to more effective learning.

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1. To make students' learning relevant

Offer your students periodically a news quiz to link their learning to wider world-wide topics. Many students either don’t watch the news, do so sporadically and are not used to thinking about it in a critical way. Thanks to news quizzes learners might get inspired, and start to create connections between what they have learnt in the classroom and its real-life implications. With a bit of creativity, any subject is relatable to the outside world. Starting a lesson with a brief news quiz is a great way to connect with your students, and encourage them to follow the news. They will probably start to look forward to it!

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2. To assess student understanding

How often have you found yourself asking, 'Do we need to go over this again?' Most likely, countless times. Unlike traditional assessments that demand detailed written or typed responses, quizzes offer a swift and engaging alternative. With their short, clear, and to-the-point format, quizzes serve as powerful hinge questions. It's not just about your students' results; it's about what you learn from their answers. Did they grasp the content, language, theme, and connections to other topics? Understanding why they might have answered a question incorrectly is crucial. This approach allows you to qualify, rather than quantify, your pupils' learning.

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3. To recall knowledge from a previous lesson

To reinforce knowledge from a previous lesson, consider incorporating a set of quizzes as an invigorating lesson starter. These recall quizzes serve as a low-pressure activity, aiding students in retrieving information from their prior learning. This can become a regular practice at the beginning of each lesson, offering a quick recap of facts and knowledge covered in the previous lesson. As you know, repetition enhances retention.

While creating recall-knowledge quizzes is straightforward, investing effort in their preparation will give you a clearer picture of what your students are able to recall, and why.

Did you know that you can create one or more quizzes from any slide with the help of Maia, our AI assistant for teachers? Maia is part of our free subscription plan. By clicking the button hereunder you can try out our platform for free, with or without asking for the help of Maia! That's up to you.