Checking pupil understanding using online quizzes

Quizzes and tests are not just good for assessing how much a student knows and what they still need to learn to inform future planning. Online quizzing tools also support teachers to check pupil understanding and help students take advantage of the ‘testing effect’. What does it mean? Research into the ‘testing effect’ shows that one of the most effective ways to secure material in students’ long-term memory is dedicating time to retrieving the information from memory frequently (for example, see Brown, Roediger and McDaniel, 2014). Tests tend to be quite formal and often come in the form of high-stakes, end-of-unit or end-of-module tests and end-of-year exams. But it does not need to be thus. Given that frequent retrieval practice boosts retention, teachers could incorporate frequent, low-stakes or no-stakes testing and quizzing into their lessons. In this way, testing and quizzing become part of the learning process, not just assessment. What are the implications for tea