Backchanneling and Informal Assessment Comparison Chart

On the topic of back channelling and informal assessment, here's a link to 9 useful tools for gathering feedback and learning from students as suggested by Richard Bryne from freetech4teachers

9 Popular Students Feedback Response Tools

Back channelling and Exit Ticket

Wouldn't it be great if there was a common space for teachers and learners to meet online and communicate while a lesson is going on? The concept of back channelling is largely similar to an open and transparent platform for reflection after a workshop/lecture/lesson. It allows participants to share their takeaways.

The backchannel is the conversation that goes on alongside the primary activity, presentation, or discussion. It extends conversations beyond the classroom, and gives all students a voice.

One of the questions that I have as a teacher is how do I assess how much my students have learned or have they really understood? One way to capture this is to set up a backchannelling platform online and give students Quiet Time to reflect on their learnings. From the comments posted, I will be able to assess their learning and address their misconceptions or reinforce their schema in the next lesson.

Another way of using back channelling is through the use of an exit ticket. An exit ticket strategy can help participants process new concepts, reflect on  information learned and express their thoughts about new information.

For more ideas on how to creating a back channel exit ticket, check out Silvio Rosenthal Tolisanao's video.

A great tool to use for this purpose will be TodaysMeet.

Matt Miller has 20 suggestions on how to harness TodaysMeet. Check them out here.