Final answer:
A teacher giving an unexpected quiz to gauge students' understanding without it affecting their final grades is an example of formative assessment. Formative assessments are key in providing immediate feedback for improving learning processes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The example that illustrates formative assessment is: a teacher gives students an unexpected quiz to find out what things they need more work on; it won't count toward final grades. Formative assessment is a process used by teachers and students during instruction that provides feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning to improve students' achievement of intended instructional outcomes.
Formative assessment is characterized by its immediate use to guide and improve learning processes. It is typically not graded or used for accountability purposes but is all about gaining insights into student understanding to inform instruction. Some examples of formative assessment include practice problems, grasp checks, and self-check questions. Such activities help both teachers and students to gauge progress and identify areas that require more focus.
Activities like pop quizzes can serve as formative assessments if they are used to guide future teaching rather than to assign a grade. Similarly, self-assessment tasks help students understand the level of their understanding and the areas where they need to improve, fostering a reflective approach to learning.