Step 6: Review- Pages 127-147
I absolutely LOVED this chapter! This chapter provided me with some definite connections, new ideas, confirmations, and questions.
Confirmations: Incremental learning and reviews are key! When I think about the Saxon curriculum some of our schools use for math, it validates the theory behind why it was developed with a distributed approach. All learning needs to be taught in small, spiraling increments with consistent review methods built in.
This also confirms why my 16-year-old struggles at times with assessments. He is notorious for procrastinating and cramming the night before! :)
Connections: I used to study in college in the evening and then go to sleep. I would then wake up and study in the morning. It was amazing how much I would retain after sleeping.
I loved incorporating Marzano's 8 review strategies in my classroom when I was a classroom teacher. The ones I used the most were the demonstration, presented problem, questioning, and conceptual maps.
New Ideas: I loved the 6 reteaching ideas on page 144. The new ideas I liked are the "Sage and Scribe" technique and "Photo Quick Writes". I also love the idea of giving scholars a blank piece of paper for them to visually map out their thinking at the same time they are learning new information.
Another Ah-ha for me was if the assessment is mostly in written format, then practice should be in mostly written format. For example, if they use manipulatives in math but the test is going to be written, we should transition from manipulatives to the written expression of content during the course of the lessons.
Questions: My question is whether a pop quiz's purpose is to gather an understanding of where our scholars' learning currently is and then make instructional adjustments or should it be to get a grade for our grade book?
Your task this week is to provide comments to someone else's question and then end by posing your own question on the reading for others to comment on. Tag, You're it! 😀
Personally, I have never been a big fan of pop quizzes. I never liked getting them in school, and I have never liked to give them. In my opinion, the purpose of the pop quiz should be like that of an exit ticket. I would use the pop quiz to assess the status of the class and see where my instruction needed to be adjusted or which kiddos needed immediate reteaching on the subject.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: We have already gone through and paced out our Math for the upcoming school year. Between actual lessons and a day for testing, in order to adequately cover all we feel we need to teach before ILEARN in April, we are up to approximately five days before the testing window opens. We are constantly reviewing through spiraling in homework and Math stations. We use exit tickets and Quick Checks to try and catch those students that need immediate reteaching in small groups during station time. However, I would love to have a review day before I assess in the classroom. Knowing that we only have about five days to play with, how do you schedule in a review day? Do you cut out stations the day before testing and review? Do you review first and then take the test on the same day?
Deb Daniel
Timothy L. Johnson Academy
Hi Deb!
DeleteI have read your entry several times and I'm still a bit confused about your question. What I think I understand is the issue revolving around ILEARN testing. It sounds like you are reviewing periodically (as suggested by Sprenger) via homework and stations, and then again directly before the test. To me, it appears you're doing exactly what you should.
I think a lot of what guides me through those kinds of decisions is how well my students are doing. If it looks like your data supports testing because they're ready, no need to stop stations or the regular routine. Give them a quick review before the test and celebrate! If they don't do well during your periodic reviews, I would by all means stop stations and reteach/review if necessary.
Question: I have to say that after reading this chapter I'm going to change my teaching before testing. I've never used pop quizzes in kindergarten, but like Deb; I use exit tickets to determine where my students need help. Much of our review until now has been verbal or with math mats on occasion. Lame. My question is this: In teaching kindergarteners with an attention span of 10-15 minutes on a good day, which is the best way to review? Mind you, most of them can't read and struggle with writing until the 3rd quarter. Given a choice between webs, concept maps, note taking and checklists, which would be a most fitting way to review before a comprehension test about 'The Three Little Pigs'?
Hi Deb,
DeleteSince your question revolves around my question of review to put information into long term memory for retrieval during ILEARN, why can't we incorporate Marzano's 8 review strategies in the classroom. I think this is what we have been talking about all year. With Andrea's expertise (Andrea hint, hint) she could help us integrate these steps into the next days lessons for a continual review.
Question: My question comes from the mental note on page 131. "Without review, important information may be lost." How often should I review to ensure that my scholars won't lose important information from August until April when testing begins, if only 8 percent of the material is remembered after 21 days as suggested by Keeley, 1997.
Hello All
DeleteThis is a great question Jen and I think there is emerging science regarding our brains and how they hold onto information which helps us to navigate the process of knowledge transfer that is long lasting. Like Sprenger (2018) wrote, the meaningful connections we are able to establish is what makes the information useful. So, I am answering that review can take different forms and that we embed experiences in the learning process for our scholars to be able to establish a lasting connection to the material. The science indicates the stronger the connection and the more we are able to commit it to our long-term memory the better. Complex concepts could require several different experiences and reflection periods to establish our minds ability to recall.
I have an acquaintance that could not remember my name regardless of how many times I had been introduced in professional and social settings. After a few years I really couldn’t decide if it was a memory issue or a respect issue. At a party I intentionally called him by a different name repeatedly throughout the day. The last time he corrected me I explained that I knew his name but if he couldn’t be bothered to remember mine then I was not going to use his. He seemed genuinely embarrassed and explained he had met tens of thousands of people in his work and had trouble with names. We have met several times since and he has never forgotten my name again. In this case just one “experience” worked while several opportunities to recall had failed.
Thinking about young scholars I see the experiences would need to be age appropriate and as others have mentioned our scholars are all over the map in terms of abilities and preparedness. But I think a scholar would make a strong connection and internalize the learning if the experience is something they can personally relate to when possible. Learning fractions may not stir a connection using blocks to demonstrate halves and quarters but dividing a cupcake might ;-) and the extra cupcakes could be sent my way.
My question is how are we able to more accurately determine prior knowledge in light of variables that may impeded the scholar’s ability to express that knowledge? I have used the form of government example previously but this is a prime example of every college student having been taught something they simply do not recall out of context. As mentioned on page 145 test taking strategy plays a role in student achievement (one study showed as much as an 19% increase attributed to testing strategy) so what advice or tools do you use to make sure our students are prepared with the memory and test taking strategies for successful testing?
Mikael Badgett
TLJAMS
Good morning Mikael,
DeleteI like your question about more effectively determining prior knowledge. Can you start with an aspect of the topic that is relevant to them and use that to scaffold them into where you need to go? I think they don't realize how much they know sometimes. Often, too, I think there is a language barrier. We are saying things one way, but if we "break it down" then they feel more open. They may not remember all of the components but they can meet by telling their feelings about a current event e.g. police brutality, BLM, does Kaepernick have a right to protest under the law, etc. I have tried to start with something this is relatable to them. Sometimes I even use a KWL chart after the opening conversation to show them what they already "know" or how what I am going to teach them relates to them personally.
Kind regards,
Christine Weatherby
Thea Bowman Leadership Academy
cweatherby@tbla.email
Questions: My question is whether a pop quiz's purpose is to gather an understanding of where our scholars' learning currently is and then make instructional adjustments or should it be to get a grade for our grade book?
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts... Our Math Curriculum has a built in daily "Quick Check." It is basically a exit ticket or a quiz. I taught kindergarten last year. My students didn't like the quick checks but they really helped me to know where my students were in their understanding of the material covered. Then I also knew if I needed to review or to move on. The quick check is about as close to pop quiz as we have in kindergarten. Also much of Math teaching in kindergarten is using manipulatives. Thus these written quizzes were very helpful to help the students transfer their thinking to the written form because the unit assessment was written. Whether it is good or bad, I don't know, but I put those grades in the grade-book. It is hard to put a grade on using manipulatives. The written quick check was easy to grade.
In my own experiences pop quizzes really kept me motivated to stay up with the reading in my classes. Otherwise, I would have read it all the night before the test. I hated that they were graded. However, if they weren't, I wouldn't have been motivated to keep up.
My Question: On page 145 Sprenger discusses the importance of reviewing test-taking strategies with the students. I love this idea. I know one of my own children took ACT tutoring. All they worked on was test-taking strategies. His score improved dramatically. Sprenger discusses teaching critical vocabulary and how vital it is to students. Last year I worked with dependent readers grades 3 to 6. These students floundered with the vocabulary on the standardized tests. What are other teachers using to help their students be prepared for the vocabulary on the standardized test? Are you using the list Spenger discusses on page 145? If so how?
Hello-I teach middle school so I have no idea how to teach vocab words to kindergarteners! But I really liked your comment on preparing for standardized tests like the ACT and how students need to know test taking strategies for those. I have experience with this as a mother as well as seeing how close my middle school students are to taking these kinds of tests.
DeleteMy question is how do we balance all of these teaching methods that we're learning about in this book with the knowledge that the older students will just "have to know and learn" a certain way in order to do well on the ACT and SAT? We want to teach in a fun and creative way to reach as many students as possible. But students also have to learn how to sit quietly for several hours and take a high stakes tests like the ACT. How do you balance the fun with the reality?
In first grade, I used a vocab. journal for the three words for that week that were highlighted. We took 1-2 days introducing the words and then tackled them one day at a time as we entered the definitions. Each student was then to write a sentence of their own using the vocab. word and then illustrate. I was able to help those struggling, usually ELL scholars, one on one and encourage them to retrieve memories and prior knowledge to make a sentence of their own. Each theme (2 weeks) consisted of 6 vocab words total and we were able to review them prior to the test by looking at our journals and discussing the words. Having an emotional connection for them was key to retaining the info.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTeresa Jones,
ReplyDeleteThe purpose of a pop quiz is to gather an understanding of our scholars’ learning and make instructional adjustments. I have never been in a dire need for grades, but if majority of my scholars excel on their quiz, I will grade it. Also, if there is a pattern of them performing poorly on quizzes, I will discuss the causes and solutions with their parents. Moreover, if I need to administer “tough love,” I will record the poor grades as well in hopes that it will motivate them to take class seriously. Of course, that’s only for the students who put forth minimal effort in class and independent practice.
Confirmations: My in-class reviews are beneficial for my students. I always review what we learned the previous day, before I introduce the new lesson. Also, my students play review games before their summative assessments. I simply divide them into small groups, have them write their answers on the whiteboard, and hold their board in the air when they’re ready for me to check it. The quickest group with the correct answer scores a point. In addition, they will also have the option of answering the question on the large whiteboard in our class. In this instance, the class will be divided in half, and one student from each team will go to the whiteboard. Overall, they enjoy the friendly competition while reviewing for exams.
Connections: “Demonstration” and “questioning” are my two methods for review. “Demonstration” is reflected during students’ oral presentations and when they are solving math problems at the board. “Questioning” is applied at the end of every lesson and during our review games.
New Ideas: I’m going to be intentional about using the diction that my students can expect to see on their standardized tests, assessing them in a similar format, and timing them so they will be prepared.
Questions: Should we rely on “star students” for “peer coaching,” or should we allow students who just grasped a concept to “peer coach” as well?
PLA #103
Ebony Monson, good question.
ReplyDeleteIt can be damaging to learn something in the wrong way. So I do not recommend having the students who just grasped a concept to peer coach. This video demonstrates an example of scholars assessing their own work and then partner up for peer teaching: https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/peer-teaching--2. In the video, the teacher asked the scholars to place a card up: green means that they understand the topic, yellow mean they mostly understand, and red means they do not understand. After the teacher praised the students for being honest with their work and asking for help, they are instructed to go sit next to someone that has not done as well as themselves. Later, they are next to someone to ask how to improve. After the scholars are taught how to correct and ask questions, this practice can be carried out throughout their lives. Another strategy is to have a morning question for students to ponder independently. Later, they will work in groups to solve the problem. The classrooms that I observed using this strategy had every student eager to work together. I have also used peer coaching with a student who needed individual help with the station routine. He loved receiving attention, so he enjoyed working with a student who had a good grasp of the routine. Both students excelled from this decision.
Question: I want to increase review time by implementing a fun station that students can work independently. What station activity would you recommend that would help first grade scholars review? This can be for any subject.
Independent work for 1st graders! A VERY common question! A go-to for my team when I taught 1st and 2nd grade were Task Cards or one of the many altered forms of task cards. For me it was a tool that allowed me to work smarter, as I reuse them each year (I even have the kids cut and organize them!). I have used them all the way through high school with all subject areas. Great for review and enrichment.
DeleteEach year I take time to teach the procedure for task cards and how to work with one another so that they aren't giving away answers. They would begin with a answer sheet I created, but down the road they could easily number paper. You can adapt to show work or just write answers (for math). I was a fan of having students use their notebooks. I would start out with small numbers of cards at first-maybe 5 to 10, depending on how long they had to work. I wanted them to be able to finish and have the feeling of accomplishment.
Once they get going I would have a variety available in bins, answer sheets if needed, and any other materials. Students could have choice and work on small amounts, complete a full set of 30, or I would assign something specific. It is easy to create your own cards as well.
You can find them for a variety of skills and content areas. I found this simple tool to be fun, adaptable and effective for independent work. It was also easy to share and trade with other classes. Best part for me, students could work at their own pace-those that needed a challenge could get it and vice versa. On my website I have a variety for Math, mostly for 2nd-4th grade however, but thought it may be helpful if you are new to task cards.
I am clearly a fan. There are just so many ways to use this tool and adapt to content and embed with a variety of other tools and instructional strategies.
https://sites.google.com/view/coachescamp/classroom-resources/math?authuser=0
Megan Gunder: A fun station you can implement for review could be a computer station with hangman for spelling and definition help. You can have the game preset with definitions and have the computer read the definition to the student and they have to guess the word playing hangman. Students love to use computers and play games. This activity would allow them to hear and see the definition as well as spell out vocabulary words. You can also give them a word bank if needed.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: If I want students to try using mnemonics to help them remember something should I give them the mnemonics or should each student come up with their own mnemonic?
Sohn'a Duff, Computer Teacher
Megan Gunder: Hi, computers always are fun and engaging, also, you can add an independent station with manipulatives for example: Give each student a die, then they roll twice to create an addition equation. It's an excellent review center and is more fun than a worksheet.
ReplyDeleteSonhn'a Duff: Hi, I would recommend that you create or find a mnemonic, so you can model how to use it for remembering the information. Then you can have the scholars create their own mnemonic, and share with the class. Working with a partner might help the product be more resourceful. Also, what is the website for hangman for spelling and definition help? Thanks.
Question: I struggle with incorporating reviews in ELA, how can I incorporate more reviews, as I feel Journeys does not include as many as I would like for my class? Thank you!
Hi, Anna!
DeleteI was also struggling with finding reviews to use with Journeys last year. Towards the end of the year, I started using exit tickets as review. The exit ticket would be something simple, but it would also be relevant to what the scholars were learning that week. I would see where they were from what answers I got from the exit tickets, and have a review based on what they seemed to be struggling with, before the test on Friday. Hope that helps!
-Maddy Hinesley GVPLA
Review chap. 6 question:
DeleteI really loved all of the strategies we learned through this chapter. Getting scholars to transfer material is so important. I am always so frustrated when we are using manipulatives in math, and the scholars are doing great, but when I give them a paper and pencil test, they never seem to do as well as I had expected. So my question is, how can we get scholars to transfer what they are learning, especially in math when using maniplatives.
-Maddy Hinesley, GVPLA
Thank you Maddy will make sure to incorporate and I love the immediate feedback.
DeleteMath quick checks, after each lesson taught, is one way that I assess students. I think it's a great way to assess, but I too struggle with rather or not I should take a grade for every one. If not every one, which ones?
ReplyDeleteI personally think that I take waaaay too many grades for math, but then again it gathers a lot of information about the student over time.
ReplyDeleteDeb I am not a fan of a pop quiz either. Kudos to you for getting your materials all set for next year.
My question is how I can meet the needs of my Special education students who are in your class with all of the material they need to master in your class plus the material they need to master for their IEP's. They have so much to do.
A quiz can tell me where they are in the mastery level and where we need to go next. Without the testing it may be hard to tell. Students have so many tests to take. Pre-tests, tests, post-tests, practice-tests, etc. I really feel for them over it.
I had to reply to this as well as the other question. With teaching students with special needs it is so important not to lower your standards for them. I find many times people say well they can't complete this assignment so lets put them on the computer or something else. This actually hurts students more then it helps them! It is also crucial for students with IEP's to have a resource teacher and general ed teacher that communicate regularly to provide support. A way to help students master skills with IEP's and in the classroom is providing every other night homework on each. For example: Monday: IEP Goal homework, Tuesday: General Ed Homework, Wednesday: IEP Goal homework, etc. This makes sure that students are getting everything that they need. Stations are also a HUGE benefit to helping students with IEP's. This was they can work on classwork and goal work. It is a lot of work but the outcome is very rewarding. All IEP goals should be tied to grade level standards for each student. So as long as you know what standards to hit with some extra support for those kiddos, mastery should come with some time and practice. Hope this helps! Hang in there you will find a way! :D
DeleteCourtney Singleton
Special Education
JRPLA
Response to Andrea Robinson’s Question:
ReplyDeleteWhile staying in compliance and posting grades are important, we cannot become complacent when giving a pop quiz. The purpose of the pop quiz is not just to log in that we have done it, but, in contrast, to generate meaningful data about our students. As a formative assessment, the pop quiz can help us discern where/why to make adjustments and what to reteach, so that we can more effectively reach our scholars. But “pop quiz” can sound scary and can have negative connotations- almost like someone is being punished.
I am wondering if we can turn that around and make the pop quiz more fun for our scholars. This also might be an opportunity where some scholars who know the concepts could teach others who are struggling while still giving us a measure of control concerning what happens. I like the idea of a check of some kind, if it is used to gather data, so that we can reteach and make adjustments.
Response to Teacher K’s Question:
Wow! This is a really good question! However, it is a complex question- like why are we here? Or, what is the meaning of life! :- ) And, truthfully, you may not be able to master both unless you had a time machine! It often feels like we are up against tasks that are impossible- there is no way we can accomplish what has been put on us in the time allotted. We do have each other and often I think that is our greatest resource. What I would recommend is talking with the teacher. You are the expert here when it comes to special needs and you can help us so much by giving ideas about the best way to modify assignments. Also, by talking perhaps you could work something out where the special education kids have less of a workload. For instance, some assignments could be modified and some may take priority over others. Certainly, placing impossible tasks on our scholars – especially those with special needs, cannot be effective for them. I think there has to be a balance.
My Question:
I have two questions. Pick the one you like best. :- )
A. What do you think is the best way to check for understanding when you are teaching and/or after you are teaching? Why does this work best? Can it be modified and used by folks that teach different subject areas?
B. Last year, at the beginning of the year, I tried to use a website and incorporate a bit of a flipped classroom model. Students were given homework e.g. do a short reading or watch an educational media clip (these were posted on my website). Kids complained that this was too much homework. I caved into the pressure. A controversy started about the nature of homework e.g. is it helpful or hurtful. I believe in homework. I think it is good for scholars. However, I know some of our scholars may have a challenging environment or may not have access to resources that we take for granted. So, here is the “elephant in the room” question- should scholars have homework? How much is too much? More importantly, if we give them homework, what can we do to help them to be more effective.
Thanks in advance for your comments.
Kind regards,
Christine Weatherby
Thea Bowman Leadership Academy
cweatherby@tbla.email
Hello!
DeleteI always struggle with the concept of homework as well. It's tough to know what is too little what is too much and who will have help and who will not. Last year my grade level partner and I would make a homework packet to send home at the beginning of the week (monday night). There would be 1 page of math and 1 page of reading for each day- a total of 10 pages (2 of each subject). The students were told that the idea is to do 2 pages of homework each night and that the packet is collected on friday. The students essentially had all week to do 10 pages of homework. It worked well for most students but of course you get those who don't start the packet until the night before it's due so then it becomes stressful. I do believe the students should have something to not lose progress they have gained, but it should never be something that wasn't discussed during class.
My question:
My students in first grade last year struggled with the chapter tests for Journey's. It was expected my students took the comprehenison, vocab, and phonics portion of the test. My students were able to complete the comprehension section of the test if the question and answer were read to them- however halfway through the year journey's implements that you should not be reading the question or answers. Most of my students were unable to score proficiently on their test then at this point because a lot of them could not read independently. Does anyone else come across this problem? Should a first grader be expected to take a test completely on their own or is assisting them more of a benefit?
Brianna Cosgrove
1st Grade, GVPLA
Reply to Christine Weatherby question on homework:
ReplyDeleteI am also a firm believer as long as it is reinforcing a skill that the students have already learned. Homework for scholars should not take hours at a time. I also believe in the modification of homework. When I taught in the general education classroom, my homework was always modified for each individualized student (yes this took a lot of time but the end result was so much more meaningful and successful). Now that I teach middle schoolers it makes it hard as a resource teacher to modify EVERY class for each one of my students. This is why I opened up a "study hall" or "resource period". I feel as though it is important to show students the value of homework and give them help when completing it as needed. This has shown some success but the end result is that there are a lot of students who still do not understand the material when they leave. This brings me back to the main point homework should be meaningful and explain to students why we have it. When answering your question how much homework is too much, I believe that it all depends on the student and their situation. You have to build a relationship with your students and get to know them. Home life, academic level, etc this allows you to know if "Marcus" can handle a reading and math assignment every night or just one or the other every other night. This also has shown that students who can complete the homework are more likely to bring it back and get something out of it. As well as taking time out of your day to go over it. I hope this helps and is just my perspective on the whole situation.
My Question:
What are some ways you involve parents? With teaching special education at a Middle School level it is EXTREMELY important parents attend and are part of their child's decision making for their diploma and goals. I call every parent at least once a week to build a relationship with them, but the end result is still the same. Either the parent doesn't show up or can't make it time and time again. I need some way to get parents excited about their child's education in hopes of having the domino effect and students will be excited. I just feel like I am always at a loosing battle with some students. Things I have tried: raffle for a prize, parent picks date and time, have gone to students houses, called parents, and even ubered a parent to the school. What else can I do?
Courtney Singleton
DeleteSpecial Education
JRPLA
Response to Andrea Robinson's question:
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Christine Weatherby that posting grades are important; however, those pop quiz's play an important role in allowing the teacher to see where that particular stands in regards to what they students knows and what information needs to be retaught. I always remembered how it felt when teaches told us we had a pop quiz; my heart would drop, anxiety would kick in, and I would just pull a blank mind. I definitely do not what my students to feel this way! I think that letting them know that they should do their best and that the quiz would be used as practice. I think it would only be fair that students have had enough practice before I consider using the quiz to calculate a grade. I loved learning about the steps of re-teaching because it could be easy to teach the subject and move on without assessing students knowledge and going back to old material to teach in a way that would target all learning styles.
Question: I love the idea of using mind maps in my classroom. I even did mind maps in some of my college courses! I remember teaching 1st grade student's punctuation with the end goal of them creating a mind map of all the information that they new about their topic. I was interesting that students had a hard time writing what they knew but could show me in a book or just talk about the punctuation. I thought that using a mind map was not appropriate for the topic and grade level. What are ways to incorporate mind maps in a kindergarten class?
Sorry! The above post is from Jacquyn Ison at PLA 103.
DeleteReview (6)
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this chapter. I would like to try some these ideas in the classroom this coming year. This chapter encouraged me to think of review in a different way.
I think a pop quiz can be information for the teacher and the student to assess how well they know the information. I feel very strongly if you are going to give a pop quiz for a grade the students should have learned information very well. There should be have been multiple review sessions before being given as a grade.
Question- I was very interested in the retrieval problem or a storage problem. What kind of activities would you use for a retrieval problem?
Angela Posey @ Phalen Academy 103
Review (6)
Replying to Anna Christina Luna-Harbert Chapter 6 Review:
DeleteWhen thinking about the difference between storage or retrieval problem, activities for retrieval problems would focus more on helping students recall the information accurately. They may be able to recognize the information or concept, but have a problem recalling and connecting to the information and concept. A few activities that may help in closing that recalling gap is giving information in different forms (since they already recognize it) such as: flashcards, short answer/multiple choice/true false questions, fill in blanks, using storytelling with re-introducing or reviewing information, or put it together with a song or pictures. I do agree that both of these problems can be confusing, but I think that if students are having a retrieval problem it requires more time and maybe a different approach. A storage problem can be a sign that the information has not had adequate time to be taught or reviewed.
Question- After reading this chapter, it shows me how important the review and reteaching step is in the learning process. What are some good strategies or tips that can ensure it be a productive time for all students in the class?
Amanda Davis
PLA@103
This question was posted for Mrs. Posey, but I will make sure she gets the response. Take care.
DeleteThank you Courtney Singleton Special Education JRPLA for your comment. You suggestion of altering the homework is a grand one. If the kiddos will actually complete it that is. I want to develop more station work this year.
ReplyDeleteReplying to Anna Luna-Harbert’s post:
ReplyDeleteLike many of you, I enjoyed this chapter. What I have found helpful and enjoyable for my students in retrieving information happens to be game activities. It’s a great way for them to review and use their team building skills. While it also allows me to see what they have mastered and/or require more practice.
Question:
I feel strongly that pop quizzes should be used as a checkpoint tool for understanding and not so much as a great in the gradebook. With that being said, I also think that there should be no more than 5 to 8 questions on a pop quiz. What are some of your thought on how a pop quiz should be constructed to give the best feedback from your scholars?
Thank you La Tiesha I personally love game myself and I will make sure to find some educational ones for reading to incorporate with Journeys. Also, a good way to get quick and useful feedback is having students give their pop quiz to the person to the right or left and grade it right after the pop quiz. It will give them and you immediate feedback.
DeleteReplying to LaTiesha Hollowell.
DeleteQuestion:
I feel strongly that pop quizzes should be used as a checkpoint tool for understanding and not so much as a great in the gradebook. With that being said, I also think that there should be no more than 5 to 8 questions on a pop quiz. What are some of your thought on how a pop quiz should be constructed to give the best feedback from your scholars?
Response: I have not used pop quizzes very much in my classroom but I do remember them in school and I liked that check in, especially if there was immediate feedback. I think if you have the technology a game of kahoot would be a great way to do a pop quiz. Scholars would get to know immediately if their answer was correct or not, and it is easy to make. I think the construction of the quiz depends on how the actual test is going to be structured, since quizzes can help scholars practice test taking strategies. Multiple choice test taking strategies are good to review and a multiple choice quiz would let you review those as well as the content for the test. If your test will have short answer questions it might be a good idea to have a few short answer questions. You might want to reduce the number of questions in that case however.
My question:
When is the best time to review? The reading and math units I teach are generally a week long, so I am not sure when the best review times are. Should I have a pop quiz review at the beginning of class a few times a week? Should I have a review section at the end of my lessons after we reflect on what we learned that day? I really like the idea of reflecting everyday, but I have a very limited amount of time and I want to make sure I can reflect and review without taking away from the actual lesson I am teaching.
Response to Emily’s question:
DeleteI feel the best way to reflect and review is at the very end. Small ways of reviewing during a unit or lesson in the same day could be highlighting the major points and asking if anyone had questions about them. Otherwise a small CFU at the end of the week could tell you a lot about what the scholars are getting from you. The brain always needs processing time for new information.
Question: How many times should something be reviewed before a graded pop quiz?
Response to Megan G.:
ReplyDeleteQuestion: I want to increase review time by implementing a fun station that students can work independently. What station activity would you recommend that would help first grade scholars review? This can be for any subject.
Response:
Independent work for 1st graders! A VERY common question! A go-to for my team when I taught 1st and 2nd grade were Task Cards or one of the many altered forms of task cards. For me it was a tool that allowed me to work smarter, as I reuse them each year (I even have the kids cut and organize them!). I have used them all the way through high school with all subject areas. Great for review and enrichment.
Each year I take time to teach the procedure for task cards and how to work with one another so that they aren't giving away answers. They would begin with a answer sheet I created, but down the road they could easily number paper. You can adapt to show work or just write answers (for math). I was a fan of having students use their notebooks. I would start out with small numbers of cards at first-maybe 5 to 10, depending on how long they had to work. I wanted them to be able to finish and have the feeling of accomplishment.
Once they get going I would have a variety available in bins, answer sheets if needed, and any other materials. Students could have choice and work on small amounts, complete a full set of 30, or I would assign something specific. It is easy to create your own cards as well.
You can find them for a variety of skills and content areas. I found this simple tool to be fun, adaptable and effective for independent work. It was also easy to share and trade with other classes. Best part for me, students could work at their own pace-those that needed a challenge could get it and vice versa. On my website I have a variety for Math, mostly for 2nd-4th grade however, but thought it may be helpful if you are new to task cards.
I am clearly a fan. There are just so many ways to use this tool and adapt to content and embed with a variety of other tools and instructional strategies.
https://sites.google.com/view/coachescamp/classroom-resources/math?authuser=0
My Question-
What would be some effective uses for technology in the review process? Pros/cons? Things you have tried? Would like to try? Online resources?
Replying to Emily Mooney's question on review:
ReplyDeleteUse homework as review. I agree that it would be wonderful to review each day, but that seems unlikely. I try to go back many times and review things we covered even if it was months ago. I try to make it interesting and do a game or small challenge to see who remembers and can recall information we have already discussed. Pop quiz's can be used for review, but seem more like a punishment than a reward for learning. I'd use that method sparingly. I did find it interesting that the book said using pop quiz's or mock tests actually help reduce stress when taking the real test. Make reviewing fun and do it as often as you can!!
My Question:
I find that with young scholars, they often rely on rote memorization for learning alphabet, numbers, any much more. How can I encourage scholars to learn conceptually regardless of how questions are posed, instead of relying only on rote recall?
Response to Andrea Robinson's question:
ReplyDeleteI believe pop quizzes should be used as a check for understanding, NOT a grade. I have two main reasons for this thought. The first reason is that I don't think it's fair, especially for elementary level scholars, to quiz them over information they have not properly prepared for. The second reason is that these scholars get enough anxiety as it is preparing for assessments they ARE aware of. If I were to give them an assessment they weren't aware of and it was for a grade, their heads might explode. (:
My question: Research shows that when you are studying for a test, it is best to do it in small time increments followed by short breaks. Would it be beneficial in the classroom to review with scholars for 20 minutes, take a break, and continue that pattern, or just review for 45 minutes straight?