Low stakes testing in the mathematics classroom
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This document discusses the use of low-stakes testing and retrieval practice in mathematics classrooms. It provides background on the history of low-stakes testing in GCSE mathematics assessments. It defines assessment for learning and discusses how feedback and relationships are important factors. Research that shows testing supports learning through retrieval practice is presented. The benefits of using mini-tests and examples of how they can be incorporated into lessons are also described.
Low stakes testing in the mathematics classroom
- 1. 1| Low Stakes Testing in the Mathematics Classroom Colleen Young
- 2. 2| Contents 3 13 21 28 39 page page page page page 63 84 page page Beginnings Assessmentfor Learning What MakesGreat Teaching? Relationships RetrievalPractice SurveyResults Research&Further References Colleen Young
- 3. 3| A little background… Where has this interest in testing / retrieval practice come from? Beginnings
- 4. 4| Beginnings At one time, an aural test was part of the GCSE assessment for AQA. Review of standards in mathematics: GCSE 1999–2004 and A level 1998–2004 March 2006 Ref: QCA/06/2348
- 5. 5| Beginnings Review of standards in mathematics: GCSE 1999–2004 and A level 1998–2004 In 1999 there was some variation across the awarding bodies in terms of the use of calculators. OCR had one calculator paper and one non- calculator paper at each tier, the only awarding body to do so at this time. AQA and CCEA had aural papers, designed to test candidates’ mental calculations, and calculators were not permitted in these.
- 6. 6| Beginnings Review of standards in mathematics: GCSE 1999–2004 and A level 1998–2004 March 2006 Ref: QCA/06/2348 By 2004, the use of calculators had become much more consistent, with each awarding body having one calculator and one non- calculator written paper at each tier. AQA and CCEA had dropped their aural papers. More emphasis should be placed in examinations on reasoning and problem-solving.
- 7. 7| This is the GCSE Maths Aural Test.... You may have nothing on your desk apart from a pen or pencil and your answer sheet. You may not use a calculator. You will hear each question twice and then you will then have a reasonable time in which to write your answer. Write your answer in the space provided on the answer sheet. If you need to jot anything down you should do so on your answer sheet. To answer some of the questions you will need to refer to a diagram or equation on your answer sheet. Aural Test is now starting
- 8. 8| Beginnings Extract from a practice test: Question 1 In a bag of sweets there are 5 chocolates and 6 toffees, if I pick a sweet at random what is the probability that it is a chocolate? 2 What is the probability that in two successive tosses of a coin you get a head each time? For the next three questions refer to the triangle on your answer sheet. 3 Angle A is a right angle, write down the value of tan C.
- 9. 9| Beginnings Extract from a practice test: Refer to the expression on your answer sheet. 6 Factorise the expression shown. 7 Multiply 5a2 by 3ab Refer to the diagram on your answer sheet 8 The length of AB is 6cm. Estimate the area of ABCD.
- 10. 10| Beginnings Extract from a practice test: Refer to the diagram on your answer sheet. 12 Sketch the graph of y=x3. Refer to the diagram on your answer sheet. 13 Starting from A and ending at D and not going through any point twice, write down all possible routes from A to D.
- 11. 11| Beginnings Extract from a practice test: Refer to the diagram on your answer sheet. 14 What is the equation of the straight line shown? Refer to the triangle on your answer sheet. 15 Calculate the length of the hypotenuse.
- 12. 12| Beginnings Doing practice aural tests in class proved to be a very useful way of revising any topic at all. Something I have used regularly with all my classes, long after they disappeared from the GCSE examination! Somewhere along the way they became known to my students as ‘Mini tests’, these can be as short as 5 minutes. Return to contents
- 14. 14| Assessment for Learning Assessment for learning, also known as formative assessment, is about: checking learning and giving constructive feedback that informs subsequent learning.
- 15. 15| Assessment for Learning The Assessment Reform Group (ARG) defines it as: “…the process of seeking and interpreting evidence for use by learners and their teachers to decide where the learners are in their learning, where they need to go, and how best to get there.” (ARG, 2002).
- 16. 16| Assessment for Learning Research (Hattie, 2002) shows that giving learners feedback on their learning errors and omissions, and getting them to correct them or work towards improving future work, is one of the most significant methods of improving their performance.
- 17. 17| Assessment for Learning Constructive feedback also has a profound influence on learners’ motivation and self-esteem (Black and Wiliam, 1999).
- 18. 18| Is the Feedback You’re Giving Students Helping or Hindering? If there’s a single principle teachers need to digest about classroom feedback, it’s this: The only thing that matters is what students do with it. No matter how well the feedback is designed, if students do not use the feedback to move their own learning forward, it’s a waste of time. (Wiliam, 2014).
- 19. 19| Add to that concept a second related principle: Feedback should be more work for the student than it is for the teacher. Teachers who internalize and practice feedback based on these precepts will be well on their way to teaching that improves learning. (Wiliam, 2014). Is the Feedback You’re Giving Students Helping or Hindering?
- 20. 20| Assessment for Learning Assessment and feedback is built in to all successful teaching and learning activities. Return to contents
- 21. 21| What makes great teaching? Review of the underpinning research. Robert Coe, Cesare Aloisi, Steve Higgins and Lee Elliot Major October 2014 What Makes Great Teaching
- 22. 22| What Makes Great Teaching? 1. (Pedagogical) content knowledge As well as a strong understanding of the material being taught, teachers must also understand the ways students think about the content, be able to evaluate the thinking behind students’ own methods, and identify students’ common misconceptions. What makes great teaching? Review of the underpinning research. Robert Coe, Cesare Aloisi, Steve Higgins and Lee Elliot Major October 2014
- 23. 23| What Makes Great Teaching? 2. Quality of instruction Includes elements such as effective questioning and use of assessment by teachers. Specific practices, like reviewing previous learning, providing model responses for students, giving adequate time for practice to embed skills securely and progressively introducing new learning (scaffolding) are also elements of high quality instruction.
- 24. 24| What Makes Great Teaching? Classroom climate (Moderate evidence of impact on student outcomes) “Covers quality of interactions between teachers and students, and teacher expectations.” What makes great teaching? Review of the underpinning research. Robert Coe, Cesare Aloisi, Steve Higgins and Lee Elliot Major October 2014
- 25. 25| Assessment for Learning However, the thing that really matters in feedback is the relationship between the student and the teacher. When teachers know their students well, they know when to push and when to back off.
- 26. 26| Assessment for Learning Moreover, if students don’t believe their teachers know what they’re talking about or don’t have the students’ best interests at heart, they won’t invest the time to process and put to work the feedback teachers give them.
- 27. 27| Assessment for Learning Ultimately, when you know your students and your students trust you, you can ignore all the “rules” of feedback. Without that relationship, all the research in the world won’t matter. (Wiliam, 1999). Return to contents
- 29. Should be passionate and enthusiastic. Patient. Understanding. Approachable. Firm but kind. Someone you can feel comfortable with. Recognises achievements. Genuinely caring about the students. Someone who knows who you are. Good Teachers...
- 30. Someone who you know won’t judge you. Expect the best out of your students, but don’t be angry if they don’t always achieve it. Check with students individually if they are stuck. They should be able to cater to all abilities. Good Teachers...
- 31. Lets you talk about the work in class. Praises students. Good Teachers... More on good teachers…
- 32. A teacher who provides the student with the opportunity to see what they need to revise. Regular tests and quizzes do this. Tests that don’t have further impact on levels / grades. Just there for you to know what you don’t know. What helps students learn?
- 33. Low stakes tests are really good because there is not much pressure and at the end of them I can see how I’m doing and what I need to improve on for later formal tests. Going through and marking tests / homework. What helps students learn?
- 34. What helps students learn?
- 35. What helps students learn?
- 36. Practice exam papers. Mark schemes (train them in marking!) Remember that we have a lot of subjects. Post tests (test after a formal test with questions the students found the most difficult) What helps students learn?
- 37. Diagrams and other visual aids. Online resources. Worked examples. Good notes Detailed explanations. Regular checking of answers. What helps students learn?
- 39. 39| The practice of retrieving information from memory. Retrieval Practice
- 40. 40| Students need to recall information and the evidence suggests that testing is a better way of doing this than simply rereading material, a method often favoured by students. Mini-tests are low stakes ‘Self-checks’ ,a learning tool, not something to be stressed by. Aristotle apparently wrote “exercise in repeatedly recalling a thing strengthens the memory.”
- 41. 41| Uses for Mini Tests • For reviewing one or a small number of topics • For reviewing several topics • As a revision tool for tests / exams • To provide a revision list • To check feedback from previous lesson • The Mini test format can in fact be used for more than just recall but also to help students make links between topics. Sophisticated questions requiring a deeper understanding can be asked.
- 42. 42| Mini Tests
- 43. 43| Mini Tests
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- 47. 47| Algebra Snippetts What’s the question? Discuss question paper terminology
- 48. 48| Examples – students work Expect clear marking and corrections
- 49. 49| Examples – students work
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- 53. 53| For Review during an investigation Painted Cube
- 54. 54| Examples – students work
- 55. 55| Examples – students work
- 56. 56| Examples – students work 15 is 25% of a number, what is that number? Good mathematicians can go backwards.
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- 58. 58| Examples – students work
- 59. 59| Yr 10–mini test to provide a revision list Rather than just telling them they need to revise bearings, ask a question.
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- 61. 61| Examples – students work
- 62. 62| A student’s comment on her achievement’s this year: Return to contents
- 63. 63| Student survey on the use of Mini Tests. July 2016 Survey Results
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- 84. 84| Research in 100 words Chris Moyse Research & Further References
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- 87. 87| Further References Improving Students’ Learning With Effective Learning Techniques: Promising Directions From Cognitive and Educational Psychology John Dunlosky, Katherine A. Rawson , Elizabeth J. Marsh, Mitchell J. Nathan, and Daniel T. Willingham What Works, What Doesn’t? Highlighting is a Waste of Time
- 88. 88| Further References Learning Scientists – June 2016 Learn How To Study Using Retrieval Practice Professor Robert Coe – June 2016 What is worth reading for teachers interested in research?
- 89. 89| Further References Belmont Teach 7 Recommendations to Improve Student Learning based on Pashier et al, 2007 – Organising Instruction & Study to Improve Student Learning Professor Robert Coe – June 2016 What is worth reading for teachers interested in research?
- 90. 90| Further References Henry L. Roediger III, Pooja K. Agarwal, Mark A. McDaniel, and Kathleen B. McDermott Washington University in St. Louis, 2011 Test-Enhanced Learning in the Classroom: Long- Term Improvements From Quizzing - 2011
- 91. 91| Further References “The phenomena reviewed in this chapter constitute compelling evidence that an item's state in memory is modified by its retrieval and, more importantly, that the extent of such modification is a function of the depth or level of the retrieval processes involved.” Retrieval as a Memory Modifier: an interpretation of negative recency and related phenomena. Robert A Bjork, 1975
- 92. 92| Further References This excellent piece by Tim Oates points out that our children are not over tested. He writes: People say that we are the most assessed school system in the world. This simply is not true. The sense of ‘most assessed’ derives not from the amount of formal testing, but its ‘high stakes’ nature…
- 93. 93| Further References Students often fail to distinguish between a formal, required national test, and a timed, ‘quiet’ test devised by the school. To them, it’s all testing. Tim Oates – Cambridge Assessment Blog 2016
- 94. 94| Colleen Young https://twitter.com/ColleenYoung Mathematics, Learning & Technology Mathematics for Students
- 95. Mathematics for Students Mathematics, Learning and Technology Colleen Young