![]() Students got so excited about the method that they often failed to really learn and understand the content. Improving Major Project Planning SheetsĪ few colleagues and I wanted to further embrace project-based learning, but we soon recognized that many students were not fully grasping the learning targets. – ESL students could attempt questions and identify the terms that were unclear. – Students were able to identify flawed questions. – Students were able to show a broader level of understanding. – It reduced stress levels for all students. This rather simple process had profound results: We therefore coined a process called “’I know I Am Close’ Multiple Choice” by which students who had narrowed their response down to two options were given the opportunity to explain why they were considering both answers. Improving Multiple Choice QuestionsĪ few colleagues and I noticed that multiple choice questions on tests were horribly flawed as a tool to measure understanding. – Exceptional learners clawing for every extra point chose retesting over lobbying. – At-risk learners readily approached retests because they were less daunting. – Previous quiz scores were rendered obsolete based on the new corresponding test section score. – Parent-teacher interviews were based on real data. – I could identify teaching areas that needed improvement. ![]() – Students could adapt review strategies to specific feedback. This new unit test/retest strategy provided me with tangible data corresponding to individual learning targets and was a game changer in my classroom. My last step was to design a “sister test” that mirrored the first one in every way, except with different questions, to serve as a retest for students who wanted to retake one or more sections. I decided to dismantle and rebuild my unit tests, dividing them into sections based on individual learning targets. What good is that information? My students needed to know how they were performing on each individual target and I needed to know how effectively I was I teaching each target. Telling a student that she had scored 72 percent on a WWII test containing a dozen targets was tantamount to my doctor informing me that I was 72 percent healthy following my physical. Historically, I provided students with a single score, on a 100-point scale, that supposedly reflected their mastery of an array of learning targets. Something else I never noticed was that my unit tests failed to give useful, specific feedback to kids. Struggling learners found that the clear targets provided greater focus and accessibility. Those students facing heavy course loads appreciated the efficient study guide. To fix this oversight, I started with one single Assessment for Learning element and established clear learning intentions for it.īased on Rick Stiggins’ work, I highlighted what students needed to know, reason, demonstrate, and produce. I never noticed that my learning targets were hidden from sight and actually quite nebulous should anyone succeed in uncovering them. Each one has helped me to see the need for change and enact it effectively. With that idea in mind, here are a few epiphanies I’ve had along the road to better teaching. In some respects, I could have titled the book Things I Never Noticed Before. My own experience in this area served as the impetus for writing Grading Smarter, Not Harder: Assessment Strategies that Motivate Kids and Help Them Learn. Grading Smarter Starts with Awarenessįor many teachers, what stands in the way of change is not a lack of willingness but a lack of awareness. I think the same issue exists in schools. It wasn’t that I was unwilling to fix my dog-chewed doorframe, but, ironically, I saw it so often that I did not actually see the problem. He suggested two changes for my home and, after I recovered from the subtle sting of criticism, I appreciated the analysis. This friend told me, “Myron, you don’t notice things that jump out at me immediately-you are oblivious to the familiar.” However, there is often an even bigger hurdle to leap when it comes to change-we simply don’t see the need for it.Ī home-improvement friend of mine suggested that I get someone unfamiliar with my home to point out things that could use a little TLC. ![]() We find ourselves entrenched in old habits, and, therefore, much of what we do is simply what we have always done.
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