On Twitter, we've been reading the book Make It Stick (You can read the archived chat under the Book Chat tab above). For the past 5 years or so, I've been very focused on assessment and grading and this summer is no exception. What I really find interesting is how one book will lead to another book (or 3 or 4 books) and they all seem to tie together.
While reading Make It Stick, I've also read Rethinking Homework and Rethinking Grading, both by Cathy Vatterott. While reading all of these books, I've been trying to think about how to create retrieval practice opportunities that aren't tied to a quiz or quiz-like structure. I am more certain than ever that I want to use the Multiple Choice Mondays and the weekly skills check, but I've also been thinking about exit tickets and reflection tools as mentioned in Make It Stick.
As a reflection tool at the end of a chapter, I plan to hand out a self-assessment tool with the chapter objectives listed on it and ask students to tape it into their notebook:
Students will self assess for the objectives for that quiz, then do some sort of "brain dump" activity on the rest of the page. Some ideas for a "brain dump" would be a One-Minute Paper, a Concept Map, etc just to see what they recall about the chapter.
What are some ways that you practice retrieval in your classroom?
I can't remember if we talked about this, but this past year I typically opened with 2-3 past MC questions. I would pull up a practice exam on the Smart Board, pick a few questions that I knew the kids had the knowledge to do, and then had them discuss with each other. It wasn't for a grade, but they always seemed to take it seriously...which actually surprised me a little...
ReplyDeleteSimilar to Rebecka, I'm planning on starting each class with a few multiple choice questions. I'd like to do it via Kahoot (although I know that limits me to just four answer choices instead of the preferred five). That way I have instant data from each class on who gets it and who doesn't. I'm also planning on using it as an engagement and a get to class on time strategy. Thinking that a monthly "leaderboard" for partners will keep kids interested.
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