When I first started teaching, reviewing for a test meant one thing. I would stand at the front of the room and reteach each unit, section by section. I would carefully annotate important points and questions that would likely be on the assessment. After reteaching the material, I would hand out a large packet of questions for students to work on. I found that while this helped some students, many students were either bored or confused. If they didn't understand it the first time, hearing me teach it again the same way probably wasn't helping. If they already understood the material then listening to me teach it again was not helping them learn it any better. I recently ran across a couple of blog posts from MathMedic reminding me of why I do things differently now.
My Mathematics 10 class recently reviewed for a unit test and now we're reviewing for a cumulative assessment on the first half of the course. I typically start with some individual self-assessment where students can review outcomes and identify areas where they need additional practice or review. Next I give students a variety of ways to practice the areas they identified for themselves. Then I like to finish with a (hopefully) fun review game to wrap things ups. Student Self-AssessmentFor our Relations and Functions assessment review, I started with an overview of the outcomes for the unit so students could identify areas where they needed additional support.
Another way we reviewed was to have students in small groups at vertical whiteboards make a list of the most important topics, formula and skills from each unit. This ends up being a study sheet. After groups complete it, they share with the class to see if any groups has something that would benefit everyone. I then collosidated all of these into one class sheet that could be shared on our Google classroom. Individualized ReviewAfter this, I gave them some options to reivew and practice the areas they identified as a challenge. Sometimes this looks like the day in class we practiced domain and range.
Students that want to hear the topic being taught again have lots of options online. There are tons of YouTube channels full of teachers providing lessons on specific topics. I recently found out that a teacher from my school has his own YouTube channel with videos from our curriculum (way to go Mr. Boudreau!). There are also videos on the Nova Scotia Homework Hub, the CEMC Waterloo Courseware site, and many others. Group ReviewTo finish off, I like to play a class game where students work together to study and have some fun while doing it. A game like math basketball is a favourite in my class. We've also done self checking activities like Add 'Em Up or a Scavenger Hunt. Today for the last class of the semester before our assessment, we had a "math market" activity. Students can "buy" questions of different difficulty levels and topics from the market and "sell" solutions back for a profit.
Hopefully students learn lots and find class challenging. I still have lots to learn about teaching and am really trying new things out with my class this year. Let me know if you have a favourite review activity I should know about.
Have you ever had a student look at you like you're talking in a foreign language during a math lesson? It happens. Sometimes there are gaps in students' prior knowledge. Sometimes students need more time to process a new concept in order to construct and develop their understanding. Sometimes I haven't explained something clearly and I need to think of a new approach to tackle this topic. When I encounter those blank stares, I think, "That's Numberwang." Numberwang is a skit from That Mitchell and Webb Look, a British sketch comedy show from 2006. If you've never seen it, take a two minutes to watch a video of this skit. The premise of the skit is that while the presenter and contestants seem to understand the rules perfectly, they are completely inscrutable to the viewer. We're left scratching our heads in confusion just like our students sometimes do in class. Delve!So what do you do when you sense that students in your class are not getting it? I suggest that you invest some time to uncover your students' thinking. As Guildenstern implores in Tom Stoppard's play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, "Delve. Probe the background, establish the situation." Take the opportunity check in with students to determine their level of understanding. Here are some strategies you might use:
Reflect and RespondOnce you have a better picture of the misunderstandings and misconceptions that may be present in your class, you can plan your next steps. Was there really a misunderstanding or did you make assumptions about prior knowledge that weren't true? Were just a few students struggling or was it a commonly held misconception? Tracy Zager, in her book Becoming the Math Teacher You Wish You'd Had, writes, "If just a few students were confused, she could work with them individually. If there was a really interesting mistake, or patterns among the misunderstandings she saw, she could use those examples as her next teaching opportunity." When I see those "Numberwang" looks I am reminded that even a well planned lesson can sometimes miss the mark. Reflecting on how a lesson went and how I can improve it helps me refine my teaching practice and be more responsive to students' needs. Don't let those "Numberwang" moments go by ignored. Matt Larson, in his August NCTM president's message, wrote "Making mistakes, getting feedback from our colleagues, and making iterative improvement are part of the natural process of continual growth. We should never forget that perseverance isn't just for students—perseverance also applies to us as professionals." EL
High school exams in Nova Scotia (grade 10-12) typically run in the second to last week in June. This is the time that grade 9 students are writing some exams as well. The week prior to exams is often set aside by teachers for a cumulative review. This is a time to revisit the curriculum outcomes, consolidate learning and make final connections. What teachers do with this review time can vary greatly from class to class. Many teachers create a booklet of review questions that cover the main topics from the course. This can be a helpful resource for some students but not all that engaging. Here are some additional ideas for reviewing outcomes that might increase student engagement and allow for some differentiation.
No matter how you decide to review for the exam, by the time you get to exams, "the hay is in the barn". Here is a note from Alberta Education... "The best way to prepare students for writing the achievement test is to teach the curriculum well and to ensure that students know what is expected. Many of the skills and attitudes that support test writing are, in fact, good skills and strategies for approaching all kinds of learning tasks." EL
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