Algebra 1 had their first unit test on expressions and equations.
The first thing I tried was an idea I got from Howie Hua (@howie_hua) on Twitter. He gives his students 5 minutes before a test to talk about the test - without pencils - with classmates. He says it lowers test anxiety and results in "rich" math-talk (I LOVE math-talk).
Many other teachers have used his idea, and they have all posted glowing tweets from the experience.
So I tried it. I called it "Test Turn & Talk." I told students they had to stay in their seats and could talk to the classmates around them.
I knew right away it was beneficial when students read the first question and I heard, "What's a coefficient?" from a couple of students. I heard students talk about making sure they looked at the last questions of the test. A couple of students didn't say anything to anybody. Students probably spent about 3 minutes actually talking about the test; after that, the conversations turned decidedly non-mathematical.
I liked the process. Those who had forgotten what a "coefficient" is would have been stumped on the first question, and that would likely have affected their performance on the whole test. I could sense confidence and calmness as students had the chance to look at and even talk about the test before they started.
As I read about Howie's practice last year, I wondered if it could be applied to some sort of test correction procedure.
So I tried another something new the day after the test.
I marked the tests the day they were turned in. With highlighter. I didn't write any "points off" or what grade students had made. If they missed any part of any question, the question got highlighted.
The next day I passed the tests back to the students. I gave them an official "Test Corrections" sheet (using the same one I blogged about last year). The sheet forces them to explain what they did wrong the first time AND makes the corrections easier to grade because they're all nice and organized.
After receiving their tests, students had 10 minutes to work individually. They could consult their notes and ask me clarifying or directional questions (although I told them I would not find their mistakes for them or tell them how to rework the problems).
Then students were given 5 minutes of "Turn & Talk" time. They had to put their pencils down (we found that under the desk was better) and they could talk about their tests/corrections/work. They, once again, had to stay in their seats.
We repeated the process 3 times.
There was lots of great math-talk. I heard lots of "OOOHHHHH!" as lightbulbs came on. I heard students share strategies for problems I might not have thought of.
After corrections, I regraded the tests - with the corrected problems - and gave students "points back" from what they would have earned had the tests been given a grade the first day.
The overall result of the two days of different forms of "Turn & Talk"? Happy students and a happy teacher.
I gave a reflection on the third day asking students what they thought about each thing: "Turn & Talk" before the test and "Turn & Talk" mixed in with individual work time for test corrections.
For the pre-test "Turn & Talk," students mentioned feeling more confident and less overwhelmed.
For the test corrections process, students mentioned really understanding why they had missed problems (win!). They, of course, loved being able to improve their grade. One student said it was his/her favorite thing a teacher has ever done.
As for suggestions from the students, they wanted more time to "Turn & Talk," and they want to be able to use their pencils during "Turn & Talk" time; they also would like to be able to move around the room. Right now, I like the 5 minutes. I also like the no-pencil policy; I don't want students simply copying from someone else, and I like that they have to process and remember what they discussed with peers when they return to their work. As for "Walk & Talk" (as one student called it)...I'm not sure. I want them to work with the students around them (their seats change all the time), and I don't want the whole class to mob the one kid they are confident will know how to do everything.
One student suggested a couple of minutes of individual time before "Turn & Talk" time for the pre-test. I like that idea. When I first told students to "talk" before the test, they sort of looked at each other and didn't know where to start.
I REALLY liked having tests AND corrections graded and posted in 2 days. A big reason for this is the 10-question assessments from this bundle along with this curriculum guide from Rise Over Run that I am using and loving this year. It deserves an eventual post of its own, but 10 great (editable) questions that tell me everything I need to know is a great way to do tests!
