1 / 34

Testing in the Classroom: Using Tests to Promote Learning

Presentation at the Universidad Finis Terrae, Santiago, Chile<br><br>January 7, 2014<br>

richardpphelps
Download Presentation

Testing in the Classroom: Using Tests to Promote Learning

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Testing in the classroom: Using tests to promote learning Richard P. Phelps Universidad Finis Terrae, Santiago, Chile January 7, 2014

  2. Outline of talk Use Luz Marie Budge’s list

  3. 6) Information benefits of testing • For whom? Could be anyone – student, parent, teacher, school, public, postsecondary institution, employer, … • Information can be used beneficially in: • Diagnosis (of student, teacher, school, ….) • Alignment (to standards, schedule, each other, …) • Learning(by teachers, students) • Goodwill with public • Decisions (promotion, placement, selection, …)

  4. 6) Motivational benefits of testing – how are they measured? • In controlled experiments: • Ex. A) One group is told the test at the end of the course comes with a reward; control group told it does not count • Ex. B) One group is tested throughout course; control group is not • In large-scale studies--Graduates from regions with high-stakes tests compared to their non-tested counterparts: • By their relative performance on another, common test • Their relative wages after graduation • Their relative rates of dropout, persistence, attainment, … • “Backwash Effect” (e.g., students in states with high-stakes high school graduation tests perform better even on the 8th-grade level IAEP, TIMSS, or NAEP

  5. (1) Information: information is used for diagnosis (of students, teachers, schools) information is used for alignment (of standards, instruction, across schools or districts, “what is tested is what is taught” focuses student and teacher efforts on what counts Main types of benefits associated with standardized testing

  6. (2) Motivation: students, teachers, schools are motivated to demonstrate their competence (to themselves and to others) they are motivated to know more, now that they know where to concentrate their efforts they may be motivated by positive or negative consequences tied to their performance (e.g., grade-level promotion or retention, pay raise) Most of us respond to both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators and the proportion varies from individual to individual. High-stakes tests provide both forms of inducement. Main types of benefits associated with standardized testing

  7. Students tend to study more, and learn more, when it is: not known in advance exactly what will be tested (e.g.) Experiment comparing gains of students with “take-home tests” to those with “in class tests” -- the latter learned substantially more. when there is reinforcement of material already studied Mastery learning experiments of 19602—1980s: Students learn more when asked to recall what they have learned. Up to a point, the more students are made to actively process information, and describe it to others, the better they learn. Why tests?

  8. Meta-analysis • A method for summarizing a large research literature, with a single, comparable measure. World Association of Education Research, 17th Congress, Reims, June, 2012

  9. John Hattie’s Top Ten Student self-assessment/self-grading Response to intervention Teacher credibility Providing formative assessments Classroom discussion Teacher clarity Feedback Reciprocal teaching Teacher-student relationships fostered Spaced vs. mass practice

  10. John Hattie’s Second Ten Acceleration Classroom behavioral techniques Vocabulary programs Repeated reading programs Creativity programs Student prior achievement Self-questioning by students Study skills Problem-solving teaching Not labeling students

  11. John Hattie’s Third Ten Concept mapping Cooperative vs individualistic learning Direct instruction Tactile stimulation programs Mastery learning Worked examples Visual-perception programs Peer tutoring Cooperative vs competitive learning Phonics instruction

  12. John Hattie’s Bottom Eight Student-centered teaching Classroom cohesion Pre-term birth weight Peer influences Classroom management techniques Outdoor-adventure programs Home environment Socio-economic status.

  13. The effect of testing on student achievement: 1910-2010 Richard P. PHELPS

  14. Which predictors matter? World Association of Education Research, 17th Congress, Reims, June, 2012

  15. Ten Benefits of Testing and Their Applications to Educational Practice Roediger, Putnam and Smith Direct and indirect effects of testing Benefit 1: The Testing Effect: Retrieval Aids Later Retention Benefit 2: Testing Identifies Gaps in Knowledge Benefit 3: Testing Causes Students to Learn More from the Next Study Episode Benefit 4: Testing Produces Better Organization of Knowledge Benefit 5: Testing Improves Transfer of Knowledge to New Contexts Benefit 6: Testing can Facilitate Retrieval of Material That was not Tested Benefit 7: Testing Improves Metacognitive Monitoring Benefit 8: Testing Prevents Interference from Prior Material when Learning New Material Benefit 9: Testing Provides Feedback to Instructors Benefit 10: Frequent Testing Encourages Students to Study

  16. Frequent testing is good, …but so is spacing

More Related