On Becoming a Canadian: facts, figures and formative assessment
This past summer I wrote my Canadian citizenship test. Long silent lines snaked from room to room. The test-takers were eventually seated in rows — an empty chair between each person. We were handed a standard issue pre-sharpened pencil. We were told that if we talked during the test, we would fail. If we looked at someone else’s test, we would fail, along with the poor soul whose test we allegedly looked at.
The test consisted of 20 multiple-choice questions. Some were simple — an answer jumped out. Others were tricky – slight variations on a theme.
What fascinated me about this process was not the test taking itself, but the process of preparing for the test. While I do not have a degree in History, I was pretty sure I could read the “Discover Canada” booklet a bunch of times and learn everything I needed to know. After all, it was just 50 pages of discrete facts.
So I set about to make sense of this static information. What strategies could I use to pull the content off the page and make it stick? Here is what I did:
- Emailed one daily Random Canadian Fact to a group of friends
- Made notes on my iPhone; reviewed them whenever and wherever I wanted
- My kids quizzed me on the phone facts
- Talked about it with others
- Created mnemonics to remember lists of facts such as Canadian rights
- Looked up important people, ie. David Johnston to link his face with his role
What would YOU do?
How Often Do Your Students Practice Without Penalty?
One strategy in particular struck me as especially important. The online practice tests allowed me to practice without penalty. I could take the test often and was given immediate feedback. Any wrong answers and I would go back and look up the information. I did this many times, until the night before the test when I finally got my first perfect score. The ideas of allowing our students to practice without penalty, and giving them timely, specific feedback while there is still an opportunity to improve are key pieces of formative assessment.
Continue reading Promoting Powerful Learning, eh?
