Can We Make Learning Visible on Tests?

Testing and Reggio Emilia are clearly two ideas that seem to be philosophically incompatible. Yet given the context that I am working in, I asked the question can we use tests to demonstrate learning? It became apparent to me during parent teacher interviews that there are a number of students that, despite their time in school (10 to 11 years), cannot recognize the gaps that they have in terms of the content they are required to know or the skills they need to write a test. In addition, they seem not to have any idea why they are not successful, and are at a complete loss. They have yet to be empowered to improve in this area. Listening to the desperation in their voices and seeing the tears in their eyes as I state to them that clearly they want to do well, they are working extremely hard, yet the performance on these evaluations is really not a representation of their effort or desire to do well. It was after a period of time of reflection that I asked myself: “What do I do to help students better understand what these examinations are telling them?” , “How can I support them and uncover gaps that they have in their learning, specifically in their preparation for these academic displays?”

As a result of these questions I began to apply an approach of self-evaluating performance on tests for students. I started small. My first attempt at bringing out their learning was during a quiz. Upon completion of the quiz we corrected it together. Students were given the opportunity to talk with others in the class and share their quizzes. “The answer is out there in the class. Find someone who got it right”, I stated. Students milled about talking to friends and classmates, trying to determine why they got certain questions wrong. I remind them: “Ask yourself, why did I not get this question?”

Emerging from the moment were three simple questions which I have been using with students to help them evaluate their work: 1. Did I have the background knowledge to answer this question? If not, why not? 2. If I did have the background knowledge, what was it about the question that I did not understand, was it the question that I did not understand? What is it about this question that I did not get?” 3. Did I just make silly mistakes? If so, what can I do next time when I write a quiz or test to ensure that I do not make the same silly mistakes?

Asking these three questions is important but more important is taking the opportunity to make their learning visible for themselves. To do this I extended this activity to unit exams, asking students to write on their tests after getting the corrected test back. I asked them to write beside each incorrect response why they got it wrong. Was it because they made a silly mistake? Was it a result of not having the back ground knowledge? Was it because the question itself tripped them up? Taking the time to write out the reason why they got the questions wrong gives them an opportunity to see that they need help in test taking; they need help ensuring that they are studying properly or they need to be more careful when writing tests. After completing this self-evaluation I asked the students to write themselves a letter about the test. In the letter I asked them to give themselves hints about what they need to do differently for the next test as well as ideas about what to study at the end of the year for their final exams.

The feedback that I received from students about this approach to documenting learning after a semester was very positive. I gave them a survey at the end of the term and asked students to “Describe what you found most helpful in this course.” Students responded with answers like:, “I found that your teaching style in the aftermath of an exam, writing down how we can improve, greatly increase my awareness” and “I liked going over my unit exams to see how I did, and write notes to myself about what I need to pay extra attention on.” It is clear to me that taking the time to have a student document “the why” of their performance on any test is valuable to student learning. Providing these questions as a framework as a starting point is clearly important. Having students articulate why they did not perform well is a great starting point for them to see that they need help on test writing, they need to improve in their studying or need to be more aware of making silly mistakes. When it comes to taking a test, the devil is in the details and students need to be aware of that. Documentation helps to make this visible for students.

References

Jaruszewicz, C. (2006). Opening windows on teaching and learning: Transformative and emancipatory learning precipitated by experimenting with visual documentation of student learning. Educational Action Research, 14(3), 357-375.

Turner, T. and Wilson, D. G. (2010). Reflections on documentation: a discussion with thought leaders from Reggio Emilia. Theory Into Practice, 49(1) 5-13.