2 Test Study Skills Tips for Math

One of the ways we are trying to vertically align between the 8th grade and the high school is to reduce the amount of teacher-generated study guides and test retakes during the 4th quarter of the 8th grade year.  Fading away some of the support seems appropriate

IF

I replace the support with training on how students should do this for themselves.  We're at the place where those learning targets, which have already organized lots of class .....are becoming even more important.

First, helping students go back through all their work and identify where they've learned each target is critical.  Sounds like something we've advocated before and it's what expert teachers have done.  What I continue to learn and re-learn is that processing information is valuable....and processing it when they are prepping for a test is really helpful to students.

I crack up when we talk about a concept...and I get those blank stares that say, "I don't remember that...when we do that?"   I make them search the textbook, their notes and worksheet until they find the Big "ah-ha's " of that learning target.  It's like a big light bulb goes off and then remember what we did and what they learned.

What I've added in that seems to be the second big tip is to build a concept map of each learning target.  We use each class' collective learning to add everything we've learned about that idea.  Where possible they connect ideas together...expand to include examples.  I think the visual nature of building this map really helps different kinds of learners.

Making these learning maps involve looking at the targets and prepping note cards for each topic.   That's not easy for them...and it really takes all their skills to stick with the task and work on it.

Most importantly....these techniques will build the student's ability to help themselves.  It would be easy for me to give them a study guide.  But it isn't in their best interest and I believe this is a better path to  travel.

 

Comments

[Cindy Cochran]

GREAT IDEA!

[Marlene M. Harris (@marlenemharris)]

Very interesting! Formerly I taught 9th grade Accelerated students but now teach 8th graders. Like you I realized the importance of transitioning 8th graders. One area that I have worked on is test time management. In our system, we have 75 minute classes in 8th grade but only 55 minutes in high school. High school teachers have commented that students have a hard time completing tests in the shorter time period. Second semester, I begin taking up tests at 60 minutes. We work on test taking skills such as not spending too much time on one question and being practiced and prepared (there is no time to re-discover concepts on a test). Thanks so much for your ideas on the matter. I love the idea of having them create a concept map and plan to implement this next year.

[Marsha Ratzel]

Dear Marlene,
Thanks for your reply.

I hadn't really considered time management....but it is important. "Back in the day", we used to teach a strategy called PIRATES. I can't remember what each letter stands for now, but one of them was to go thru, preview the test and plan out how much time you'd spend on each part. Time management was a part of that....and it really worked. I'm going to go back and try to pull that up. Great reminder and if I get the acryonmn down, I'll post it.

[Karen H]

Your test study skills are valuable and I would encourage teachers of younger students to implement them also. I teach advanced 5th grade math and feel it is important to teach students how to prepare for tests. I use these ideas, modeling them for every unit with a gradual shift to student independence in test prep during the course of the year. One additional technique that my students have noted to be helpful is that once the concepts have been identified, small groups of 2 or 3 students take one concept and teach it/review it for the class.

[Michelle]

I love the concept map idea. Does anyone have an example or two they would care to share?