Once again, I'm reminded of worksheets (such as some phonics or math practice worksheets) and how we just tend to look through what they're actually doing, forgetting to examine what they *are* doing (as compared to what we wish they'd do or what we think they do at first glance).
Filling in sample items alone serves only 1 purpose: assessment. Scoring the sample items shows the teacher who can take that particular test. It doesn't, however, do anything to TEACH kids to take tests, which is what taking sample tests is purported to do. This is exactly what many phonics worksheets do and what all math computation worksheets do: test whether given children can do whatever phonics skill or computation skill you need kids to do. If the teachers and students actually teach/learn those skills, it will have to be done outside of the worksheet, then it can be tested by the worksheet. But let's not confuse assessing with teaching. Same with sample tests. If you administer them and score them, you'll probably know how each of your kids do at taking that test. But SOMETHING will have to be done to teach them if we want to raise performance on tests. Discussing sample items, discussing why one choice was eliminated and how one item is a better answer than another - modeling mental processes - think alouds - guided practice ...all these have the potential to teach test taking, which is an altogether different skill than assessing test-taking which administering sample item pre-tests does. I'm glad to read these reviews. Thanks to those who do this for us. Bev On Thu, Oct 30, 2008 at 9:34 AM, Katie Stover <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>wrote: > First of all, everything I've read in this book affirms my belief about > teaching and test preparation. I do not feel that preparing for tests means > getting out sample released items and answering them. That is just busy > work. Besides, what good does that do for students? How is that teaching > them anything? This book however demonstrates how to incorporate test > preparation in an authentic way by encouraging students to use thinking > strategies and by pointing out (both explicitly and implicitly) how test > formats may vary from other genres. > > I too liked how the authors connected to various content areas. I love the > example on pg. 75 of how "Mathematicians... Create Sensory Images." > Extending students thinking in their work as test takers can be an easy > transition if students are already familiar with making inferences as > scientists, mathematicians, readers, historians, etc. > > The "Stories From the Classroom" were a great way to see how it can be put > into practice in the classroom. I enjoyed reading about what the authors > have done with real students. > > If this book interests you, I may also recommend, Test Talk by Greene & > Melton. > > Katie Stover > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "gina nunley" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Friday, October 24, 2008 2:00 PM > Subject: [MOSAIC] "Put Thinking to the Test" book review > > > This is the first post from the Mosaic Professional Book Review Team on >> thebook "Put Thinking to the Test" by Lori L. Conrad, Missy Matthews, >> CherylZimmerman, Patrick A. Allen. Foreword by Ellin Oliver Keene. The book >> ispublished by Stenhouse: http://www.stenhouse.com/0731.asp. Since the >> day high stakes testing darkened the door of my classroom Iconsidered >> totally ignoring the test, and simply clinging to the notion that >> goodteaching would prove itself on test day. In moments of panic and doubt I >> also thought about creating anentire unit around the test genre. In the end >> neither approach seemed satisfying orfair to my students. I feel like I >> discovered a gold mine when I was reading "Put Thinking to theTest." I >> realize the focus is on bridging the disconnect between classroomstrategic >> reading and showing proficiency on reading test passages, but there were so >> many originaland new ways to teach metacognition that it became a tool kit >> for reading comprehension any day of the week. >> >> Powerful StrategiesI loved the continual focus on students noticing and >> thinking...the way the authors led kids totheir own analysis and ownership >> of thinking about whatever genre was infront of them. There is a consistent >> theme about monitoring the kids and then allowing them tocreate the teaching >> points. (P.16,26) Wow.exploring poetry through tests! The Venn diagram >> comparing the two was"deep" as it led the kids to notice their thinking >> about poetry will need tochange on the test (page 33) On page 102 there is a >> model of a great visual, a time line, for teacher andstudents to track their >> thinking through a piece. The idea of making connections can be a bit sticky >> when students bring nobackground knowledge to the material. Problems also >> arise when theirbackground knowledge would mislead them rather than >> enlighten, and we knowthis happens on test passages. The lessons about >> teaching students to decidewhen to ignore their own schema were the first of >> that kind that I have everseen. (P. 118-119) I think what most impressed me >> was the intelligent use of testing passageswhich honored sophisticated >> thinking, rather than distilling it to somesurface level list of tips on how >> to outsmart the test maker. I think it is rare to find a book that >> illuminates my perspective on acontroversial subject and becomes one of >> those activity books that I milk allyear long. Gina >> _________________________________________________________________ >> Want to read Hotmail messages in Outlook? The Wordsmiths show you how. >> >> http://windowslive.com/connect/post/wedowindowslive.spaces.live.com-Blog-cns!20EE04FBC541789!167.entry?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_hotmail_092008 >> _______________________________________________ >> Mosaic mailing list >> [email protected] >> To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to >> http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. >> >> Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. >> >> >> > > _______________________________________________ > Mosaic mailing list > [email protected] > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > > _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. 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