Cooperative Learning Strategies for Review, Part 2

Ideas in Education: Using Cooperative Learning for Review, Part 2

As a teacher, one of my least favorite times of the year was test review season. One of the reasons why: I wasted students' time with practice tests. Students took the test; then we went over the answers. It confirmed what I knew and what they knew. In my case: some students struggled with maps, graphs, and visuals. Almost everyone would benefit from a quick review of the world's religions/philosophies. They weren't confident on Great Zimbabwe, Western African Kingdoms, and pre-Colombian civilizations simply because we didn't spend much time on these, and some of the more obscure questions about Greek playwrights and inventors tripped them up). 

For many students, their scores on the practice test confirmed that they were in good shape for the SOL. For others, however, it confirmed their sense of dread and added to their anxiety. 
 
All-in-all, for most it was a waste of time. 

The good news: practice tests and review don't need to be a waste of time, if done right.

I highlighted some strategies last week, and here are some other strategies to make reviewing more effective and meaningful.



Using Practice/Review Tests 
The above isn't to suggest that practices tests have no part in reviewing. Here the focus is on maximizing their value as an assessment for learning tool and building metacognition and content learning. 

1. Students take the quiz/test. 
2. Students self-check their answers or trade with a partner for peer checking.
3. Students work in teacher-created groups (one stronger student in each group) to correct AND diagnose their answers. This includes Why did I get this wrong? What types of questions was I getting wrong? Where do I/we need to improve? You may include having students graph/chart/categorize this information by SOL strands, themes, etc. and then use this information to group students, determining what to re-teach or review, or for some of the other ideas included below. 
4. Provide an opportunity for students to show improvement and build confidence. This could include having them only do the questions they got wrong or grouping students and having them explain to peers the questions they got wrong and the right answer. There are some great opportunities for re-grouping and flexible grouping with this approach. 

Student review groups
This strategy can stand alone or you can use the data from the review test or another method of grouping, to have students review and teach each other.

1. Working in groups, students write questions and answers or complete a graphic organizer or poster on one topic. 
2. Groups swap and/or circulate their questions/answers and/or information with other groups. 
3. If using questions, the answers are passed back to the original group for checking and re-teaching. After this occurs, the second group tries again.

Race to the Top Game

This is a worthy means of reviewing while also instill a collaborative climate with a touch of competition. 

1. Each team is given a topic from the year. As a team, they will devise a set number of questions and answers for that topic. These should be short answer type questions. It may be helpful to require the students to refer to Bloom's taxonomy or something similar to ensure their questions require some mix of higher-order questions. 
2. Check their work. 
3. Have the groups create cards with their questions and answers. Alternatively, have them enter this into a spreadsheet that can be used to create flashcards or a similar tool. 
4. Create the cards and a game board (don't really need a board for each partner group). For every five cards, add a space. So if there are 20 cards, you will have 24 spaces. Every fifth space is a stopping point. 
5. Provide cards from each topic to student partner groups. Have the partners split the cards evenly. 
6. Student A asks Student B five questions. If Student B gets a question correct, he gets the card and puts at the bottom of his stack, so he will ask Student A the question later. Student B moves one space. If Student B gets the question wrong, it is place to the side. 
7. After 5 questions, switch roles. 
8. After both students have asked/answered five questions, they review the missed questions and ask them again. 
9. The next five questions are asked. 
10. Continue until both students are finished with all questions and get to the top. 

Important Dates and Information and SOLs

Monday & Tuesdsay: SOL Training Sessions before and after school, Re-test/Transfer students begin testing (see Monticello Outlook Calendar or Cindy's email for students) 

Tuesday: 8am AVID Site Team Meeting 

Wednesday: Continuation of SOL Re-test/Transfer 

Thursday: Leadership meeting &  Continuation of SOL Re-test/Transfer 

Friday: Continuation of SOL Re-test/Transfer; Club Day and Job Fair (see below)

Job Fair On Friday: In partnership with Virginia Career Works, we are hosting a job fair here from 9:45-12:15. Students will be able to attend the job fair during club period (sign up in adaptive scheduler) and during lunches (no sign-up required). It will be in the auditorium atrium. Please share this with your 1A classes so they can sign up!

Expected companies:

At Home Care
Bojangles
Farmington County Club
Charlottesville Aquatics
Doubletree Hotel
Express Employment Pros
Goodwill of the Valleys
Monticello
People Ready (18 year olds)
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Program (WIOA)
UVA Temps
UVA Talent Flexibility Team
Aramark (18 year olds)
Grounds Maintenance
Mathnasium of Charlottesville
Chick Fil A
Brooks YMCA **
Boars Head Aquatics**
Census 2020 (18 year olds)
Sentara Martha Jefferson
Panera Bread
CATEC Summer Programs**
ServPro
Marshalls
Belk**
Timberwood**
Shadwells**
Management Services Corporation**
Raising Canes**

**Waiting for Confirmation from Employer to attend

Job Opportunity for Teachers: As you may know, the Census is here. Much of the work will take place in July and August, but may extend into October. A hiring representative from Census 2020 will be present at the job fair, so feel free to stop by or email Ms. Terrell for more information. 

20-year Past and Present Staff Celebration: May 2 at Carter's Mountain from 5-9. Please bring your lawn chairs, blankets, etc. Friends and family welcome! Food and beverages for purchase.
 

 

Field Trips, Performances

May 3: In house previews of Once on this Island.

Friday: Club Day & Job Fair

Birthdays

April 30: Louise Weaver
May 3: Michael Schafer and Kelsey Terpay
May 4: Mary Morales

 

Useful Information

Bell Schedules : http://bit.ly/MOHSbells

FAC Form

To add to Monticello-Outlook, School Calendar, PowerSchool Daily Bulletin

Morning Announcement Stream: http://streaming.k12albemarle.org/ACPS/links.htm

Announcement Request 

Athletic team schedules, rosters, etc. 

Teacher Handbook  

We’ve got something new! Want something included on the Monticello Outlook Calendar, the Monticello website, in the PowerSchool Daily Bulletin, or the student newsletter (viewed by parents, students and staff)? Please use this link https://goo.gl/forms/bIjfJLKokWPcEHx33  

Student, Staff, Student of the Month Form

Worth Your Time

Girl born with no hands wins national handwriting contest 

 

The other segregation: focus is on division between schools, while tracking has created a separate and unequal education system within single schools 

A lot of the focus on this article is on gifted education. 

Here are the numbers for Monticello's Gifted Student Population (numbers exceed 100% because of different ways of calculating)

 

2.19%	African American
2.73%	Black/African American and White
3.28%	Asian
4.37%	Asian and White
85.79%	White
6.01%	Hispanic

 Teacher didn't punish girl caught napping, his response has the internet talking