Hi All,
I'm am looking for input on this, or to see whether something similar is already in use in any of your programs. Essentially it is a one-page survey of student weaknesses that could be completed by incoming remedial students after they finish their math placement test and after any level changes. The survey questions the students own perceived math shortcomings from a learning differences perspective rather than by subject. Ideally I would prefer to have the students go over their graded placement test question by question while they complete the survey, but I realize that giving the student access to the raw placement test results is not feasible for most. The completed surveys could be used by the instructor and students to guide their remedial instruction, and to supplement their VARK assessment. Below is a sample of the kind of questions I would like to use in the survey. I am afraid that the examples in parentheses may lead the student too much, but they still seem useful:
(Intake Survey for Math Orientation)
"Reflect for a moment on the math placement test you just completed. Try to remember some of the questions you struggled with. Do you believe your performance on this placement test is due to any of these factors? Carefully read the list & examples. Check all that apply to you.
- Not knowing what you are being asked to do
- Not knowing how to begin to solve problem
- Not knowing definitions of the terms of question (ex: What does Perimeter mean?)
- Knowing but confusing definitions of the terms of question (ex: Is Mean the same as Average?)
- Not knowing the all steps to solve problem (ex: forgot to carry the 1)
- Not able to say the steps to yourself as you solve the problem
- Not able to illustrate the problem by drawing a diagram
- Knowing steps but confusing the order of steps (ex: First multiply then add? First divide then Subtract?)
- Knowing steps but confusing the placement of numbers (ex: Outside or inside the box? Above or below the line?)
- Knowing steps but confusing direction of action (ex: Move decimal to the left or right?)
- Knowing steps but solving too slowly (ex: Adding repeatedly instead of multiplying, guessing and checking instead of knowing math facts)
- Knowing the steps but miscalculating the answer
- Other____________________________
Other may include the quality of student’s Health, Preparation, Attitude, & Instruction."
Note: This survey is just a project so far and has not been tested in a classroom setting. Thanks for your time and critical responses!
- Jesse Katrencik
More Than One Path To Math
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Comments
Students are often referred to me after they take placement test and don't do well.
Most of them don't recall enough to do this kind of analysis (a few do, though). I usually engage in a conversation about it to have a plan to approach the "doing better next time" task.
You said critical ... I'm going to be critical ... I could be very wrong -- this is just my gut reaction, based on my not very normal gut -- but this ... looks really depressing. "What do you think is wrong with you?"
On the other hand, maybe getting the student to just try to express "Did the results surprise you?" "Did anything on the test surprise you?" "what was frustrating?" "What was baffling" in their own words, maybe? I'm also thinking of the assorted research showing students performed worse if they were asked questiosn about oh, gender and other categories of people who are often considered less likely to do well on a math test... and other research that said they did *better* when they wrote a bit about their goals before being assessed. So ... I'm thinking I'd want something constructive and goal-oriented...
Again... just off-the-cuff comments worth every cent you paid for them...
Ha, you are correct about it being a little depressing, like a list of faults. I want them to be seen as obstacles, I guess, beyond the typical "I can't do fractions" or other subject related math self diagnosis. Maybe framing it as "Here are some things that others have found to be helpful to focus on" could help. I wouldn't want to put a list of symptoms in front of a hypochondriac, but I do want them to recognize some of these as factors in their current state of math understanding. Writing goals is a great idea, and maybe this survey could begin with a goal statement, then move to deciding which obstacles to target on the way, as stepping stones. Thanks for the insightful comment!
While your intent is to try to help the student I strongly feel this is not the way to assess that. Would we put someone who struggles with reading through these types of questions? I think not. Rather I would urge you first to look at the assessment you are using. Is it filled with procedural tasks with multiple choice answers giving the learner no chance to show what they do understand? We need to shift our focus on assessment to a more growth mindset type of approach. Jo Boaler has promoted the belief we all can learn math. The "I can't do math" needs to be replaced with "I can do math" once we develop a more conceptual approach to teaching math instead of relying on speed of answers as the capstone of knowing math. I would urge you to visit this site: https://www.youcubed.org/resource/assessment-grading/ to help redirect your thinking. The path and thinking about how to get to an answer is as valuable as the answer itself.
Thank you Pam, for your comment and links to Jo Boaler's work. I agree about the problems with multiple choice assessments, however those are the only types of intake/placement tests I've used. I would love the opportunity to place students using more open ended questions where it starts to become more obvious where the students are getting bogged down or confused, which can lead to rushing later to finish. As for her "No time limits" for testing, I'm not sure i agree with her on that point. On one hand, the time limits force a student to make decisions that hinder our evaluation of their true level of understanding and skill. On the other, it seems like you would be sheltering the student from the realities of the world to pretend that time is no obstacle. And no, I would not leave a student who struggles with reading to complete this survey on their own. However, I believe replacing the "I can't do math" attitude can't be done until the student becomes aware of the true procedural obstacles that may be in their way, and turn them into stepping stones for the student to achieve their math goals.. The procedural frameworks give support to the concepts for many students in adult remedial classes. For me, that "All students can learn Math" is a given. But they all struggle for different reasons, many not directly related to their level of conceptual understanding. This survey is intended to help students realize where their framework is not supporting those concepts.