AnneKcam: Test, learn, teach

Monday, April 2, 2012

Test, learn, teach

Yesterday, somewhere, on the MAGIC of Twitter I read a post along the lines of test, learn, teach! It really spoke to me and today I witnessed MAGIC in my class.
We have completed all our standardised testing. After marking and analysing the tests, I realised that the teaching was only just beginning.
I began this morning by carefully grouping my learners according to how they scored on Maths PAT. In small groups they worked their way back through the PAT test. Their brief was to discuss each question and come to agreement over the answer, teaching each other along the way. I worked with a group but had to tear myself away to roam around and listen to the power of the conversations. I was in awe of the discussion, the negotiation, the trial and error drawing, the persistence to get the correct answer. I witnessed delight in working out where they were getting it right and where they had gone wrong. I witnessed learners explaining problem solving approaches in a confident, easy-to-understand way. I witnessed collaboration and persistence.
What I learnt today - Let the learners learn! It would have been so easy for me to mark and file the PAT tests. It would have been so easy for me to show the learners their results and file the PAT tests. It would have been so easy for me to show the learners their results, then give them the answers so they could see where they need to work.
Today though, was pure magic, they own the learning of today. Yes, of course we have lots of learning and teaching to go to reach our goals, but today was a gigantic step in the right direction.
We need to do a whole lot more testing, learning then teaching.