Try This to Boost Student Test Performance
Here are three behaviors teachers can start doing today to help students respond academically to oral and written directives.
Step One: Stop asking who and where questions. This is a good first step for teachers. Both of these question words invite short, non-academic responses, and students figured out a long time ago how this game works. A first step for teachers is to write each of these interrogatives on cards and place them prominently on a wall. This serves as a reminder that these typical question words are now off limits.
Step Two: Stop asking what and when questions. Use the same technique as above to support the new behavior. Write the words on cards and display prominently. These question words are now also off limits.
Now we have eliminated these simple question words from classroom discourse. But how can we help teachers to begin issuing directives that match what students are going to encounter on tests?
Step Three: Have teachers craft a list of 20 of the most common directives students see on tests for their grade level. For most teachers, they can build this list in less than five minutes. Now, post that list –in big letters—on a wall in the classroom. Teachers now have a ready-to-use inventory of directives from which to draw during their instruction. And as a bonus, students see the list and become intimately familiar with all of these strange words that previously they only encountered once or twice a year. That’s a win-win-win!
The use of simple question words by teachers is not an easy behavior to change, but we have seen hundreds of teachers who saw the benefits of this behavior the first time they implemented it. For students, it will also be a change. But the immediate impact of these behaviors will be obvious to everyone. Look for these quick improvements:
Students think more before responding.
Students craft sentences that are longer and more complex.
Students’ sentences sound more academic.
The quality and depth of teacher-student language interaction improves.
It’s not too late! Getting teachers to focus on the behaviors we present in these test-preparation tips have shown to make immediate improvements in student outcome data. Contact us today to discuss how our comprehensive teacher training and in-class coaching programs can enhance your students’ language and literacy skills.
If you want new results, teachers need new skills. The time is now!