Testing compares with …

High stakes testing season is right around the corner. Both students and teachers are starting to feel the pressure. In recent posts, we have been highlighting Return on Investment ideas for learning and teaching. Today’s blog emphasizes the learning strategy that has the highest ROI. The strategy also takes little time.

According to Robert Marzano’s meta-analysis, the instructional strategy that has the highest effect on achievement is Identifying Similarities and Differences.* Comparison is one of the processes of this effective strategy and comparison takes little time.

When we learn anything, we compare. Most of the time, we compare naturally: we compare shapes of leaves to identify plants; we compare new vocabulary words to words we already know; we compare characters in movies to people we know.  Try consciously using comparison when learning difficult new material.  Ask yourself how the new math process compares (or contrasts) with a process you already know. Ask yourself how the complex science theory compares with a simpler theory that you already understand. Ask yourself how the main idea of paragraph one compares with the main idea of paragraph two. At this time of year we might ask ourselves how testing compares to learning. You get the idea:

Just fill in the blanks: How is ________________  similar to _____________ ? How is ______________ different than _______________?

When we teach anything, we can help learners explicitly compare. Provide a Venn diagram or T-chart or other graphic organizer to help learners get into the mindset of comparing and contrasting.  One online free source for graphic organizers is http://freeology.com/graphicorgs/

Using a strategy with high ROI is important in this testing season. Next time we will talk more about finding time with organization tips. You might be surprised at the thirty second organizational rule.

*Reference: Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock. Classroom Instruction that Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development, 2001. Print