Bloom: Success on Standardized Tests - Performance Education

Bloom: Success on Standardized Tests
[AZ-1001]

$24.95

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The rules of the game

How would you like to be given a hockey stick and thrown onto a hockey field . . .
Without knowing the rules of the game?
Without any practice in the sport?

"No fair!", you say.

Well, that’s exactly how it is for students.
They are handed a No. 2 pencil and put in a room to take a standardized test –
Without ever knowing the rules of the game.
Without ever practicing the sport.

Here's the secret, The professionals who write the state standards and the standardized tests have been trained in two things:
1. the curriculum, and
2. Bloom’s taxonomy.

Standardized tests are not designed based on a general idea of critical thinking.
They are written using a very specific mode of critical thinking - Bloom's Taxonomy.

Recall - Recall the facts and define them (memorization, rote learning)
Interpret - Translate the facts into your own words
Apply - Apply the rules to a new situation
Analyze - Break down the facts
Synthesize - Add up the facts
Evaluate - Judge whether the facts measure up to a high standard

Consequently, students need to become proficient in all six ways of thinking.
They need daily practice in Bloom’s taxonomy . . .

How it works

Students work in groups.
The class examines ONE concept . . . from six different points of view:
Recall, Interpret, Apply, Analyze, Synthesize, Evaluate
Students display their strengths.
Those who memorize well . . . serve as models for those who cannot.
Those who interpret well . . . serve as models for those who cannot.
And so on.
Students improve upon their weaknesses.
Students become proficient in all six levels of Bloom’s taxonomy.
And do well on standardized tests.

The assumption is simple. If you truly understand a concept, you can demonstrate it in six different ways.
In short, the test requires students to manipulate the facts.
Brain research supports this assumption; the more ways we examine things, the more connections (or neural traces) the brain makes, the easier it is to remember and understand something.
Is it time for you to try a new approach to classroom management and strategy? If so, this book is for you!