Raising the Rigor by Depka Eileen;

Author:Depka, Eileen;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Solution Tree
Published: 2017-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Using the KISS Principle

We started this chapter by identifying that there are some students who lack the background knowledge required to be successful in school unless we provide supports to create a level playing field. While I acknowledge the crucial need to increase vocabulary and build background knowledge, I suggest that asking for simplicity of vocabulary yet sophistication of thought can also help us establish a foundation that promotes higher-level thinking independent of the other strategies we need to employ. (This includes the use of the Bloom’s taxonomy verb list shared in table 2.3, page 30.) Students need to know the meaning of the words before we use them to assess.

How do we keep it simple, silly (KISS)? The length of the questions we use and the vocabulary within them can support or negatively impact a student’s ability to respond. This is not to say that we don’t want to increase student vocabulary within our instruction. It also does not indicate that we want to avoid content-specific vocabulary once we are confident that students know and understand the words we are using. It does mean, however, that we want to structure questions in such a way that if students understand the content, they are able to respond to the question. To avoid confusion, we ask questions in a way that is understandable and employs vocabulary we are confident is already understood.

If we are assessing the knowledge of specific vocabulary, we need to include it. However, if we are not yet confident that students understand the words we are using, we wouldn’t want to include the word in another question that requires the student to know it in order to respond. Test the vocabulary first, then assess their deeper understanding of the word as related to the content. For example, if the statements “Define photosynthesis” and “Draw a diagram illustrating the process of photosynthesis” are both within the same test, a student who can’t do the first will be unable to do the second. Consider assessing in smaller chunks to help guarantee success with the content vocabulary. In this case, we would want to make sure students can define the word, and then on a follow-up test ask that they draw the diagram.

When the words that we use are not linked to the content, consider whether all the students are likely to understand the vocabulary. For example, teachers can ask students to summarize the content, or ask them to explain what they read in their own words. Both examples arrive at the same end. Consider asking students to criticize the author’s conclusion or asking students to use evidence to share what was incorrect about the author’s decisions.

We should also evaluate the length of our queries. For example, we could say, “Considering everything that you read in chapter 1, tell what key details are needed in order to understand the content, evaluate why these details are the most important to consider, and evaluate the best ways for you to study and remember the content.

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