tests higher thinking

8/22/2019 Tests Higher Thinking

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Creating Tests That Assess

Higher Order Thinking Skills

Innovative Educators

Dr. Jennifer HurdOctober 13, 2010


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Objectives

When you complete this workshop, you

should be able to: Write different types of questions that will assess more

than knowledge and comprehension on the Blooms

Taxonomy Scale.

Analyze test items to determine if these test items assess

higher order thinking skills.

Avoid signaling the correct answer by knowing common

errors in teacher-developed exams.


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Blooms Taxonomy


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Developing Objectives Using

Blooms Taxonomy

Objectives must be measurable

Objectives must be attainable

Objectives must have a limiting factor


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Objectives must:

Contain the same key words that we will

discuss for developing questions.

Map to the mission statement or goals for

the entire course or department

Demonstrate the skills have been attained

for each level of Blooms Taxonomy


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Example of an ObjectiveAccording to the course material,

85% of the students will be able to

design a business plan for a newbusiness of their choice.


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Example of an Application

Objective

According to the course content, 90%

of the students in this course will beable to complete a mock interview

with three of the instructors


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Learning Outcomes

Are the primary building blocks of good curriculum

design.

Support the goal or learning outcome in that each is asmall step to arriving at what the learner is supposed to

know or be able to do.

Are carefully worded with qualifiers to restrict the

conditions and terms under which the learning outcomesare met.

Are measurable!


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Learning outcomes must

contain verbs that descr ibeobservable, measurable actions.


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Learning Outcomes should:

Provide the basis to select

or design instructional

materials, content or

assessments

Provide a framework

within which learners can

organize their efforts to

complete the learning task


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Planning a test

Determine the method of assessment

Demonstrating knowledge and understanding

Assessing critical thinking skills

Assessing problem solving skills

Assessing performance of procedures

Assessing application skillsAssessing collaborative learning skills

Assessing research skills


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Planning: Specifying What is to

be Assessed Clarify instructional learning outcomes

Define the purpose of the test

Pre-instructional (pre-test)Tests and quizzes

Final exams

Specify what will be tested and at whatlevel

Develop a test blueprint


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Blueprint for a Test

Content/

Skill

Area

Knowledge/

Understanding

Critical

Thinking

Skills

Skill

Comprehension

Application

Critical

Thinking

ProblemSolving

Performance

of

Procedures/Demonstrati

ng

Techniques

Collaborative

Learning

Skills

Integrate

Learning

IntoProfessional

Practice

Assessing

Research

Skills


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Basic Tenants of Test Item

Writing Reading Level

Write items as simply as possible Test for important details

Avoid direct quotes or verbatimstatements

Identify any opinions or authority thatare used in test items


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Anatomy of an Exam Question

Should have three parts:

A key wordthat tells the students what they are

expected to doAn objectthat tells them what general

information to use to perform their task

A l imiting factor or factorsthat tells whatspecific information to include in the answer


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Blooms Taxonomy

Lets look at each level of Blooms Taxonomy to

see how we can develop questions for each level.


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Knowledge Questions

remembering;

memorizing;

recognizing;

recalling identification and

recall of information Who, what, when, where, how ...?

Describe


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An example of a knowledge

question

According to the instructor,define the key words for

knowledge questions.


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An example of a knowledge question

According to the instructor, list

the key words for knowledgequestions.

Can you change this question into a M/C

question?


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Writing a question


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According to the instructor,which of thefollowing are the key words for knowledge

questions?

A. list, synthesize, evaluate, define, writeB. List, define, dramatize, solve

C. List, define, duplicate, memorize

D. None of the aboveE. A and B only


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Application Question Key Words

Imagine

Pretend

Make Believe

Visualize

Assume

Put yourself in the

situation of

Use your knowledgeto

Suppose

In groups of three or four write a three-part application

question on any topic or subject area using one of the key

words listed above. Be prepared to share your question.


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Imagination Activity

Imagine that you are creating your own company

You can hire 5 key people to help you run your

company These 5 people can be anyone from the past orpresent

Who would you hire and why?

You have 3 minutes to decide, then you willdiscuss your response with your table partners.One person from each table will share with thegroup.


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Evaluation Question Key Words

Rank

Order

Judge

Grade

Measure

Determine Convince

persuade

Decide

Support

Explain

Critique

Criticize

Recommend Suggest


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Sample Three-part Evaluation

Question According to the number of safety-related

features each contains, determine which

compact car is safest to drive.

Key Word: Determine

Object: to find out which compact car is safest to drive

Limiting Factor: cars must be compact

Only safety-related features to be

examined


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A/B Visit

Argue Workshop This workshop allows students to persuade,

convince, determine, decide, recommend,

suggest, support, and explain parts of coursecontent.

Applying course content to other parts of

the course or to their own life makes it evenmore meaningful and worthwhile.


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A/B Visit

Argue Workshop Set up the room for A/B visits, or have

students get into pairs.

Your topic is to argue whether or not thereshould be a student success course forcollege credit on your campus.

The people on the outside (As) will takethe pro stance.

The people on the inside (Bs) will take thecon stance.


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Synthesis Question Key Words

Combine

Integrate

Modify Revise

Improve

Rearrange Reconstruct

Hypothesize

Substitute

Create

Generate Devise

Design

Compose Plan

Predict


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Synthesis Sample Question

Rearrange the amendments to the U.S.

Constitution in order from least to most

important in everyday life. As well, deviseany new amendments that you think would

improve everyday life. Justify your

amendments according to your text or yournotes.


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Rearrange the amendments to the U.S.

Constitution in order from least to most

important in everyday life. As well, devise

any new ammendments that you think would

improve everyday life.

Key Words: rearrange and devise

Object: To discover which constitutionalamendments you consider most important and

which you would like to add to improve everydaylife

Limiting Factor: deal only with amendments tothe U.S. Constitution.


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Other Synthesis Assessments

Ask students to create

mnemonic devices to

remember coursecontent.

Students can create

crossword puzzles that

center on a particularpart of course content

Create a visual product

to show course

content. Example: Create a

company logo for

XXX company.


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Analyzing Test Items toDetermine if they Assess Higher

Order Thinking Skills

In the next three questions, use the

chat feature to tell me whether thequestion assesses higher order

thinking skills. hy/why not.


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According to the text, good money management

skills include

A. Planning, budgeting, and living within yourmeans

B. Living within your means and using credit

cards to help.

C. Setting goals, budgeting, living within your

means, and using credit cards wisely

D. Living on a budget and using credit cards

when necessary

E. Living on a budget without credit cards.


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Use your knowledge from the text and the

class discussions of Hitlers strategies to

suggest how he lost World War II.


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According to the text and class discussions, which of the

following would be a reaction of an insecure/avoidant baby

to the strange situation research technique?

A. The baby would show great upset when the parent

departed and would cling to the parent upon his/her

return.

B. The baby may or may not show great upset when the

parent departed, but would cling to the parent uponhis/her return.

C. The baby would show great upset when the parent

departed, but would ignore the parent upon his/her

return.D. The baby may or may not show upset when the parent

departed, but would ignore the parent upon his/her

return.


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Common Errors Made byTeachers in Constructing Test

Items

Dont give the answer away!

Avoid these common errors.


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Test Construction Errors to Avoid

Dont use All of the

above or None of

the above only whenthey are the correct

answer.

Avoid distractors that

are a joke or an insult.


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Make sure the stem of

the question and the

distractors/answer aregrammatically correct

Avoid having one

choice that is

extremely longer thanthe other choices.


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If all the distractors

are numbers, 90% of

the time the correctanswer is not the

highest number or the

lowest number.

Avoid using absolute

determiners in the

answer choices.


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Avoid using more

inclusive options.

Avoid answer options

that state a reason.


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Learning how to play the piano while

singing occurs in theA. Affective domain

B. Motor domain

C. Cognitive domain

D. Motor and cognitive domains

E. None of the above


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According to the text, those who believe in

the work ethic believe that

A. All people will do good work.

B. Hard work is always rewarded.

C. Work is good and important.

D. Only good workers should receive pay.


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The normal adult temperature of 98.6

degrees F is equivalent toA. 18 degrees C

B. 27 degrees C

C. 37 degrees C

D. 42 degrees C


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Summary

Use three-part questions to make sure you areasking questions that cover all of BloomsTaxonomy

Write objectives to measure all aspects of BloomsTaxonomy

Have students create questions and gradequestions

Use other methods instead of just paper/penciltests to assess students in higher order thinkingskills

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