Using PISA and PISA-style assessment materials to enhance learning and teaching Module 8 1 1

Module aim Develop colleagues’ understanding of how PISA and PISA-style questions can be adapted to produce high-quality learning activities/classroom resources. Support a more expansive pedagogy for teachers with the aim of increasing high- quality learning opportunities for learners. 2

Module objectives Learn how to adapt PISA and PISA-style questions into high-quality classroom activities including literacy and numeracy. Gain an awareness of a range of strategies which learners can use to promote independent learning. Gain an insight into how to devise activities which promote in learners higher-order skills, e.g. analysis, synthesis, problem-solving and evaluation. 3

What do PISA questions look like? 4 OECD, 2009

What do PISA questions look like? 5 OECD, 2009

Discussion point What are the common characteristics (trends/skills/themes) within PISA and PISA-style assessment materials. 6

Maybe you mentioned... High degree of literacy required to access the question – some questions require a great deal of reading. An image – picture, diagram, table or graph – as a stimulus for understanding context. Require high degree of problem solving skills. Rich contexts from real life and cross-curricular themes. Some questions are challenging learners to think. Require evaluation, interpretation and inference. Some questions require high degree of numeracy. 7

What might a typical activity derived from a PISA-style assessment contain? 8

text higher order skills image PISA 9

How do you use the text, images and information with learning strategies to develop/promote higher-order skills? 10

Task 1: Learning strategies and PISA materials

Group task Look at the task sheets which are based on the following learning strategies: a)Source square b)Concept cartoon © c)KWL/KWHL chart d)Question placemat. © Naylor S and Keogh B (2010) Used with permission from Millgate House Education. 12

Generic questions for consideration For each resource, consider: what skills could be promoted? what outcomes would you like to have? to what extent do you think they could engage learners? to what extent have you used these particular strategies in your own teaching? 13

What other strategies can you think of that would promote higher-order skills? 14

Other strategies that would promote higher-order skills Here are some examples. Diamond ranking. Talk partners. Writing journals. QuAD grids. 15

Task 2: Learning strategies and PISA materials

Adapting and enhancing existing resources Examine the resource that you have brought with you to the session. Apply at least one of the learning strategies encountered today to create a resource that will support the higher-order skills in your everyday learning and teaching. 17

Evaluating own learning and thinking Share with a partner: three new things you have learnt something you have found easy or difficult something you need to improve something you would like to learn next. 18

Reference list OECD (2009) Take the test: sample questions from OECD’s Pisa assessments. Available at: (Accessed: 23 February 2013). Welsh Government, DfES (2012) A guide to using PISA as a learning context. Available at: (Accessed: 23 February 2013). Welsh Assembly Government (2010) How to develop thinking and assessment for learning in the classroom. Available at: developeen.pdf (Accessed: 23 February 2013). developeen.pdf 19

Further reading Naylor, S. and Keogh, B. (2010), Concept Cartoons© Project. Millgate House Education. Available at: project project Welsh Government (2013), National Literacy and Numeracy Framework. Available at: learning.wales.gov.uk/docs/learningwales/publications/ nlnfinformationdocumenten.pdf learning.wales.gov.uk/docs/learningwales/publications/ nlnfinformationdocumenten.pdf Welsh Assembly Government (2008), Skills framework for 13 to 19-year-olds in Wales. Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills: Cardiff. 20