A summary review of the use of Optivote within

Science at Chilwell School

 

Dr. I.C. Barker

Assistant Subject Leader, Science.

Chilwell School, Nottinghamshire

 

Abstract

 

Results are reported for a year long project developing applications of the Optivote student analysis tool within key stage 3, 4 and 5 science at Chilwell School ; a mixed 11-18 state sector secondary school with an average GCSE 5 A*-C pass rate of 59%, 46% including Maths & English. Various techniques, learning objective identification / review, knowledge assessment, understanding analysis, pupils targeting etc., are reviewed within a science context. Feedback from pupils is positive and pupil engagement at all key stages and ability ranges has been found to be raised through use of the Optivote system.

 

Application to KS5 Chemistry (AS & A2)

 

At Lakeview, our sixth form college, we teach the Nuffield A Level chemistry course. This is split into 21 individual topics over the 2 year course. In collaboration with Mike Taylor, we have made extensive use of the Optivote, as one half of a 2 part unit test to assess students knowledge and understanding at the end of each topic. Students are given a 25 question multiple choice paper covering all aspects of the topic, which they answer at their own pace via Optivote, before then answering a series of structured exam questions. Students then work collaboratively to assess each others structured answers from a marking scheme.

 

When surveyed, 71% of our Y13 Chemistry students preferred using both the Optivote system and structured questions compared to just structured questions alone. 23% of students did not have a preference and only 6% (1 candidate) preferred structured questions alone. Student comments have included :-

“The multiple choice questions are good because you really have to know the whole topic to score well”

“…..they force you to be very precise because 2 or 3 of the answers are always so similar.”

 

Advantages that staff have found through using this system have included :-

(i)                 The ability to quickly and effectively test all students on a broad range of the factual content of the topic

(ii)               The opportunity to offer a variety of very similar answers to test depth of knowledge and force students to pay attention to precision, especially for units and calculations.

(iii)             Analysis of group and individual performance to provide feedback on possible areas of weakness both as a group as a whole or as individuals.

(iv)             Summary reports of group performance and individual error reports can be printed for each topic and each student.

 

Application to KS3 & KS4

 

Chilwell has a broad spectrum of abilities with classes ranging from A* grade pupils studying GCSE biology, chemistry and physics to G/U grade pupils studying GCSE single science. This range of abilities is also reflected at KS3. Optivote has been used with each of these classes within the chemistry course and with a variety of classes within biology and physics. As a classroom teacher, I have found that pupils seem to universally enjoy using the Optivote system and that it a highly versatile way of a engaging pupils in learning. Some of the most successful ways that Optivote has been applied are listed below.

 

(i)                 Objectives identification & assessment – Pupils very quickly get used to issuing voting handsets and are able to recall their set number. This enables the system to be used as a starter activity. Pupils are asked a short series of questions that effectively identify the learning objectives of the lesson. These same questions are then used as a plenary activity to review the lesson objectives, providing feedback on the classes’ progress both to the pupil and the classroom teacher. The key advantage is that as the lesson content is delivered to the pupils they have a competitive interest in extracting the answers to the lesson objectives from the lesson content.

(ii)               Assessment for Learning – This is actually a group of applications that enable Optivote to be used as a tool to facilitate pupils in assessment for learning tasks. In each case, the general principle is to provide pupils with a series of answers to questions which they then evaluate, selecting the best answer.

                                                              i.      Pupils are presented with a question and then 4 answers they then read through the answers and select what they think is the best answer. Optivote then indicates how many pupils in the class have selected each answer and provides a discussion tool comparing the merits of each answer.

                                                            ii.      Pupils are asked to create an answer to a series of questions which they then type into the Optivote system. The questions are then shown to the class as a whole and they select what they think is the best answer. Pupils can then be asked to justify what is different between their own answer and the answer the class voted as the best.

                                                          iii.      When grouped, Talk for Learning can be combined with the Assessment for Learning principle. In groups, pupils are presented with a question and a series of answers they are then given 5 minutes to discuss which they think is the best answer and at the end of the time, vote. Before showing pupils how the class voted, individual groups are asked to select an answer and suggest one thing that they think is wrong with it, i.e. they explain why they haven’t selected that answer.

(iii)             Pupil Question writing – As a part of topic revision pupils undertake to write a series of questions and answers based upon the topic that is being revised. They then get to work in small groups to select the best 5 or 10 questions within the group and type them into the Optivote system. These questions can then be used in a variety of ways but the 3 most popular ones that I have found is to award prizes to the group that can score highest on the other groups questions, the group that sets the hardest questions i.e. the set of questions the rest of the class find hardest to answer or award prizes to any group that manages to write a question that I, as the teacher, can not answer.

(iv)             Performance Reporting – Combined with using Optivote as a knowledge assessment tool, the reporting tools enable individual pupils to be provided with either a print out or internet file showing the questions that they got wrong. These can be provided either with or without the correct answer; without the answer pupils are set the task of finding the correct answers for further study.

(v)               Repetition Learning – of particular benefit to low ability sets but valuable for keeping high ability sets honest, Optivote can be used as an easy way of providing repetition of key learning points, key vocabulary, definitions, equations, formulae etc. By seeing the same questions lesson after lesson, pupils can learn to associate answers with questions. Optivote can randomise the answers to ensure that it is a fair test each time and the grade book can show pupils that they are progressing. As a topic progresses, the initial questions that all pupils now get correct can be dropped and new questions based upon the new material can be added.

 

Across KS3 and KS4 pupil engagement and pupil learning within the classroom has improved when Optivote is used whether used as a teaching tool or a revision tool. This appears to be independent of the actual method that is used, though pupils do, as might be expected, like lessons where there is a prize to be won.

 

Surveys of pupils within these key stages – using Optivote itself! – showed that 99% of the pupils enjoyed using the Optivote system and 97% of them believed that it helped them to learn the work.

 

Pupil comments have included :-

 

“Can we use the voting system again?”, “I get it now” and “Are we going over those questions again, I want to get them all right this time.”