#48. Review Strategies that Work in 2021 - Free-Response Carousel

On March 13th, 2020 I said goodbye to my students and told them I would see them in two weeks. Little did I know that I wouldn't see many of them again until the next spring! As the weeks of quarantine wore on, and the AP exam drew closer, I wanted to ensure that the students had the materials to prepare for the AP exam if they wanted to do so. Therefore, I adapted many of the review tools that I had used in the past for a remote learning environment. I had no clue that I would still be in a similar situation this year.  This post is the first in a series of posts about designing effective review opportunities for students that will work no matter your current learning model: Face to Face, HyFlex or Remote.

The AP Psychology exam consists of two sections: a 100 question multiple choice section and a 2 question free-response section. In this post, I will share a simple strategy that I use to help my students prepare for the written portion of the exam. There are two types of questions, spanning the entire 9 units of study, that the students are responsible for answering in the written section. The first question type asks the students to analyze a situation or behavior using concepts from the course. The second question type is research-based in which they must analyze a sample research study. (Source: https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-psychology/exam).

The type of writing expected for the written portion is different from many of the other AP exams. When preparing my students for this portion of the exam I focus my energies on three areas:
(1) Sharing the different types of free-response questions that have been asked in the past and providing multiple examples.
(2) Providing an opportunity to practice properly answering these types of questions &
(3) Reviewing key ideas and concepts from the course.

In the past, one of my favorite ways to prepare the students for answering a free-response question (FRQ) was to have them participate in a FRQ Carousel. A Carousel is a cooperative learning strategy that involves the students moving between a series of tasks. There are a ton of different variations on this strategy but the basic process is always the same.

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  Determine how many tasks or stations you want the students to complete. In this lesson, I ask the students to respond to six different FRQ prompts. I like to use the questions released by the College Board and include both question types.
• Post the prompts around the room along with a large piece of butcher block paper.
• Divide the students into groups of 4-6 students. Each group is assigned a marker color to record their responses. This marker travels with the group for the entire activity.
• Assign each group a different station. For the first rotation, the students read the prompt, discuss the answer and write down their answers on the butcher block paper. This rotation definitely takes the most time - generally about 15 minutes.
• The student group then rotates to the next station prompt. They read the prompt, discuss the previous group's response, revise any incorrect information and add any missing information in their color marker. This can take anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes.
• This process continues until each group is back at their original station. They then share their responses with the class. At this point, I provide them with the College Board rubric and we decide if the answer would score a point or not.

I love this strategy! I also use it for brainstorming new content, facilitating class discussions and reviewing key concepts. If you want to learn more about this strategy, click here.

This year I had to find a way to create the same collaborative learning experience for my students in a way that respected social-distancing requirements AND could be used by both face-to-face and remote learners. Instead of posting questions around the classroom, I created a Google Slide Deck with different FRQ prompts. You can access my slide deck presentation here. 

• I granted the students EDIT privileges for the slide deck and shared the link with them on our LMS.
• Each slide was numbered and included a different free-response question.
• The students were placed in groups based on their learning modality. My remote learners were grouped together and utilized breakout rooms to collaborate. My face to face learners were grouped together in the classroom. 
• Each group was assigned a slide number to start at and they were responsible for reading the prompt and recording their responses.
• They then rotated through the other slides and revised or added material using a different color font. You can find a more detailed explanation of this process if needed here or watch this tutorial.

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There are a number of benefits to using "testing" as a method to prepare for an exam. The act of testing is not just an assessment tool; it is also a learning tool. Research shows that when students "test" themselves on the content before the actual exam that they remember more than students who merely restudied the material. In addition, testing allows the students to identify what they know and what they need to re-learn. Lastly, the more the students practice the testing format the better! I don't want them to be surprised on test day.

I'd love to hear your ideas! How are you preparing your students for their exams during this very unique year?

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