Stuart Fraser is a blogger and instructor for Victory Step. Stuart contact's information - swfraser@gmail.com
Article Link - http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpp/news/education/091411-average-sat-scores-fall-in-texas
On September 14th, Fox 4 News ran a story about an alarming trend in Texas testing. Across the state, the average SAT scores have dropped 3 points in Math, 5 points in Reading, and 8 points in Critical Reading, bringing them to a combined score of 1446 (out of 2400).
While this problem has many causes, including the reduced resources in public schools and the growing number of students taking the test, Victory Step is taking measures to ensure that everyone is able to get the training they need in order to tackle this daunting test including SAT classes and private tutoring. The Fox 4 News story entered the class of one Victory Step instructor, Devon Earle, to discuss how an SAT test prep course helps students gain an even footing with students who perhaps have more resources in their schools to help with college prep and college-level AP courses.
With the growing number of students in Texas schools, more of them are not getting the individualized attention that is necessary to remain competitive on a standardized test such as the SAT. At Victory Step, each student gets training in the specific sections of the test which they need the most improvement, and results are measured across 4 full-length practice tests taken under simulated test conditions. This helps the students reinforce the subjects they already know while allowing them to bring up their scores on the sections they feel most challenged in, even as the relative strength of the student in each section changes over the duration of the course. Practice tests and instructor feedback help provide reassessment of each student’s strengths and weaknesses on the test.
With the Victory Step promise, any student who takes the time to practice and learn from our instructors is guaranteed a 200 point increase between their first test and their final test. This guarantee helps students take the real SAT with the confidence that they know how they will be able to perform on test day. By using the techniques mentioned above, Victory Step is working hard to fight against this alarming drop in average SAT scores.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
Defeating Cognitive Bias
Eric Rosenbaum is a blogger and instructor for Victory Step. Eric contact's information - rosenbaume88@gmail.com
Imagine that you are in a room with nothing but a wax candle, a box of thumbtacks, and a book of matches. How can you attach the candle to the wall and light it so that the wax doesn’t drip onto the floor?
When psychologist Karl Duncker asked subjects this question in the 1940s, only about 20% of them got it right. It’s not that the problem is hard; once you know the answer it seems obvious (the correct answer is at the bottom of this post). The problem seems hard because it exploits flaws in human reasoning known as cognitive biases.
SAT problems can sometimes be as tricky as the candle problem. You may think that you are immune to the SAT’s tricks (a bias known to psychologists as bias blind spot), but chances are, you are not: some tricky phrasing can have you wasting time on a wild goose chase, or getting the question wrong altogether.
Confirmation Bias, or, “A Looks like the Right Answer; It Must Be A”
Have you ever tried to remember a song title, certain that begins with the letter L, only to remember days later that it begins with B instead? Once you start thinking in terms of L, it’s very difficult to switch tracks to think about B. In other words, instead of really looking for the title of the song, you begin looking for confirmation that your first method was correct. This phenomenon is known as confirmation bias.
One great way to avoid confirmation bias on the SAT and ACT is to avoid looking at the answers beforehand. If you subconsciously pick A before you’ve completely worked through the problem, it will not be hard to justify your solution later, right or wrong.
Overconfidence Effect, or, “This Is Easy!”
A study done by psychologist Ulrich Hoffrage came up with some interesting, upsetting results: of the people who claimed to be 99% certain about their answer to a problem, 20% turned out to be incorrect. Most of these people weren’t too far away from the right answer, and they were justified in making the choices they did. The problem is that people tend to overestimate how certain their certainty is.
Sometimes the most dangerous questions are those that look easy. They probably are easy, but maybe not as easy as you think they are. It’s important to check your work on the easy problems as much as on the harder ones.
Incubation, or, I Can’t Move to the Next One Until I Solve This One
Incubation isn’t a bias. It’s a way to protect against biases. Think back to the song title example. When your brain was in L mode, what was it that finally made you see B? Putting the problem aside. When you come back to the problem after thinking of other things, it’s easier to cut through dangerous preconceptions.
Oftentimes when I am working on a difficult problem, the solution feels so close that I want to keep working until I find it. I don’t want to forget the progress I’ve made, even when the progress is in the wrong direction. If you get stuck on a tricky SAT problem, even if you think you almost have it, try taking a break: it may be much easier when you come back. Even if you think you have an answer correct, it is a good idea to check your work and look at your solutions with fresh eyes.
Cognitive biases are a fact of life, but their effect can be limited. It just takes practice and a little bit of self-awareness. The difference in your score could be astounding.
Solution to the Candle Problem
The key is in realizing that the “box of thumbtacks” is really two things: a box, and thumbtacks. First, thumbtack the box to the wall. Then, place the candle inside the box. The wax will drip on the cardboard, not the floor.
Imagine that you are in a room with nothing but a wax candle, a box of thumbtacks, and a book of matches. How can you attach the candle to the wall and light it so that the wax doesn’t drip onto the floor?
When psychologist Karl Duncker asked subjects this question in the 1940s, only about 20% of them got it right. It’s not that the problem is hard; once you know the answer it seems obvious (the correct answer is at the bottom of this post). The problem seems hard because it exploits flaws in human reasoning known as cognitive biases.
SAT problems can sometimes be as tricky as the candle problem. You may think that you are immune to the SAT’s tricks (a bias known to psychologists as bias blind spot), but chances are, you are not: some tricky phrasing can have you wasting time on a wild goose chase, or getting the question wrong altogether.
Confirmation Bias, or, “A Looks like the Right Answer; It Must Be A”
Have you ever tried to remember a song title, certain that begins with the letter L, only to remember days later that it begins with B instead? Once you start thinking in terms of L, it’s very difficult to switch tracks to think about B. In other words, instead of really looking for the title of the song, you begin looking for confirmation that your first method was correct. This phenomenon is known as confirmation bias.
One great way to avoid confirmation bias on the SAT and ACT is to avoid looking at the answers beforehand. If you subconsciously pick A before you’ve completely worked through the problem, it will not be hard to justify your solution later, right or wrong.
Overconfidence Effect, or, “This Is Easy!”
A study done by psychologist Ulrich Hoffrage came up with some interesting, upsetting results: of the people who claimed to be 99% certain about their answer to a problem, 20% turned out to be incorrect. Most of these people weren’t too far away from the right answer, and they were justified in making the choices they did. The problem is that people tend to overestimate how certain their certainty is.
Sometimes the most dangerous questions are those that look easy. They probably are easy, but maybe not as easy as you think they are. It’s important to check your work on the easy problems as much as on the harder ones.
Incubation, or, I Can’t Move to the Next One Until I Solve This One
Incubation isn’t a bias. It’s a way to protect against biases. Think back to the song title example. When your brain was in L mode, what was it that finally made you see B? Putting the problem aside. When you come back to the problem after thinking of other things, it’s easier to cut through dangerous preconceptions.
Oftentimes when I am working on a difficult problem, the solution feels so close that I want to keep working until I find it. I don’t want to forget the progress I’ve made, even when the progress is in the wrong direction. If you get stuck on a tricky SAT problem, even if you think you almost have it, try taking a break: it may be much easier when you come back. Even if you think you have an answer correct, it is a good idea to check your work and look at your solutions with fresh eyes.
Cognitive biases are a fact of life, but their effect can be limited. It just takes practice and a little bit of self-awareness. The difference in your score could be astounding.
Solution to the Candle Problem
The key is in realizing that the “box of thumbtacks” is really two things: a box, and thumbtacks. First, thumbtack the box to the wall. Then, place the candle inside the box. The wax will drip on the cardboard, not the floor.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
SAT/ACT Guided Wilderness Tour
Welcome to the guided SAT wilderness tour. Please keep your eyes, ears, and brains inside the test zone at all times.
The SAT wilderness is a dangerous, disturbing place. All kinds of creatures are out there, trying to steal your attention and kill your score.
Hear that buzzing noise? That’s the sound of the mow-squito (lembus herba), an animal rarely seen, but nonetheless dangerous. You can recognize it by its faint, unending droning sound, usually outside of windows in quiet rooms. The mow-squito, though small, has the ability to really get under your skin.
If you listen very carefully, you can also make out a softer sound. This is the AC bee (frigidus locus), a close relative to the mow-squito which lives inside cold, echoing rooms. The AC bee is less obtrusive than its outdoor cousin, but for that reason it can be even more dangerous. As is the case with all the animals on our tour, the AC bee is more afraid of you than you are of it. If you stop listening, it will leave you alone.
On your left, you will see Sickness Stream. The stream is populated with all sorts of dangerous, distracting wildlife. See that ripple there? That’s the sign of the predatory sniffler fish (pisces naso). Sniffler fish are nearly harmless alone, but they always attack in schools. I remember once when I was almost attacked by sniffle fish. I was sitting in the test zone, minding my own business, when I heard a sniff from desk in front of me. Then, after a few seconds, there was another sniff to my right. Then one to my left. I was surrounded! Fortunately, I was able to ignore them before it was too late.
However, the most dangerous thing about sniffler fish is that they attract the deadly cough-odile (gutter lacerta). Where there is a school of sniffler fish, there are bound to be at least one or two of these attention-killing coughing machines. If you do hear the sudden bark of a cough-odile, you may find yourself momentarily distracted. However, you will be fine if you take a few breaths and return to the test.
On this tour, you may see one or two cell-ephants (tinnulus monstro). These big guys are banned from the SAT wilderness, but every now and then you’ll hear one charging through the underbrush, or at least feel the vibration of its giant feet.
What’s that you say? You think we’re being followed? Of course we are. The time-ger has been stalking us since we left camp. But don’t worry; as long as we pace ourselves and don’t try to run away, he won’t bother us. The time-ger can be your best friend in the SAT wilderness, keeping you on the path and away from distractions. He can also be your worst enemy if he tricks you into making dumb mistakes.
That brings us to the end of our tour. I hope you learned a lot about the wildlife of the SAT. The SAT wilderness can be a loud distracting place, and it’s easy to get lost there. But if you keep your head down, and stay out of reach of the time-ger, you’ll be just fine.
The SAT wilderness is a dangerous, disturbing place. All kinds of creatures are out there, trying to steal your attention and kill your score.
Hear that buzzing noise? That’s the sound of the mow-squito (lembus herba), an animal rarely seen, but nonetheless dangerous. You can recognize it by its faint, unending droning sound, usually outside of windows in quiet rooms. The mow-squito, though small, has the ability to really get under your skin.
If you listen very carefully, you can also make out a softer sound. This is the AC bee (frigidus locus), a close relative to the mow-squito which lives inside cold, echoing rooms. The AC bee is less obtrusive than its outdoor cousin, but for that reason it can be even more dangerous. As is the case with all the animals on our tour, the AC bee is more afraid of you than you are of it. If you stop listening, it will leave you alone.
On your left, you will see Sickness Stream. The stream is populated with all sorts of dangerous, distracting wildlife. See that ripple there? That’s the sign of the predatory sniffler fish (pisces naso). Sniffler fish are nearly harmless alone, but they always attack in schools. I remember once when I was almost attacked by sniffle fish. I was sitting in the test zone, minding my own business, when I heard a sniff from desk in front of me. Then, after a few seconds, there was another sniff to my right. Then one to my left. I was surrounded! Fortunately, I was able to ignore them before it was too late.
However, the most dangerous thing about sniffler fish is that they attract the deadly cough-odile (gutter lacerta). Where there is a school of sniffler fish, there are bound to be at least one or two of these attention-killing coughing machines. If you do hear the sudden bark of a cough-odile, you may find yourself momentarily distracted. However, you will be fine if you take a few breaths and return to the test.
On this tour, you may see one or two cell-ephants (tinnulus monstro). These big guys are banned from the SAT wilderness, but every now and then you’ll hear one charging through the underbrush, or at least feel the vibration of its giant feet.
What’s that you say? You think we’re being followed? Of course we are. The time-ger has been stalking us since we left camp. But don’t worry; as long as we pace ourselves and don’t try to run away, he won’t bother us. The time-ger can be your best friend in the SAT wilderness, keeping you on the path and away from distractions. He can also be your worst enemy if he tricks you into making dumb mistakes.
That brings us to the end of our tour. I hope you learned a lot about the wildlife of the SAT. The SAT wilderness can be a loud distracting place, and it’s easy to get lost there. But if you keep your head down, and stay out of reach of the time-ger, you’ll be just fine.
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