This document discusses strategies for preparing students in the United Arab Emirates to perform well on international assessments like PISA and TIMSS. It outlines Education Initiative's multi-phase approach, which includes analyzing student performance data and thinking skills, developing learning content and questions, and creating variations to build problem-solving abilities rather than just teaching to the test. The goal is to ensure every student is prepared through deep conceptual learning, practice with old test questions, and targeted support for misconceptions.

1. LEANING TOWARDS
PISA

2. Expectations from today
1.Understand how Mindspark helps with PISA/TIMSS
2.How can PISA questions be linked with syllabus
3.Get a clear view of PISA and its questions

3. Knowing WHAT students think

4. Knowing WHAT students think
A. 5 cm B. 6 cm C. 8 cm D. 9 cm

5. Understanding HOW students think

6. Actions Goal
EI’s Theory of Change
Technology for Personalised Learning
Building deep expertise about learning
Assessments (the Means) for Learning (the End)
Focus on outcomes
Exam
Reforms
Science of
Learning
Teacher
Support
EI’s Theory Change
Principles
Learning
with understanding
for every child

7. We have a goal
“As part of the national agenda for education, His Highness
Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President
and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, put
forward two main objectives regarding the UAE’s ranking in
international assessments: The UAE will be among the 15
highest performing countries in Trends in International
Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).
The UAE will be among the 20 highest
performing countries in PISA - the
Programme for International Student
Assessment.
Currently the UAE ranks 48 (434 points) in maths, 44 (442
points) in reading and 46 (448 points) in science out of the
65 participating countries in the last Pisa tests, which were
conducted in 2012. The UAE is below the 500 international
average in points in all of the subjects.”
Let us help UAE achieve the promise it has made to the world!

8. Asking the Right Questions
Distinguishes mechanical learning from real learning with
understanding
vs.

9. Skill building by asking the RIGHT questions
PISA Dimensions/Skills Mindspark
CONTENT
• Understanding
of shape
PROCESS
• Visualization of
space occupied
• Reproduction
SITUATION
• Personal
• Educational
Susan likes to build blocks from small cubes like the one
shown below:-
Susan has lots of small cubes like this one. She joins these
cubes to make other blocks as in diagram A, in which she has
joined 8 cubes.
Then Susan makes the solid blocks as shown in diagram B
and C below:-
How many small cubes will she need to make the blocks in
diagram B and C ?
George joined some cubes to make a solid shape as shown
below
How many cubes did she use?
The shape below has been made by joining Unit cubes.
How many unit cubes have been used to make this shape ?

10. Flow to understand Shapes & Space
Number of unit cubes used to make a 3D shape
Front view of a 3D shape of unit cubes
Front view of a 3D shape
Side view of a 3D shape of unit cubes
Side view of a given object
Top view of a 3D shape of unit cubes
Identify the 3D shape of unit cubes with side, top & front views.
Identifying the house, given the top view (map) of the house.

11. Real Life Connection/Relevance
Understanding of shapes and space in our environment
The floor map of a house shows the layout of the floor along with the position of doors and windows.
Here is a floor map of Ricky’s home. It shows where the windows and doors are in the house.
Which of the following would be Ricky’s house?
A B C
D: none of these
The performance data of this Question asked to students of Grade 7 & 8 is -

12. Let us now experience Mindspark
Kindly login on
www.mindspark.in
With the enclosed ID in your booklet
(workshopd.x)
Look out for-
1. Display answer explanations for questions.
2. Finely graded levels of questions – from simple to complex.
3. Interactivity and variance of question.
tinyurl.com/guesstheviewei

13. Let us try a PISA question
A revolving door includes three wings which rotate within a circular-shaped space.
The inside diameter of this space is 2 metres (200 centimetres). The three door
wings divide the space into three equal sectors. The plan below shows the door
The brightest kids of your class will love it
wings in three different positions viewed from the top.
The door makes 4 complete rotations in a minute. There is room for a maximum of
two people in each of the three door sectors.
What is the maximum number of people that can enter the building through the door
in 30 minutes?
(PISA 2009)

14. Let’s try another one
What about those 5 children at the back of your class?
Chris has just received her car driving licence and wants to buy her first car.
This table below shows the details of four cars she finds at a local car dealer.
Which car’s engine capacity is the smallest?
(PISA 2006)

15. The point being,
Is every student of your class prepared?

16. What are you doing for PISA and TIMSS?
Q. Which of the below steps are ways to prepare students?
a) Weekly remedial classes to combat misconceptions.
b) Deep, conceptual learning of all topics.
c) Special PISA/TIMSS prep classes.
d) Time management tutorials to strategically solve questions.
e) Answering questions from old tests.
ANSWER: ALL of the ABOVE

17. The Mindspark approach to solving PISA/TIMSS

18. Phase 1: Analysis to build content
Published in
international journals;
but also prevalent
outside the “lab”
Primary
Research
Understanding “how”
students think; not
just knowing what
they answered
Validation of small
scale research with
copious amounts of
data
Data
Student
interviews

19. Time
Phase 2: Approaches to the solution
Distance (walking
on walkway)
Distance
(walking on
ground)
Distance
(covered by
walkway)
1 1.0 0.6 0.4
2 2.0 1.2 0.8
3 3.0 1.8 1.2
4 4.0 2.4 1.6
5 5.0 3.0 2.0
6 6.0 3.6 2.4
7 7.0 4.2 2.8
8 8.0 4.8 3.2
9 9.0 5.4 3.6
10 10.0 6.0 4.0
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Distance
Time
Distance (person walking on walkway)
Distance (walking on ground)
Speed of walkway

20. Phase 3: Thinking of variations
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Distance (person walking on walkway)
Distance (running on ground)
Distance (covered by walkway)
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Distance (walking on walkway)
Distance (walking on ground)
Distance (covered by walkway)
Variations that are possible:
1) Speed of moving walkway is very high/low
relative to person
2) Person is running as opposed to walking
3) Two people are walking/standing on the
moving walkway
Time
Distance
(person walking
on walkway)
Distance
(running on
ground)
Distance
(covered by
walkway)
(walking on
walkway)
walking Distance
(covered by
walkway)
1 1 1.2 0.5
2 2 2.4 1
3 3 3.6 1.5
4 4 4.8 2
5 5 6 2.5
6 6 7.2 3
7 7 8.4 3.5
8 8 9.6 4
9 9 10.8 4.5
10 10 12 5
1.0 0.7 0.3
2.0 1.4 0.6
3.0 2.1 0.9
4.0 2.8 1.2
5.0 3.5 1.5
6.0 4.2 1.8
7.0 4.9 2.1
8.0 5.6 2.4
9.0 6.3 2.7
10.0 7.0 3.0
Need to build problem-solving skill not “teach to the test”

21. PISA won’t ask the same question again
Mathematics =
3 Dimensions
Content
Overarching
ideas
-Shape and
space
-Change and
relationship
-Uncertainty
Embedded in
Circular Strands
Numbers,
Algebra,
Geometry
Processes
Reproduction –
simple
computation
Connections for
problem solving
Reflection-critical
thinking
Situations
Personal
Educational/
Occupational
Public Scientific

22. Creating bespoke games, enrichments & remedials
Game
Exponents
www.tinyurl.com/exposhootsei
Please read the instructions!
Remedials
Unable to measure angles with protractors
http://tinyurl.com/anglesei
Game
Percentages
http://tinyurl.com/cakewarsei

23. Identifying areas of learning/misconception
Creating misconception videos
offering remedial ideas for teachers
- Inverse and time-work
- Curved string does not have length
- Comparing arms of angles
- Measuring length using informal units
- Word problems
- Bigger objects weigh more
- No. with smallest magnitude is the smallest no. always
- Inadequate understanding of multiplication as repeated addition
- Percentages – x% and x are same
- Binocular vision

24. Top schools a part of Duke-TIP ASSET Talent Search
UAE-2012-13
• Our Own English High School
• Global Indian International School, Dubai
• The Indian High School, Dubai
• Emirates Future International Academy, Abu Dhabi
• Our Own English High School, Al Ain
• Our Own English High School, Fujairah
Students who qualify for the India
Summer Studies Program will be
automatically eligible for the US
Summer Studies as well in future
PAN India
years.
•The Doon School, Dehradun
•The Shri Ram School, Delhi
•The Cathedral & John Connon School, Mumbai
•Mayo College, Ajmer
•Sri Kumaran Group of Schools, Bangalore
•Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan - Group of Schools, Chennai