YES-
in the trade areas the instructor does not what experience the new student has
Pretests would be very helpful in a class like remedial English. By assessing prior knowledge the instructor can devote additional time to the concepts students are weak in rather than focus much time on content they already know.
give students another study guide
A pre-test is useful in determining where your students stand at the beginning of the course. This enables you as an instructor, to evaluate how best to ramp up your delivery, in a fashion to reach the needs of your class.
I think this is an excellent measure to find out what level students are at in reference to the class being taught. This in turn will allow an instructor to better tailor their presentations to meet the needs of the students.
This can also make the student aware of the amount of work/effort they need to put forth for success in your class.
Earnest J. Kendall Instructor/Associate
I feel the need for pretesting in the courses that I teach because of the varied backgrounds that the students have. Without these tests it invites early failure in the course because students are often too shy to speak-up if they don't understand something because they just don't have a good understanding..
Using a pretest is a good way to see what you may need to cover before lessons.
I try to give basic knowledge assessment quizes to se if they at least have some common skills, motor skills, math skills,and thinking skills. This way I can see how I may need ti instruct the class
Pre-testing students gives the instructor an idea of where his/her students stand on the material. If 90% of the students test well on the basics of medical terminology then the instructor may not want to spend too much time going over the fundamental basics of this subject and instead just supply a quick review and move onto the more in depth information.
I understand that the pretesting helps with tailoring the class but how do you account for wide variations in knowledge base that is considered foundational?
I have not used a 'pretest' in my classes but I think I may try it in the future.
With that being said, I am in somewhat of a pickle in that one of courses I teach should really require a prereq (or co-req) that the administration does not enforce. I end up with students who don't have the foundation they should and others that are aggrevated by having to (re)cover material they already(should)know.
A pretest is effective in a few ways. It allows the students the knowledge of what they have to look forward to. It allows an instructor to get to know their students and how they learn and what the instructor is to focus on moving forward. It also helps in the preparation of lesson plans and what type of teaching strategies an instructor could utilize in class to keep the students engaged.
Pretests help me gauge the overall abilities of the class. This helps me tailor my lesson plans to avoid boring the class with topics they already have a good grasp on.
Hi Anne:
Another thing pretests are good for are that they can show you (possibly) what kind of student learner you have, making lesson planning more effective.
Regards, Barry
I will be using this in my classes more often so I can see how I needt to deliver the materials ,plus it will show me the styles of learning of those classes that may need more time.
Tracy
Pretests are a great tool, they can be used as a bench mark, also use as a post-test to see how your students did along with how you did. the pretest can also be used to determine what material needs to be addressed during the class at hand.
Hi Lynn:
Like you touched on, these tools can serve us instructors by showing us what kind of student learner we have, which can help make lesson planning more effective.
Regards, Barry
Hi Brian:
One thing pretests may help us to see is what kind of student learner we have, which can make lesson planning more effective because of it.
Regards, Barry
Hi Brian:
Another thing pretests are good for is it can show you what kind of student learner you have making lesson planning more effective.
Regards, Barry
Hi Maria:
In addition, another thing pretests may show you is what kind of learner the student is, thereby making lesson planning more effective.
Regards, Barry
