I have used this method for several years in math and other difficult areas. By determining the skills that the students have, I can adjust the level of instruction to where they actually are rather than to a pre-determined schedule that assumes that all groups start and progress at the same point each time.
Hi Jessica:
Right! And, it can also show you what type of learning style your student uses making the design of lesson plans more effective.
Regards, Barry
Hi Heather:
And like you touched on, these tools may also help identify what kind of learner the student is, which makes designing lesson plans more effective.
Regards, Barry
Hi Jason:
You've hit upon the two primary uses of these tools: to analyze where the student is in the beginning, and to see what kind of learner they are.
You make a good point about students may feel a little nervous, and this can definitely influence how some perform on tests in general.
Regards, Barry
It helps me to understand what their background is in a particular subject. Will I have to start with basic building blocks or can I move on to more complex concepts? The pre-test will help me determine this information.
In my pharmacy class the emphasis is on being able to calculate doses given a prescription and a dose form available. My students can be divided into three groups: those for whom the math is a piece of cake (the minority), those who are so afraid of math from previous schooling that they cannot do the work at all (about half) and those who have essentially no math background and cannot do simple manipulations.
I will, in my next class, try to find out who is in which group. That way I can see who may need special tutoring and who can be in-class tutors rather than being bored as we go over and over and over (etc.) the math drills.
Hi Diana:
You've hit the two main points that describe what pretests are good for: showing the instructor where the student is academically, and helping the instructor design a teaching style that will address what type of learner the student is.
Regards, Barry
Hi Laura:
Pretests are a great way of not only seeing where the student is academically, but can also show you what kind of student learner you have.
Knowing that, you can design more effective lesson plans.
Regards, Barry
Hi Cindy:
In addition to showing you pre-knowledge, it can also reveeal what kind of student learner you have, making the design of lesson plans more effective.
Regards, Barry
Hi Alyce:
Also, these types of tools can help reveal what kind of student learner you have.
By knowing this, we can make more efficent lesson plans that will address the type of learner the student is.
Regards, Barry
Hi Gordon:
Right - and it also may give you a chance to see what kind of learner the students are. By knowing this, we can design more effective lesson plans.
Regards, Barry
Hi Lina:
The beauty of what you are describing is that it may offer you a clue as to what type of learner the student is, which can make for more efficiently designed lesson plans.
Regards, Barry
Pre-testing can help teachers see where students are as well as there learning style.
Pre-testing in the first class session has allowed me to assess my class's basic compentencies in writing. For example, if they can't distinguish between a sentence, a fragment or a run-on, then we I can't start with paragraph writing for the entire class. Remediation, and review together can bring the group up to speed before launching into the regular course curriculum. Ignoring learner skill level is like throwing a non-swimmer into the deep end of the pool.
a pre test can also be used to design your lesson plan around. if students already know a lot of the early material thats to be presented, then you can either go more in depth with the subject, or give more advanced ideas later on in the semester.
I agree with the use of pretests- I just think that we don't use them enough and when they are used there isn't sufficient time used to assessment them completely
Hi Simon:
They can serve to illustrate what kind of student learner you have, making the design of lesson plans more effective.
Regards, Barry
Pretesting is valuable in getting a feel for the skills of a class. Classes of the same course can vary greatly in the skills they bring to the course. By pretesting you can gear up or down early instruction to better match the group.
We use pretesting the first week of class. I have to admit that I like the pre-requisite testing. I just started that this quarter and it lets me know what the students grasped the quarters before they come to me. We also pre assess the students on the chapters and lessons for the quarter to see what they already know, and at the last week of the quarter, we have them take the same assess to see what they have actually absorbed. It works out quite well.
Hi Sue:
In addition, these kinds of tests can help identify what kind of student learner you have, which makes for a more successful lesson plan.
Regards, Barry
