Pretests
The use of a pretest is a really great Idea. The institution In which I teach uses an entrance exam. I will use a pretest from now on to get my students motivated.
Robert,
I use them a lot in my classes for the reason you state. They give me a baseline from which I can plan and target my instruction.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Pretest have proven to be a great tool, for the student as a study guide, also the instructor.
Darren,
I agree. I use them in my courses so I can get a baseline on my students and then plan my instruction accordingly.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Pretests are a good motivator, some students that think they have all the answers find out there is more going on then they think.
Dr. Carlton,
I am a big user of pretests in my classes as well. They really help me to get a picture of where I need to start my instruction. The jeopardy clickers sound like a lot of fun for the students as they get to "click in" and share their knowledge.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I also use pretests for a starting point for which to assess student's knowledge and the way they approach the different styles of questions. They also enjoy using jeopardy-style clickers which engages them in the pre-test and post-test discussion.
Frederick,
I use pretesting as well. Having the results of the pretests helps me to target my foundational information so I can start where they are at or if there is diversity of knowledge I can group the students more effectively.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I like to use pretest on students after they have taken their first course. I then break it down into subject matters, so they can see which areas they understand or need improvement.
James,
Good point. I use pretesting in my courses for the reasons you state. Helps me to know where to start with the current group of students. I am able to more accurately target my instruction as a result.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I totally agree. Pretesting is a great idea! It provides a start point for each student so I can measure their progress.
I want them to come away with more than they had at the start of the class. This is an easy and efficient way to find out what each person needs and to gain a perspective of how much progress they are making.
I am going to try the pretest idea. I have found as I teach more advanced topics the students don't have all the background or ability to understand concepts presented that i expected.
I was not aware that instructors have access to entrance exams.Being able to review those tests would certainly help me assess my students capibilities. Also it would help putting together a pretest.
I am a big proponent of the pretest. I give my RT students one before every exam with an immediate followed up review session. It helps me evaluate my teaching, my question style, as well as gives my students focus for studying for the exam. We like to call it Pre-remediation. The trick is to actually write the Unit exam using the same concepts but different questions.
Charlene,
I use them as well for the reasons you mentioned. They give me a starting point with the current group of students. As you know each class has such variety that it is tough to plan for them unless you have some sort of baseline to operate from.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Yes! Pretests have been a way for me to determine the background of students at my school. I teach anatomy and physiology and will sometimes have students fresh from high school and some that have been out of school for 20 years. Pretests let me know where they are at with the information, while giving the younger learner and opportunity to impress!
I have used pretests and have found them greatly useful in identifying areas of weakness where i may need to reinforce subject matter that the student did not understand or learn in previous classes.
Use of pretest is a great prelimenary measure, I feel any educational program should have. When interested in an area of learning minimal understanding of the area should be an objective..Pretest help me determime this with my students...
Instuctor
Tom,
I use pretesting and it produces good results for me as I gain information about my students and where I need to target my instructional content.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
