Students frequently view exams as feedback on whether they know the information that was delivered in class. Not be successful on an exam could mean (from a students perspective) that they do not have a grasp on the knowledge taught. Receiving a bad grade is also part of the fear and anxiety.
i take the fear out of quizzes by giving several throughout the term. i only count 4 out of 8 for their grade, but it helps students overcome fear of taking tests, and gives them practice.
I give online homework for every chapter. The homework generally consists of easy multiple choice questions that the student takes online. Since the students complete many of these assignments over a semester and the program I use grades them immediately it reduces test anxiety as they get practice with questions that are in a similiar format as the exams. They quickly see that one bad grade has little effect in the grand scheme of things. It also motivates them to actually complete the readings because they then see the fruit of that labor in the product of a good homework grade.
I like the idea of looking at the Review questions first- However in my classroom there are approx. 150 review questions that must be coevered in a 3-4 week class. Starting with this has shown that many students are not prepared to look at this as one big bite and it actually heightens the anxiety.
I absolutely agree with some type of pre-test review to activate the brain in the area they have stored the classroom material, even if the test is all they do for that day.
Anyone can experience this fear. I found it interesting to have just personally experienced test anxiety in on line module! First, I felt secure because we had a practice test, which showed me that I did know the material. I took exception with the second test because of the structure and began to have self doubts. Still happy I had a practice test! My success with the first test, fed my perseverance with the second. In working with students in my career I have had to find a way for them not to internalize the results. Rather than using it as disciplinary action I try to explain that it is a measure of where they are with the material at the moment. It points the way to where one can improve the mastery of the topics.
Many students have a fear associated with taking quizzes or tests, especially during a complicated class. What I have found to work really well is creating quizzes that can be done with the class divided into groups. I sometimes use a jeopardy game or just simply a discussion about class content in the form of questions. I award the teams with achievement awards or candy while at the same time have them discussing the core content of the class without them even realizing it. Once an actually test or quiz is given the anxiety level of most my students are gone because now they are confident about the class and their knowledge on the material. I try to always find new ways to do group activities that provide a learning, reassuring platform. It helps prepare my students for their tests a lot.
some students just arent good test takers
Maria, great post and brings forward how important it is for instructors to constantly learn and stay on top of the latest trends. Learning disorders and test anxiety are real and the chance is high you will encounter some level during your time with students. Make sure you know how to assist your students and when to have them seeks additional assistance.
James Jackson
ryan, great use of an active learning tool. Students learn better the more active they are during the learning process.
James Jackson
Testing is a good source for an instructor to use in providing feedback. Testing shouldn't be intended as a threat as this would raise the anxiety levels within the classroom. Testing should be approached as a means to let the student know how much they have retained from the lesson and provide the student what areas they need to concentrate on to improve. Testing after a lesson does provide the student with additional motivation to be prepared and pay close attention. I have used the post lesson quizzes to motivate. Many times it has provided the student with security in knowing they have a grasp on more of the material than they believed they did. Testing, in effect, increased their confidence.
Fear factor associated with quizzes/test can motivate to a certain extent. When the subject matter is clear to most students, the anxiety level is somehow reduced though not eliminated. Yet some students have test anxiety regardless of the subject matter and to these students it doesn't work as a discipline control. It is more a psychology challenge for them than anything else.
For my quizzes I like to give one after the lesson in a clicker quiz form, my school uses a tool called turning point. It is great for both security and autonomy. the students use a remote to answer questions on powerpoint as a group. The results are anonymous and I use these to review for quizzes and exams. I can also assign names to the remotes to evaluate what students I need to focus on who are maybe lagging behind without them having to approach me. I really enjoy the interaction this can create if we do a critical thinking exercise it can be used as a polling tool as well.
Traci, AWESOME and such techniques should be duplicated at very institution in america. From my perspective there is not enough peer to peer collaboration within the higher education institutions of our country. Thank you and your co-worker for being smart enough to understand the importance of such collaboration and the real winners are your students. Job well done.
James Jackson
My co-instructor and I often collaborate to find what works best for our students. She will often do a small group peer type review, where they study together to prepare for the exams in her class. That also works well in our particular setting.
Gerald, what conversations do you have with your students so they better associate the homework and practice quizzes as preparation for the quizzes that count towards their class grade? The more students understand your methodology the more they will come to accept it. Thanks for any information you can share.
James Jackson
Traci, review and proper preparation before a test is a great way to ensure students are ready. Do you receive any feedback from your students as they compare your techniques with those of other instructors? Such comparisons could be very interesting.
James Jackson
ROBERT, great topic and a critical still to teach students. Different students will learn in different ways but the ability to paint mental pictures and to assist students in how to maximize memorization and understanding is a great technique. More instructors should be utilizing these skills. Thanks for sharing.
James Jackson
Since I teach advanced math courses, I see "fear" of tests all of the time. I try to overcome this by giving many practice quizzes and assign a lot of homework. This homework also functions as practice quizzes. I encourage class discussions on the quizzes and, occasionally, will give group quizzes.
I have found that reviewing for an exam the class before is very helpful. We review together, as a group, and it is usually a fun discussion. Sometimes we will play a game (Jeopardy) to make sure the information really hits home. Then the morning of the test, I don't rush them right into the test. I will give them the first 20 minutes to settle in and study, then we take the exam. I know from my experience this time can be most beneficial. When I hand out the test, I tell them "everybody take a deep breath; you all know the information; you will do great!" It works like a charm.
I find by introducing learning maps as study tools and instructing the students on how to study ,how to read a chapter in a text for understanding, how to move information from their short term memory into their long term memory helps the students feel more relaxed when it comes to test time.
Also Motivation sayings, speeches and stories are a daily occurrence in any class I instruct. It keeps the student focused on accomplishing goals.
