If anything, a quiz will be a chance for the student to show off what they know. If I give a quiz I will give them a heads up that it is coming. I also have cheesy rewards, such as scented stickers for those that score 100%. (Pizza scented stickers are the worst) A quiz can help build confidence for an upcoming test.
Dave, please report back and share your results. First hand data is always interesting to view. Thanks for anything you can share.
James Jackson
Interesting exercise, I am going to try this one. It is frustrating at times when students score low on a final test and you know that they know the material.Perhaps this will releive some of there pre test anxiety.
Sharon, some students have a true issue with anxiety. The focus of this topic is to bring more attention to the realities of diversity and how every student is different. Not all students that score poorly on a test can be labeled as if they insufficiently studied or were prepared for the exam. Through discussion and understanding you may find that some of your students know the material very well but do not perform well on certain types of tests. Take some time to speak with your students that did not perform well on tests and make sure their lack of performance is due to lack of knowledge or poor study skills and not something else such as a learning disorder or some form of anxiety.
James Jackson
I believe that the fear factor with test comes with the person not feeling confident in themself. In high School I was a terible test taker, but yet I would have my family quiz me and I knew the answers. This stemed from lack of confidence and anxiety. Then I happen to learn about the breathing technique where I focused on slowing my breathing and I was able to think more clearly
Robert, greatly appreciated and not long winded when you have great information and techniques to share. Thanks again.
James Jackson
I agree with Kirk, I would never "discipline" with a test. We have a wide range of ages with students as well as a range of capabilities. There are a few students who simply do not want to expend any energy except in the classroom, so homework will not help. During lecture, it is necessary to explain the "whys" of what you are teaching. Many students will pick up the "logic" of the material which will then make it easier to recall.
There is always at least one student whose fear is overwhelming when I give the test or exam. If the student is willing, I will stay after class and read the questions or even discuss the questions with them, as much as I can without giving the answer. At first I thought other students would resent my spending more time with a student that needs a little extra attention. What I found is that generally the students that don't need the extra attention often take the student who does "under their wing" during group projects or before class, even including them in a study group. Carefully teaching and spending extra time when needed seems to grow in the classroom and it becomes a comfortable, safe environment for all.
I also have used the Jeopardy game in the past and it seems to be effective in motivating intrinsically and extrinsically. Not only does the student come to the realization that they may actually know more than they realized (intrinsic), but I also try and reward the winning team with a little prize, like a cool keychain and such (extrinsic).
Well Mr. Jackson, first I remember what it was like at test time for me many years ago. Back then when you was tested it seemed their was a lot of pressure to get a good score that often times I would fail simplely because i would freeze.
I enjoy working with adult students and on day one I try to put them at ease. Assessments are a good tool to see how well students are doing with the material and I keep it in that context. I encourage students to do the best that they can.
I will not tollerate giving up in my class from any student and they know failure is not an option. If they are struggling with some of the material I encurrage them to ask questions by never making fun of them and always keeping it possitive even if their answer was wrong. I have found that even with a wrong answer I can promote thinking and turn a negative into a positive and Mr. Jackson,boy do students respond and its all good.
Now to get them ready,first I ask them if they have a good place to study and most do. The next question I ask is how do they study and I get all kinds of answers. Those that have a hard time comprehending what they have read, I advise them to limit their study time to no more than 15 to 30 min. I tell them that in this time spand concentrate only on the material and then break.
Take care of the kids,eat dinner,ect. Break the assignment down to a managable size that fits them. If they don't understand something make a note of it and bring it into class.
Next I have found that alot of students have difficulty in reading,again I show them by example how to read so that it gives their mind time to absorb what they have read.
I by no means am trying to act or say that I know everything here but this type of knowledge has come to me over time and neccessity.In my professional life I have had a lot of obsticles to over come so I can relate to my students.
I took another course you have on different learning styles that students will have and that one answered alot of questions for me.
I never did like being called whats your name or who are you?, To me that sets the tone I am unimportant. My first week is always very intense because I learn everyones name and a little background on all my students to aid in a positive teacher/student relationship.
By doing some of these things that I have spoken about you can dismantle and throw fear out the window when it comes to tests.I prove this theory every quarter and all my students look forward to taking tests,quizes because I keep assessments in that context. My students know that even if they turn in a bad test that I will show them a positive side to it and never talk down to them.
I hope that I have answered your question Mr. Jackson and have enjoyed the courses.
I tend to get long winded at least thats what some of my students say LOL!
I agree with Maria, I love the breathing techniques and relaxation techniques prior to a test. My instructor used them with my class in college and it was great and really oxygenates the brain! I would never use a test or a quiz as punishment. That is insane! Similar to threatening a child with a "shot". Does not serve any positive purpose except leaves everyone fearful for the remainder of a semester! I teach the NCLEX preparation classes, so with my students, I "arm" them with extra knowledge,so there is much to draw on mentally when taking their exam! They do like it and it gives them much courage as they go forward to take their state exam.
I never threaten a quiz as a way to provide discipline in my classroom...I believe that is way to foster animosity between the intsructor and his/her students. Often, I will counteract the fear associated with quizzes/tests by turing it into a classroom learning excercise. I'll have each student put the last four digits of their phone number at the top of the quiz, but not their name. Once everyone is finished, I collect the papers and then redistribute them to random classmates. We then have a classoom question, answer, and discussion session while anonymously grading each other's quiz. I collect the graded quizzes, hand them back to their rightful owners, and we then spend a few minutes on further clarification of topics as necessary. The whole excercise is then recorded as a classroom activity score toward their grade. The once feared quiz has in this way become an active learning scenario, with pertinent information being doubly cememted into the student's comprehension in a fun and engaging way.
Beliece it o not my husband teach me that technique. He said; he use it when he was in the Army with his soldiers, when they were tired or bored listening to him. That will revive them.
Patrick, do the students use these sheets during the test or is this just a tool to help trigger short term memory patterns? Thanks for any information you can share.
James Jackson
Maria, is this a technique you developed, learned or saw demonstrated? Knowing the origin of new methodologies assists others in considering adoption. Thanks for anything you can share.
James Jackson
Robert, what steps do you take to assist students in how to prepare and perform on assessments? This goes beyond knowing the materials but as another discipline, performance on tests is a skill students can learn and gain skill.
James Jackson
The night before a test I will send students home with a blank piece of printer paper. All I ask of them is to fill the paper with notes and tactics they think are important to the topic we are testing on. Then when we get to class I will have everyone review thier sheets with thier groups. This seems to reinforce thier knowlege and relieve some tensions.
Quizzes can be useful if students are not reading the material prior to lecture; I do not use them on a daily basis. Lecturing material to clueless students can be very difficult and time consuming on the instructor and potenital prepared classmates. Filled-in-the-blank study guide after lecture are very useful, especially when the students work together; normally, students know more than they orginally anticipated. By providing a quiet atomsphere, practice tests and study guides, students usually feel more prepared in regards to taking a tests.
I use some exercises. First, I let them study for 15 minutes before the test, then I ask them to stand, closed their eyes for couple seconds, breathe in an out and last strech their hands over the head, side and back. Then we start the test, they love this exercise.
Many students fear tests and quizzes because it is an evaluation of what they know and they are afraid they will not recall the information and fail or not do well. When a student feels secure, often times, this fear can be overcome because they don't think about the failure. If this fear already exists, using it as punishment will cause many to fail simply because of the stress and shame in combination with the existing anxiety related to tests. While it may create control, fear as a motivator will inhibit learning and motivation because of their lack of security in the environment.
Quizzes should be used as learning tools and the results serve as a barometer for the retention of information by the student and for well as a class the information has been recieved, when this becomes a feaful thing the results will not reflect what is actually the case.
