I never use quizzes to discipline or control a class.All of my students are adults and behave so.When I due a quizz its planned and the day before an exam so the students are able to see where they stand prior to the exam.
Martha, can you elaborate on how the different types of test questions help students? Share any direct experiences you have had and any comments you have received from your students about your test preparation process they you have them follow.
Regards,
James Jackson
Thanks for sharing Martha. Can you share some of your techniques with respect to making students more comfortable with taking tests? What methodology do you follow with respect to discussing the test taking process and what results have you noticed from the early stages of a class with respect to the final weeks?
Thanks for any information you can share.
Regards,
James Jackson
Offering different types of questions like True/False, fill in the blank (maybe with the use of a word list), multiple choice or short answer will help some students.
Quizzes and tests should only be used as a form of assessment. I combine quiz and test grades with homework grades to lower the weight of a quiz grade. I usually review the questions and answers after giving the quiz. Other times I might allow the students to go back and use their notes and textbooks to find the answers on their own. Sometimes I re-give the quiz and then average the two grades.
In a lot of cases, the connotative meaning of the word "test" is negative. So, I call it an assessment instead. Students and people in general tend to swallow that term better. I also make sure that I am clear on what material will be covered on the test, and give the students example test questions so they will know how the test will look. I make sure that the tests does not differ from what we discuss in class. Once students see this, it generally simmers their fears about my tests.
I would not use a quiz/test as a discipline control technique. You are setting both your student and yourself up for failure if you do this. If you want to set both your student and yourself up for success, teach the student how to most successfully approach a test. I use a tried and true method that helps them eliminate text anxiety and gives them logical steps by which to take the test. I also talk to them about good nutrition and eating and sleeping well to prepare their brain for the test. We should always want to set our students and ourselves up for success. Giving students tools that help them remove test anxiety and perform well can help them achieve the success they desire.
Thanks for your feedback Christina. What are some techniques you have used in the past to help students beyond their fear when dealing with the various forms of assessment you use in your class?
Thanks for anything you would be willing to share.
Regards,
James Jackson
Many students, especially adult learners, have test anxiety. Using a threat of a quiz as form of controlling your class will only add to the fear of those who already have anxiety or issues when it comes to taking tests. It is inappropriate to threaten a quiz or test based on students behavior. In college we are all adults and should behave as such.
Kirk, thanks for your response. You bring forward a critical distinction with respect to different forms of assessment and a difference between student skills and student knowledge. One one side of the argument there is the issue that states that a properly prepared student should perform well on any level of assessment because they know the material. There is another side of the argument that questions if all students perceive assessments in the same manner and relate understanding the materials into a high correlation of successfully completing an assessment. This situation is in relation to your comment about some students not having issues with tests while others have real issues that cause them to not perform well when taking a test.
Before an instructor jumps to a conclusion that a student is not properly prepared and through their own lack of preparation they perform poorly on a test, they should take some additional time to ensure other factors are not a root cause. For example, and I only speak to this as I have this condition myself, if a student has one of the many forms of dyslexia, no about of preparation will allow them to perform well on some forms of assessments. Some situations may require simple changes in study habits while others may require a very different form by which the assessment is administered. Other conditions do exist and should be considered before labeling a student as having poor study habits. No, not all students have dyslexia. Some students will just need to study harder or learn better study habits. An effective instructor will take the time to research other reasons behind a student who continually performs poorly on assessments despite all efforts to motivate or provide alternate study materials to that student. Just one of the techniques that separate good instructors from GREAT instructors.
Regards,
James Jackson
I would never use a quiz or test as a disipline control technique. Some students have very little problems taking tests and quizes and some students have a real hard time with exams. In my teaching I have the students work many problems very similar to what they will be tested over at the end of the course. I also give homework assignments every night and review it the next day in class. My questions and problems on the assignments are very similar to the ones that they will encounter on the exam. I also talk to my classes about ways to take tests and to study for tests at the beginning of class. Usually by test time a large percentage of my students are prepared and do well on thier exams.
Thanks for sharing Salvatore. I really like how you have demonstrated a very effective use of an assessment tool. By using your form of assessment you are using a more affirmative form of learning with your students. Assessments can take many forms and satisfy many needs in education. Some assessments are essential to measure learning while others are used to enhance learning. The trick in my experience has been to discuss this process with students so they understand the role that assessments play and they are not be be feared but used to gain a better understanding of the materials they will need for other parts of an existing course or may need in future courses.
Regards,
James Jackson
Another one in agreement. My classes are very heavy on terms of art and definitions that easily lend themselves to fast quizzes, but wielding the prospect of a quiz as a threat just heightens the student's anxiety about "knowing all that stuff" and being able to regurgitate it in the right fashion.
Instead, I prefer to use a quiz as an opportunity to help the student realize that they have a better grasp on the topic than they realize. Usually I can achieve that through making sure the quiz hits the "high points" that most, if not all, of the students are able to quickly grasp during the main lesson.
Because of a built in "fear factor", some students do not test well. That doesn't mean they don't know the subject material, simply that they can't explain or discuss this material on a test. To help deal with this, I speak with the class about this on or near day 1. We discuss alternatives on how to measure our progress without taking tests. What happens is that we do "reviews"--not tests--and that simple discription takes away alot of anxiety. No grades, no pressure, and you don't have to answer all the questions if you don't want to. Then use them as a study guide. By the time we get to the end of a section (2 weeks) most are comfortable enough to take the final exam with no sweat. A little communication about fears (with individual students) seems to help out, too. I always explain that our goal is catching a good job--and we won't let something like an illfitting test stand in our way.
Thanks for your feedback Brian. Students want to feel secure in their educational goals. In this sense of security we are talking about the ability to perform and be successful. If a student does not believe they can be successful, it really does not matter how good an instructor may be, the student will eventually fail. It is through effective mentorship, coaching, and building trust with students that instructors are truly successful as educators. It takes a true educator to remove the fear factor away from how students perceive of any assessment process.
Regards and thanks again.
James Jackson
Quizzes and tests should never be classified as threats. Test and quizzes are tools to evaluate the level of competency tht a student has for the material that is covered. Everyone fears tests; it is human nature. People fear rejection or failure when performing tests, this is natureal. An instructor can help alleviate that fear by reinforcing the main goals of the test and to make sure that every student understands what is expected of them in regards to the material taught.
Alicia, thanks for your feedback. I really like your focus here and how you have established a true sense of education as your focus in how you implement assessments. There is a wide range of opinions on the issue of punishment, positive reinforcement, and weeding out of those that cannot demonstrate mastery of material. Too often however, the use of exams and quizzes are not used to measure understanding and effective delivery of a curriculum. If we have learned anything over the last 50 years of higher education, we have learned that there are different learning styles and different teaching styles and not all of them mix well with each other. Effective instructors are those that are willing to be critical of their own delivery methods and seek out new and different ways to help their students learn. The creative use of assessments is but one example of creative delivery of learning objectives.
Regards,
James Jackson
Susan, I like your statement concerning pre- and post- assessment. Using assessment as a means of strengthening the curriculum provides a great wealth of information to the instructor and back to the student. This process also gets students more accustomed to taking various types of assessment as a means of measuring their understanding of the material versus a punitive device to weed out a specific demographic of students.
Since we are all trying to make students feel more secure in their learning environment, it is obvious that fear is not a good motivator for learning. I would never use a quiz in a threatening way which would make students feel insecure, but rather as something to stimulate thinking. Possibly even a quiz prior to the lecture, and a quiz again after, or the next day. In this way the pre-quiz would stimulate thinking, and the post-quiz would reinforce their accomplishment in illustrating what they have learned.
Hello!
Just a few ideas came to my mind that I try to implement in my class regarding your question, “What are some of the techniques you use in your classroom to properly prepare students for the various tests you administer? Since we agree that tests create some level of anxiety, how can we as educators remove some of the stress? “
I teach math courses and see first- hand that a majority of my students fear that upcoming test especially if it is the first test of the quarter. The thought of a math course for many students causes a great deal of stress let alone a math test. A couple of ways that I try to alleviate this is verbal reassurance that you CAN do this with proper preparation and studying. I am always available to answer questions and no question is considered “dumbâ€. Often students are too scared to even ask a question for fear of why I or other classmates might think about them.
Also, for each exam (midterm/final) I provide a detailed review sheet with example problems that are worked with solutions that are similar to problems that are found on the upcoming exam. This way students will see the types of problems they will encounter and have a chance to focus their studies on the relevant content of the exam. There is nothing worse than putting a great deal of study time into an exam only to study the “wrong conceptsâ€. Believe me, I’ve had this happen to me on many occasions!
Also, on certain smaller tests/quizzes, I allow students to complete corrections providing detailed work to show how they arrived at the correct answer. This way, I can provide a few points back to their scores (which is usually less than 5% of their overall test grade) but this method serves 3 purposes: To reinforce those weak areas where they may have had difficulties and to strengthen those concepts so that students will do well in future chapters of the course, to also add a few points onto their score, and to build their confidence that they can in fact master this material. These are just a few ideas that I use in my classes. I am interested to hear others thoughts.
Thanks so much,
Alicia
