Hi Steven:
Good summary. Part of our job is to plan in order to assure students learn whatever course objectives are given. Pretesting can be a help to both student and teachers. For students, they get a preview of what's ahead in the course, and maybe they can begin to prepare if needed. For teachers, we see where we may need to tweak our plans to target areas that we find may need more emphasis than we had planned.
Regards, Barry
This is a concept I have used for food science class. It not only gives me an idea of the previous experience of each student it foreshadows what the student can expect to learn in my class
Pre-tests will identify the understanding of the students for the subject which allows the instructor to adapt instruction accordingly.
Hi Christine:
This is a very good point, and underscores the benefits of doing something like pretesting. This activity can provide students with preview of whats to come, what will be covered, how to prepare, and what they'll be laerning. Sounds like a great way to start off a class.
Regards, Barry
Sometines the entrance requirement tests that are done do not measure the real skills or qualities needed. This is where a pretest could really be helpful. Some students come into a course without a clue of what's its about.
Hi Carol;
Ideally, one of the benefits of using a pretest is to determine where all of the students are in preparation for the upcoming class. Regardless what the should have learned, pretesting reveals their performance at that point in time. I think it can help plan the lessons by targeting identified weaker areas that the teacher will want to spend extra time on. It can also be like "previews of coming attractions" to students who can anticipate the next level of instruction that awaits ahead.
Regards, Barry
I can see that pretests would be a good method to assess student learning, but what if students have "passed" previous courses but are unable to do the course work? I see this in our courses. Each course builds on skills of previous courses, but when they get to me they cannot perform as necessary. Sometimes, I have been their teacher for the previous class, so I know they have been taught the necessary skills, but they just squeak by with a low mark; which immediately affects the new class.
Carol Kravitz
Hi Eric:
Yes, I agree and think pretesting can help the teacher plan their course as much as assessing past learning by students. It's a helpful tool.
Regards, Barry
Hi Rick:
Good - there are many variations and some are quite simple, others more elaborate. As you indicated, these do help understand where the students are at in their prior learning.
Regards, Barry
Pre-test or pop up test help the teacher to know if student are learning and understand the material they have been covering, pretest will provide some information if to the teacher if he need to review the content
i find alittle q&a works as well. it lets me know a few different things as far as my students knowledge goes. also a short quiz/pretest helps with the students who dont like to answer vocally right away.
Hi Jamie:
This is cool! Having an interest in knowing where your students are similar or differ is an indication a teacher truly wants their students to benefit from their classes.
Regards, Barry
Hi Alyson:
You understand the limitations of your institution. Still, I would suggest that a pretest could incorporated into your lesson or somewhere in the curriculum. Maybe not possible, but this tool truly is beneficial to teachers.
Regards, Barry
I love to see where students are before even beginning. If I know where their experience is, I can understand how fast or slow-paced I need to be. I never want to leave someone stranded but I also do not want to lose student's attention due to repeating unnecessary information.
Hi Nancy:
Pretesting does provide a lot of valuable information, as you've indicated. I benefit by knowing how to plan, adjust, modify, or re-emphasize essential teaching points in my curriculum. Some students get excited about what the upcoming class is going to contain, while others receive insight on what their going to need to be prepared to study for. I reall think it's a win-win situation.
Regards, Barry
Hi Cheyney:
You've provided a good example. I don't always do pretesting because to do it right takes some time, planning, and anaylsis of the results. I too use the results for planning. If I don't have enough time to do it right, then I don't even want to bother with it. As a tool, I think this is one of the more underused tools at the disposal of the teacher, and more should think about experimenting with it.
Regards, Barry
Sadly where I teach this would be hard to do as the whole system is simply based on whether the student has graduated high school or has a GED. The are prerequisites for many modules in the program but not all, depending on the skills being needed as they move thogh the program.
Pretests are very useful in planning instruction. I have found, in all of my classes, that students come from very divergent backgrounds. Some have already had some of the course materials taught to them in high school, or another college. Others have never seen it before. It's very helpful to know the knowledge level of the students, so you can tailor the content to the class. You'll know how elementary the knowledge needs to be in introducing the concepts to the class. If most students have never seen the material before, you'll need to know this so you don't start out too involved and lose them to confusion. If most students have already learned the materials, you'll lose them to boredom.
I use a pretest to not only determine skill level of my students, but also to determine what any long range goals may exist. I can use the information to personalize my teaching to each student. If for example, Jay has a goal to become a catering chef, I can liken his cooking experience in the classroom to the experience of professional catering.
Hi Ted:
Good way of expressing the uses and outcome of pretesting.
Regards, Barry
