Using pretests as planning tools
How can a pretest help you with your instructional planning?
Dawn,
Great! This is why pretesting is used.
Barry Westling
This will let you know and are familar with and what they do not know. You can then focus on how to get them up par with the others as well as use it as a review for the other students.
I think a pretest gives you a reference point as to where the students are when they start the class.
Judith,
Yeah, there are a lot of dynamics at play here. For me, I find what's most helpful is to be able to make (relatively minor) adjustments in what I had planned in order to meet the needs of the consensus of the class, based on the results of the pretesting. Also, I don't pre test all the time, just at times when I have no idea where the general level of prior learning is at.
Barry Westling
I use a pre-test in one of my courses that requires detailed understanding of a subject, plus knowledge of the vocabulary used in the career. The pre-test is a way to measure how much the students have retained from previous classes they have taken in the program. The content of the pre-test is derived from several required classes that student must pass prior to the course that I teach.
The results of the pre-test make clear which students will have an easier time being successful in the course, and which students will struggle with the content.
Some of the information in the pre-test is scattered throughout the content of the class sessions so that the information is repeated and reinforced for those students who did not remember it the first time.
The content of the pre-test measures vocabulary and concepts that are used commonly in the employment fields for which the students have returned to school.
Stan,
Right, preparing to be better prepared is one way to say it.
Barry Westling
A pretest can assist as a planning tool by giving you feedback as to where each student is with respect to the material that is going to be presented. It allws you to gauge your forthcoming lectures to the appropriate level of the overall class.
Carl,
Right. Pretests really assist the instructor decide where the emphasis needs to be, or where more (or less) time can be spent on a given topic based on the overall performance of the class.
Barry Westling
Pretests can give you a better understanding of the skills your student group has . By knowing these skill levels the instructional presentation can be tailored to match your students . Extra help may be directed into areas that are weak.
James,
Right. That's the purpose. It's a tool to help the instructor as much as learn something about the students. Helps fine tune where the emphasis should (or should not) occur in the curriculum.
Barry Westling
Using a pretest as a planning tool. Can help me structure my lecture to pin point key areas of information needed for students success.
Miguel,
Remember, pretests benefit the instructor the most. If you want to know where to to put the emphasis, pretesting is a good way to determine where the most emphasis.
Barry Westling
My student are in an eceerate promgram. I have not done the pretest. I will try this with my next class. I do think that it will help. thanks
Kimberly,
I have experienced mixed results too. I think a lot depends on how the activity is presented, the intended goal, and grading requirements. I usually don't give a grade that's recorded and part of the students grade. I too like to show the test at the end of the class to demonstrate how far they've come. It's a motivator.
Barry Westling
I have used pre-assessment tests in my classroom and have had mixed results. I prefer to use them so I can show the student their progress at the end of the class or end of the course. Some are overwhelmed with the idea at first, but they appear to be pleased in the end when they see their own progress.
Laura,
Pretests help the instructor plan how best meet the needs of their students. If there is a wide disparity among the class makeup, I've had the stronger students serve as peer tutors to the waeker students. Usually, every one benefits as the stronger students feel they're helping and of course, the weaker students receive the benefit of the assistance received. Another variation of this is when in small groups, I've matched one strong student with 2-3 weaker students. Usually the outcome is the same. On the other hand, based on pretest results, I've prepared higher level, more challenging assignments for the stronger students, allowing me to spend more time with individual or groups of students at the weaker end of the spectrum.
Barry Westling
I teach at a career oriented organization versus a state college or university. The focus here is to prepare students for a career in short time and at far less expense than that of other learning institutions. As a result of this, it appeals to people from all walks, culures, ages and genders. It makes it difficult to predict the level of proficency students have in regards to basic english and math skills. We are also dealing with an increasingly hispanic population and finding that a majority of these students have difficulty with the English language and formulating sentences in English format. A pre-test in this area can be very helpful to determine the writing skills and basic language understtanding skills of individuals in terms of vocabulary. Not eveyone in the class may be able to understand lecture material terminology and you may have to take the time to repeat words or clarify them in terms that these students understand.
It will also help in terms of targeting writing skill deficiencies so that you can provide additional instruction to improve skills before assignments are due and also suggest use of the instutions addtional learning programs and0or tutoring programs available for students to further their skills in areas that need improvement.
Pre-tests, if prepared correctly, can also give you insight into the experiences of individuals in terms of their work and social experiences and also the kind of home and family responsibilities they might be juggling while attending school. This can help an instructor get a general snap shot of an individual's time restraints, frustrations and stresses and an instructor can help or at least understand a little bit more about where students are coming from.
Clare,
Very important. With more frequency I'm getting students with ESL, and many of these kids are really smart but their language barrier presents hurdles to overcome. In these instances, math seems OK, it's the English that's a problem. But as I said, many of these students are very bright and learn concepts quicker than the primary English students.
Barry Westling
I think that it is essential to know where the student's baseline is for understanding a topic.
Not only does it indicate background exposure to the subject but can indicate possible problems with core subjects: math and english. Reading in the subject area is going to be necessary for student success so knowing if there is a problem with reading or understanding english is helpful in tayloring the lessons to include support assignments.
