Using pretests is very useful in finding out the students' base knowledge and gives a good basis on what level to begin the education process.
Hi Jackie:
It may also help show the instructor how the student learns best.
Regards, Barry
Hi Luequiten:
Pretests are great for the instructor to gauge what information the students already have in their brains on any particular topic. Depending on how the instructor (you) uses these tools, you might also get a good look at how your students learn which can help you create more effective lesson plans.
Regards, Barry
Crissia,
Great! I use pretesting intermittently, usually for a new cohort of students (when I'm unsure at what level students are performing at). Like you, I find the biggest value is planning on where more (or less) emphasis may be needed in a course. A couple of times, I've had students redo the same pretest at the end of a course to show how far they have come. But as a practice I don't simply because it's somewhat redundant.
Barry Westling
Pretests help a lot in the courses I teach since the courses are often both relatively technical in nature and on a condensed, quarterly schedule. It helps me know right away how much related / necessary knowledge and skills the students are bringing into the class and what basics we may need to review and/or work into the course content moving forward so as not to lose anyone.
Lori,
Great! You've mentioned a specific activity that works for you. This is an excellent application of the benefits pretesting can accomplish. Good job.
Barry Westling
Regina,
I like your idea that stronger students can help weaker students, although I think we can do that absent a pretest. Nonetheless, pretesting help assess where students may need more emphasis in the course or, perhaps less. It's a great tool, although it doesn't have to be done all the time. For me, I use them when I am unsure at level students are performing.
Barry Westling
I think pretests are helpful in determining the overall instructional approach that will work for the majority of the students. For those students who lack academic strength in the course subject, offering additional help after class or during office hours may help bring them up to the same level with other students. Also encourage students who are very good at learning the material to work together with those students who are struggling.
I use pretest to help determine what dicussions need further review. This then enables me to set aside specific time in the day which is best suited depending on how much time I feel I need.
Charlotte,
Good - you're right that planning is the outcome or purpuse of pretests.
Barry Westling
A pretest can be beneficial when determining how much of a topic needs to be covered.
Eddie,
Good! Pretesting is a great tool, takes little time, but can provide great benefit to the teacher in knowing what areas need the most attention and what areas can be diminished.
Regards, Barry
It will help the instructor asses the skill level of the students and it can also be used to find out the most effective way of presenting the class material.
Makila,
Pretests are really helpful tools. If students know it's non-graded they'll be more willing to participate. The biggest help is for benefit to the teacher for planning - how much (or how little) emphasis, and where?
Regards, Barry
Thomas,
Sure - when I don't have a clear bearing on where my students are at, I'll do a non-graded mni pretest to determine where I need to place more (or less) emphasis.
Regards, Barry
It saves time and energy by quickly determining the level of student proficiency.
A pretest will help me determing how much time will be needed to cover course topics. Also, it will allow me to measure students' general vocabulary level as it relates to the material. Sometimes students don't realize that they have to learn the "language" of the field they chose to study.
Hi Miriam:
A good outcome for students is they can honetly assess without feeling "Oh, my grade can be affected by this test". If the activity is presented as non-graded, we'll get better responses to help us make our decisions.
For me, the key word is emphasis: What do I want to emphasize (based on the information obtained from the pretest)? Like you stated, it can save time by focusing on a topic students already are fairly knowledgeable.
Regards, Barry
Hi Miriam:
Good! A perfect use for this tool. This is sort of like a survey, where in opinions are sought. With a pretest, information, or knowledge is sought. In either case, we make decision based on the information obtained.
Regards, Barry
A pretest can help you identify topics to focus on, briefly review, or even eliminate during your class. It will also help you to identify student performance levels so that you can plan study time/office hours with specific students depending on their goals. A pretest can help to guide you through your lesson plans.
