A pre-test serves many purposes in my class. I teach a cert prep class: a 5 week period for students to focus their studies on their certification exams. The first day of class we take a pre-test which reviews all of the material they have learned over the past 14 months and then some. The pre-test is a great tool so students can see what material they need to review as well as myself. It also serves as a great basis for comparison so the student can see their progress as they proceed through the class and continue to take practice tests.
Hi Janelle:
Additionally, these types of tools may be indicators ofhow your adult learner ....well, learns! Knowing this can help us create more effective lesson plans.
Regards, Barry
Hi William:
Actually there mulip[le uses for pretesting, and they are not even limited to students. Pretesting is sort of like a survey. The difference is a survey solicits opinions, A pretest solicits information. Thinking of it that way, creative teachers can conjure up a whole lot of uses.
Regards, Barry
Knowing the progress of the students to see if you are inline with the objective
Hi Jeremy:
Put another way, pretests might allow an instructor to plan more effective lesson plans.
Regards, Barry
Hi Daniel:
I like pretesting. If it's done in a non-graded way (the best way in my opinion), students usually have no qualms about taking a test. As you say, the benefit to us is we learn what areas can use the most emphasis and what areas less time need be spent (if they are already up to speed.
Regards, Barry
a pretest can help find out how much they know and how more they can learn so you can work through each section of the course
Hi Donald:
Most everyone has done a survey. That results in a collection of opinions. Well, for me, a pretest is like a non-graded assessment, but the results are are collection of information about prior learning. That information can be used in a variety of ways, most usually for planning, but also for determining where and what to focus on.
Regards, Barry
I teach in short one-three week courses and always have students with a wide variety of existing skills. A pretest helps you focus efforts to build onto the skill available in that set of students and not needlessly build frustration.
Hi Doyle:
Many teachers use pretesting, but not all. I occasionally use the when I feel it will help me decide what I need to do to teach effectively to a group of students (usually thos I don't any prior experience with).
Regards, Barry
Hi Judith:
The key word in your post is "student needs". How do we meet them. That is the essence of so many teaching strategies, including the student survey (for opinion) or pretest (for prior knowledge.
Regards, Barry
A pretest can show you what you need to focus on and how to best deliver the material. If the group of students have varied pretest results, you can plan your lesson and delivery to accommodate all student needs.
I think pretest is a way to determine where I need to place more time on subject.
Hi Sheila:
Good! I also think these can be a help in planning for future classes, especially if ta trend begins to appear that reflects students are always weak in...whatever.
Regards, Barry
Pretests help the instructor access and evaluate where the student is and what will be needed for this student to be successful during the durations of the course.
Hi William:
Good. A survey is a varitation of of a pretest. The survey solicits opinion, which may assit in a certain way. A pretest assess prior knowledge, which is helpful in planning lesson and understanding more or less emphasis may be needed in a course.
Regards, Barry
Hi Sultana:
Yes - you've described how pretesting can assit the planning for effective and interesting lessons. That's probably one of the more important reasons for doing pre-testing.
Regards, Barry
Hi Denise:
Math is a graet example to use for demonstrating the benefits of pretesting. But it can be used for most subjects. When the teacher wants to be effective and has a fixed aount of time, pretesting can help avoid taking time with uneeded topics.
Regards, Barry
I have used pretests to access the knowledge base of a class in a subject such as math. The students that I teach generally are addults with a diverse range of time away from teh educational area. By using a pretest, I generally know in what areas I need to focus, which students may need extra help or tutoring, and which students may benefit from being asked to assist their classmates (to prevent ourbursts and boredom).
Hi Cheryl:
Good process! I do pretty much the same thing - whenever I'm unsure where students are at, a pretest can help me decide where emphasis is needed.
Regards, Barry
