Pre-test
Using the pre-test has been a great tool for me to get a sense of the student's abilities and where to focus most.
Charles,
This is always a great ice breaker kind of activity. Pretesting gives the instructor specific information about whole class prior knowledge in specific topics, and this provides an opportunity for the instructor to make minor corrections in the planned curriculum.
Barry Westling
Sometimes I will just ask each student what their doing for a job or have done, just as a survey to see which ones have work in the field.
Scott,
Yes, that is very true. Also, fill-in, essay, or short answer questions allow individual student expression without an opportunity to guess from a selection of choices, such as a multiple choice answer.
Barry Westling
If you really want to get a picture of what a student knows, or think that they know, use a short answer or essay style format for your pretests. You can then incorporate your findings into your presentations. This is especially helpful in dispelling the misinformation that the student may have felt was factual. Just because they found it on the web doesn’t mean that it is factual or correct.
Lissa,
I would suggest using the course objectives. For instance, based on objectives, what 10 (or 25 or 50) essential bits of critical information must students be familiar with for effectiveness in the course? Or using the same pattern, what outcomes do you want students to possess by the end of the class. You may find students generally know more than expected, or less, and therefore emphasis can be placed where your time can be maximized.
Barry Westling
I could use some advice when developing a pretest. I have not used one before. Do you start with the first chapter of the book? Or would you sample questions from the final? Please guide me here. It sounds like pretesting is a great tool.
Cory,
Great. Reviewing allows an instructor to use a "testing instrument" to perform as a "teaching instrument". I always review tests and quizzes, as often as possible immediately after I give it.
Barry Westling
I use pretests to check the students knowledge level and then go over the pretests in the class as a group and explain why and how the information will relate to the course.
Terry,
For me, pretesting helps my planning for a specific class with specific students in a specific term. What has worked in past terms is not always the best strategy for the next class. By pretesting, I get an idea about prior learning to assist my planning.
Barry Westling
The pretest is a great tool for the teacher. It helps her/him to gage where the students abilities are and where they need the help the most. It can also point out other students that might be of help to their peers when pairing them up for group projects. This way the students will and can interact with one another and everyone can become a success.
Jerome,
Although this is a bit subjective, I believe any information we get about the students prior knowlege is helpful. One potential downside is some students may posses information but are not comfortable speaking up, so the results and feedback received may be skewed somewhat.
Barry Westling
A verbal servay of the class can act as a pretest to determin the work experiance of the students and help plan your presentation stratigy.
Robert,
Good. I don't always pretest, but it's especially helpful when I have little or no knowledge of prior learning. I can guess or assume, but that's not a very reliable basis to make decisions about planning my classes.
Barry Westling
