It allows the instructor to assess where each student stands. Also, It allows me to see where I need to "go back" to so that the whole class is on the same page when proceeding forward.
One of the issues I have in my classes is student knowledge of prerequisite material. The pre-test is something that will definitely show how much of this knowledge is lacking. At this point, I must cover this material to insure that these students will be successful. Talking to the rest of the department, which I have, will only affect future students. After 3 years of teaching, I know I need to be flexible in my course content and have made preparations for changes to the class schedule or timing.
Tifany,
Pretesting is a tool, and like all tools it has a purpose. For students, it gives them a preview of the upcoming class. For the instructor, its an assist to planning to better meet our students needs.
Barry Westling
Pre test are a great tool because it helps the studetn access where they are in knowing the course material.
Carol,
Yes, and even better students who feel they know some of the material being pretested, it's a good review. For the less prepared, this gives a good platform for previewing whats to come. Diligent students can be encouraged to look ahead and begin to work on areas they feel they may weak.
Barry Westling
That is a great idea to have pre tests at the start of a class. It will make it easier to plan your teaching schedule and know where the students are in relation to the material you are teaching. Why go over things that they already know?
Pretest can give you an understanding of the student's initial understanding of the subject. This can help in laying out the plan and knowing where to start or if certain material may need to be reviewed.
Kanidrus ,
Great. Pretesting can be helpful, especially to the instructor for planning purposes, making adjustments in emphasis or degree of detail required.
Barry Westling
I always create pretests that allows me to see what the students have learned previously. This allows me to take the best approach in facilitating.
Kanidrus
Ronald,
Sometimes admissions folks and educators are at odds, both with goals to meet and challenges to overcome. It would be great to have the cream of the crop (at least possess basic writing, grammar, and math skills) enrolled in our classes. Unfortunately that's not always the case. It can certainly make for creative actions by the instructor.
Barry Westling
Thomas,
Great! Any new information about prior or current knowledge is beneficial, even if it's just a bit. Tailoring lessons to better meet student needs can only help students learning the material in the class.
Barry Westling
Our students are pretested before they start the program, however I have had students that can not read well and that makes a very difficult problem.
I do the same. Although my pretest is read aloud to the entire class and not handed out individually. I look around and see who looks confused when we are going over the answers. I don't really have a choice as to what material to start with but I can make adjustments to how in depth I go with explanations. If I notice there are a lot of students who seem lost I know to cover some of the material they should have learned in previous classes first before going in depth with the new material.
Patti,
I don't always use pretesting, but reserve it for times when I virtually no knowledge about my students prior knowledge. When I do use it, its not comprehensive or long, but just a sort of barometer to give me a feel for where the class as a whole is presently at.
Barry Westling
pretests give the instructor a good idea of the knowledge base in the classroom. With this information the course planning can be evaluated and changed if need be. If gives the instructor a good starting point for the material.
Shiketheia,
Hopefully we can meet the needs of all of our students. Any prior infomation about their knowledge base has got to be valuable, and pretesting is one way to acquire some of that.
Barry Westling
I feel Pretest are very helpful in order to understand where your students are and the instructors can cater to the need of the students.
Robert,
I believe it's never innappropriate to review material that is essential to the topic or greater objective of the course being taught. Good students take it in stride, a constant reinforcement of what they know. And weaker students benefit as repetition is among one of the tenets associated with memory and recall.
Barry Westling
In the event you have a group of students who have a good base knowledge of what you are teaching. then using a pretest helps to understand your audiance and help them learn more.
You keep the attention of the students longer then if you were to "review" materials the students already had a firm grasp of.
Sylinda,
Right, its a good and helpful planning tool for the instructor to tweak their course for a best fit for the current students.
Barry Westling
