It gives me a clear understanding of what my students are capable of doing and what I need to focus on.
Phil,
Great. I think students appreciate getting a preview of material. Some more studious types might even begin to look ahead and begin preparing for more advanced topics that will appear later in the chapter, based on information they see in a pretest.
Barry Westling
We use this to determine the level of understanding that the students currently possess. It helps us modify our lesson plans to ensure that the students fully understand the materiel being presented.
Ricardo,
Wnderful! I frequently say that instructors who are experienced with pretesting find value in their use. Frankly, I don't know why someone would not want to gain insight into their students prior knowledge, and use that information to help them in their planning process.
Barry Westling
When I first began teaching I did not use the pre-test and just assumed that my students would come to class with the neccessary basics and skills to complete the course. After another instructor suggested the pre-test at the beginning of a course I tried it and this is what I always do . It helps give me a clear view of who needs extra help and also how I can plan the class accordingly.It really helps me keep all the students engaged in the class work and also avoids the times when a student struggles and gets frustrated.
Kurtis,
When possible, a short pretest can be a helpful planning tool for the instructor, and students don't mind "taking a short test" especially if they know it will not be graded and won't count towards their grade.
Barry Westling
It is important to assess students' background knowledge in the subject area to better prepare lessons that will engage them and help them stay motivated to succeed.
Jacquvalon,
Yes, time is always a factor. I only pretest when I have absolutely no knowledge of students prior knowledge. I don't pretest all the time, just when I feel it would help me plan for my classes.
Barry Westling
A pretest can be a helpful tool because it can help you identify students that are deficient in some areas and advanced in others. My only concern is that it can be time consuming. I feel as though we would have to test all of the students before every course that they take. Is this the case and if so, would this not be time consuming?
Gail,
Perfect example of the benefit of using a pretest to determine the students level of prior knowledge. This is really a good planning tool for the instructor.
Barry Westling
I give a pre-test at the beginning of each course. The pre-test content has both previous material that the student should be familiar with, and also current course content. This allows me to see not only if the student is prepared to take the course, but also if the student is already comfortable with the course material. Students taking a course that are already familiar with the content will usually become bored and contempt. By addressing this situation early, I can devise a plan to utilize the student's knowledge in a positive way.
John,
I like to know where more or less emphasis is needed. A pre-test can assist with that.
Barry Westling
I like the idea of using a pretest as a tool to assess my class before we dive into a term. It really helps me in what I need to educate on.
Williams,
Great! I believe when I know about my students level of prior learning I can better assist them with the new learning that will be required in my classes. Pretesting can help with that.
Barry Westling
Pretesting is a great planning tool which enable an instructor to evaluate students to know their standard before the start of a class. It is based on the "principles of teaching from the known to unknown". This will enable the instructor to plan his or her content delivery.
I learned pretesting from a Professor who taught me at my Post Master Certificate of Advanced Studies in Software Engineering course in the University and have been using it since then as a planning tool.
Melissa,
You convey an important sentiment. If we really want to help our students we can be more effective if we have information about their prior knowledge, thus enabling instructors to modify or adjust the lessons to better match the specific students currently in session.
Barry Westling
I would say that pretesting students will give the instructor as well as the student an advantage in their learning. We get an understanding of what type of learner the student is, what their backround is and where we might need to focus our concentration. This is something that I think all schools can benefit from so students do not feel discouraged early on and instructors can have a game plan to engage all students.
Nicole,
Right. And just like a post test that assesses what was learned, a pretest is a way to determine what prior knowledge in order to adjust the lesson plan or make minor modifications to the instructional plan. Students usually don't mind doing pretests, especially if they aren't graded (I would recommend non-graded pretests).
Barry Westling
Giving students a pretest at the beginning of each unit gives the instructor and the student an idea of the student's background knowledge on the topic. After the unit is presented, the student can go back and retest themselves in order to see if they were able to sucessfully understand areas they were not clear on.
Mitchell,
Great example of the benefits a pretest can offer. Doesn't have to be lengthy or comprehensive, or even done with every class. I do it when I'm unsure where students are in their prior knowledge. Overall, using a pretest has been more helpful than not.
Barry Westling
