I like the idea of pretesting because there are several instructors in my facility and I dont always know what they have covered and what needs to be covered. Possibly even finding out what teaching methods the students are retaining best and what really isnt working.
Christie,
I like pretesting for the purpose of planning my time. I don't always do a pretest, mainly when I feel I need to zone in on the student's prior learning. Sometimes pretests are very brief, just enough so I know how and what to plan for.
Barry Westling
Pre-testing students serves to benefit the teacher and the student. It allows the teacher to understand the knowledge base of the student; strengths, weaknesses, and learning stlyes. It also allows the student to get a feel for the material that will be covered and is a quick assessment that promotes rapid accomplishment. Teachers can then plan their curriculum and their units around the overall needs of the individual students. It is a great method in effective and organized planning.
Melinda,
Yeah, pretesting can be a cool instructor assist in planning to emphasize (or de-emphasize) certain topics based on prior learning.
Barry Westling
Robert,
Good analogy. I would add that with SWOT, it may be determined that certain topics would not be taught, but in our classes, we usually have a prescribed curriculum with material that must be covered. That said, you're right, planning classes requires using strategies that assist student learn best, given their prior learning.
Barry Westling
I love the idea of using a pretest tool to assess my class before we dive into a semester. It really helps narrow down what you need to focus on. For instance, if my exercise phys students already know all the muscles and bones, there's no need to spend a week studying that content and boring them. We can jump right into material that is new to them! We both get more out of the course that way!
Pretest can help in the planning of a course similiar to a SWOT analysis. Strengths and weakness, opportunities and threats and then take the apporiate actions.
Donna,
Great use of assessing prior knowledge. I'm sure your students benefit from this activity.
Barry Westling
We use pretests and posttests for incoming students so we are able to evaluate how they will succeed in the program. It shows how fast they will pick up an idea and their understanding of some basic material
Wilmanie,
I think it's great when the whole class is appropriately suited to be assigned to a given class or program. Even then, a pretest can still determine what level of prior knowledge exists in that given cohort of students, and fine tuning of the course can occur based on the results of the pretest.
Barry Westling
It is a great idea to give a pretest before starting to see if you need any adjustment in the course content. Unfortunately we cannot do a pretest with every course. So, it is the college responsability to make sure that the students meet the admission criteria.
Lauren,
Pretests for learning styles would be an excellent way to learn how best to address our students. Thanks for adding to the dialog.
Barry Westling
A pretest can help assess where your students are with the material, and how much knowledge they may or may not already have on that subject. It could also give an idea to how the student test takes or possibly their learning styles.
Melissa,
Exactly. It's a great planning tool for the instructor with almost immediate benefits for our students in terms of using our time and their time for maximum effectiveness.
Barry Westling
Pre-tests help me to know what material I really need to hit hard and what material the students are already familiar with.
Lindsey,
Great. You've discovered pretests can be a time saver and helpful planning tool as well.
Barry Westling
Using a pretest provides me with an idea of the areas that need more attention during class discussions. From a pretest, I also can gauge which sections do not need as much attention which allows more time for the sections that need it. A pretest is also a useful tool for the students to refer to at the end of the semester to see their progress.
Susan,
Yes, you may find that alternative resources are needed. And also, you may find that some students will just need more attention in a certain category or topic. That's the nice thing about pretests, they help save time and assist the instructor to zero in where more (or less) attention is needed.
Barry Westling
As a newer instructor I can see how pretesting would be very valuable. In healthcare, just like other professions, we have our own "language". Students that have had minimal exposure to the field can often get lost in the jargon. I think I will start to use this technique at the start of the semester to help identify those students that might need extra resources.
Karen,
That's it in a nutshell. When we know where to focus, we are helping our students, based on the dynamics of the current class (which may have wholly different dynamics than prior or subsequent classes).
Barry Westling
