Mixing things up to keep it interesting and learning level high.
I am learning to utilize various methods of testing and teaching...mixing them up stimulates interest as long as my grading is fair. Students are more willing to take risks in learning if they feel that the asessment process is fair and the ultimate goal is obviously on learning as opposed to earning points.
Hi Robert- Thanks for your post to the forum. Too often instuctors will "teach to the test" especially if there is a certification or registry exam involved. As you mention, the more important issue is - do our students really know the material? Can they apply it? Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I agree with using hummor to a sertain extend is helpfull in learning. When students are tested on the material they remeber the joke, the funny face or picture the teacher used to define that hard to remeber vocabulary word, its meaning or function.
I agree, mixing things up helps to keep it interesting to the students but also help to keep the material from getting to "routine" for the instructor as well. I have had students also coment on how it is more imprtant that they learn the material then it is to be able to test well on it as most students have a hard time with testing.
Hi David- Thanbks for your post to the forum. When teaching a 6 hour class I think most of us naturally get a little silly! LOL!! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Yes, i agree.During a 6 hour class, students can become easily bored. We need to do all we can to keep learning fun, even if it requires instructors to get a little silly at times.
Hi David- I would love to see that! Got any video of you in animation? (-:
Students love annimation. If I make funny faces and noises...like a four stroke engine operation, or explain the difference between reciprotating components versus rotating components, the image sticks in their mind plus makes the course fun to teach.
Hi Terri- What a great variety of learning activities - terrific! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I agree that using a variety of teaching methods can stimulate student interest. I have found that students are sometimes surprised at how well they learn in ways they may not have expected. I have used role plays, simulations, station exercises, student teaching, and small group presentations. Students generally are skeptical if it is a method in which they have not had any experience. The overall class response generally ends up being positive.
Hi Michelle - Thanks for your post to the forum. I agree with your choice of assessments. Many students have problems with writing skills so tests that are primarily essay may not be an accurate assessment of what they actually know. Best wishes! Susan
I personally like to have a wide variety of test questions from true and false, fill in the blanks, essay, etc.. I find a better outcome than with just essay questions, as all students do better with different options. I get a better outcome and higher test scores from an overall whole with variety vs. essay. Keeping it mixed up also keeps the students more engaged and their essay's tend to be more accurate as they are not writing a book for one test..
I also feel tests/quizzes can be used as learning tools. I have some tests that use multiple choice, essay and matching all in one test because the subject matter is better tested using different evaluation methods.
HI Kristi- Thanks for your post to the forum. I know that often in classes such as Math, we get really diverse skill levels. Often that runs the risk of boring the heck out of the stronger students, so I think your idea is great! Best wishes- Susan
Tests as learning tools are especially effective when various strategies can be used to obtain a precise answer. Math supports this idea well--I truly enjoy inviting student "experts" to share what they did on a test question to illustrate there are multiple ways to solve a problem. This confirms their level of understanding and aids other students by allowing them to see and hear alternate ideas.
In the course I am instructing, the material is very conducive towards using almost all of the kinds of testing, so the exams I create will include multiple choice, matching, true or false, essay, and skill application questions. I find that it keeps the students more focused and keeps the exam more fresh and alive. I can recall from my student days that a lengthy exam with many of the same style of questions in a row can create tedium and make it harder to focus.
Hi Ron - Welcome to ED 103! You make a very good point - assessments should not only tell students what they know but also push them to want to knnow more.
Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career and all the best in 2010! Susan
I couldn't agree more here, as long as you remain fair and do not allow a bias to enter into the grading. Plus if you place restrictions or rules on the assignment/test. Make it equal to all students. But this allows students to beable to have a sense of uniqueness in thier abilites... ie. essay tests reflect well here... as we have learned in this lesson and over time in teaching tests are very important. However, they must as you mention not be so much for just "points" but to stimulate interests and learning. To allow students to put forth thier best effort with a desire to show what they know and know too they can learn from it. We as instructors want students to learn and students want instructors to teach them, so we can use tests/quizzes as learning tools and as tools that stimulate learning.
