Josue,
this is a good strategy to really identify where the students are as individuals & as a group.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I also use pre-testing and/quizzes to assess student's learning needs and comprehension.
If there are subjects where I can pretest I do, unfortunately, much of my curriculum is new to the students when they come to my school, so this is not an option. Student services and I communicate constantly, monitoring attendance, lateness, grades, and instructor feedback to provide as comprehensive a picture as we can of each student. This and a good structure of tutoring and instructor support allows us to catch many students with learning issues early on and find a good path for them to succeed in our school. Very occasionally we have students who will just never thrive in our industry, and, given long enough, we can clearly see this. We try to bring them in and find a solution, whether its another discipline, or different school that might be a better fit.
I have a handful of student who have an IEP, which is a learning disability and when they show me the way their teachers used to teach them in HS, I can follow what best suites them. For ex, I have one student now where I give her verbal test and she does great, but if I gave her a written test she will fail.
Angela,
pretests are a nice way to gauge that current level of understanding & to help you know where to focus & start.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I agree that a pretest will definitely help assess student needs, but even before a pretest, I often times will give a little questionnaire at the beginning of class. Somewhat of a tell me a little bit about yourself. I find that a lot of students will open up about their education, background, and fears regarding school. It helps me understand more about where they are coming from which in turns enhances my continue assessments.
I like to give pretests so as to acess who will need extra help,then with the help of the instructor and students we can help them to succsed.
By giving a pretest at the start of the course.
Pretests and regular assignments are essential for assessing student learning needs.
I also use a combination of pre-test, and observation. Some still fall thru the cracks but at least we do make an attempt. The successes are very rewarding
I use the way students interact in class as a measure to assess their learning needs. You can also use testing as a measure as well.
Calvin,
this is a great method & like you said, gives you a level set of the class & eases them into your testing style.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I also use a type of pre-test. I teach the first chapter and then give a test. The test will give me immediate feedback on what the students know, how well my instructional methods are working as well as to show the students what to expect from me in the way of tests. I have no problem droppng the first test with an explaination that the purpose was to survey my instructional methods and allow them to see the scope and breath of my tests.
James,
and this awareness & early intervention helps the students see how much we care & how much we really want to help them.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I find it as simple as watching and listening, whether it be a pre-test or a group discussion. I like to see how a student is progressing at the time. It's very hard to judge later while grading an exam, to not feel the student might be just lazy or not interested. Establishing good communication skills with each student is paramount to finding out how this person thinks.
William,
this is an excellent way to start as with some groups you may be able to move forward a little faster than others.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I try to open every new course with the same question what are your backgrounds in the field? And based on that I can get a idea where I need to start from no expierance to 2-3 years experiance. Then blend into groups for labs,expieranced with no experiance.
Pretesting is what I will do in the beginning. Then monitor the students throughout.
Dorothy,
I agree that pretesting is a great way to level set for the class & to really get a feel for where to head with the class as well as to help those who might struggle.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Pretests are a great assessment tool. Also giving quizzes also helps assess and evaluate the comprehension of what is being presented. In a way, a formative evaluation can be done.
If comprehension is questioned the instructor can utilize the tools provided in the module. (decoeding and recoding)
