Reviews
Is it okay to review for the tests that the students are about to take? I find this a common feature with the different groups of students that i have had.
Bakhriya,
What are some successful review strategies that you use that you can share with us?
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
review is very imprortant espesialy befor test or quezes, most if the student expecting to get reviews all material that was given before
Henry,
I always to a review but I agree with you that the review needs to be over the material and not over the test they will be taking. I'm not sure of the point of reviewing the test they are going to take because then by doing so the instructor is teaching to the test for sure.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I do like to review if time permits, but I won't do the review using the actual exam. Although this is a a common practice among other instructors.
Rose,
Great to hear the benefits you are receiving form both the content and the forum comments from other instructors. I wish you continued teaching success.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I appreciate all this feedback from instructors who have being doing this longer than I have, I am going to change my review style next semester.
William,
Reviews are a part of most instructor's methods but should not be the way students pass a course. The students need to see the value of the other components of the course such as lectures, small groups, case studies and homework. They need to be assessed in a balanced way in these other areas as well.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
To a degree, I have to agree with you. I have student in every class, a new class every three weeks, that put very little effort into the course, since they know that they will get a review right before the test. Alot of times, these same students will struggle through the rest of their time in the school, they have learned to depend on these reviews.
The only reason that I continue to do it is because it is expected and it actually does help the other students.
Vincent,
Thank you for these comments on the value of doing or not doing a review. Instructors need to think through how they are going to set the stage for an assessment. Too much information and the students won't become engaged since they feel that they don't have to and will still be successful. Too little and the students won't do well. The key is to find the balance that works for the instructor and his or her course. Instructors should not be afraid to try different ways of getting students ready for assessments.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I have found that handing out a review builds a reputaion for certain Instructors. So much so, that the students will not need to listen, take notes or study. They can simply wait for a review and do well on a test. I myself fell into this "trap" early on. I found that I was not capturing student experience and needed a change. I decided to quit reviews all together in one class and let the students know right away. I found the students were more attentive, took more notes, asked more questions and answered more of my questions correctly. It built confidence in the students and forced me to become more active in class. Looking at overall test scores, there was actually an increase in percentage.
I agree to review the exact questions to a test allows cramming to become the preferred study style. This will not help students in the long run.
I beleive it is ok to review the general concept however I am not sure you want to review the exact questions.
Connie,
I agree there is much more to a subject area than that which is tested on. This is why projects and case studies are so important. They enable students to use their newly acquired knowledge and skills to problem solve and think critically.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
how effective is this if your student only pays attention to reviews, I feel that there is much more to know than only what is tested on.
Kamice,
Your use of games or review sheets are in my opinion the most effective. I use both in my classes and my students really like playing the games to review like Family Feud and Jeopardy.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I think it is okay to review for a test that students are about to take it is all in how you do it. I don’t think it is very effective to review directly before the test. I feel that type of review is that a form of cramming and may distract a few of the students. I think a review either formal like the sheet or informal like a game is good to help the students focus in on the materials they will be tested on. I don’t like the reviews that tell students exactly what is on the test because then we are teaching to test. Teaching to test is not beneficial long term.
Edwin,
I provide my students with a one page test review sheet. I go over the sheet with them and respond to any questions. This way I have directed them to the key points that I will be testing them over. The students really appreciate this approach.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
