Poor Test Scores, but Good Participation in Class
I have a number of students who participate very well in class and know the answers, but do very (fairly) poorly on tests. Most are 'older' students. Besides one-on-one time with them, how else can I help? Some even have study partners, unfortunately, neither partner is doing very well on tests.
Fairly New Instructor
Elise Davidson
Timothy,
I think you have a very system in place for integrating the students into the course. This instructional method is always a challenge but you have worked through it based upon your comments. I don't have any major suggestions other than to say early success is important just as you mention and I agree with you about helping the students to achieve early success in the course. I like to use problem solving and case studies early in the course to help the incoming students to see they are bringing life experiences into the course that can be used to be successful. This strategy really builds their confidence and helps them to stay engaged.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
In the course I teach, all of the weekly quizzes combine to count for only 10 % of their overall grade, whereas the final exam is worth 20%. I have been told that it is a good idea to give an "easy" quiz early on in order to give students confidence. However I have always felt that by making the quizzes challenging and giving questions that require alot of problem solving will help them develop troubleshooting skills that will be needed in their field. I also feel it gives them a chance to see what type of questions will be on the final so they are not blindsided. In addition, every three months, we have new students integrated into the class with students who are in their second, third or fourth term. These returning students already have the benefit of being familiar with basic skills of the field. I feel that giving challenging quizzes is the best way to keep returning students engaged, as well as get new students prepared for what to expect from the course. However, the drawback is that as much as I try to prepare the new students for the fact that they may not get high scores at first and that this does not mean that they will not do well in the course, it does seem to cause some anxiety and disappointment on the part of these new students. What do you think of the method that I am using. Any suggestions?
Elise,
I am also relatively new to teaching. I have also encountered students such as the ones you mentioned.
I've implemented test study guides for the entire class, as a means to not "single" any one particular student out of the crowd. Thus far, it has worked the test scores have definitely improved.
Many students don't know how to study. They are so overwhelmed with all the information that needs to be consumed.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
All your methods are good ones. Some of students take pictures of the notes I. write, then rewrite them in case they are missing something. Others rewrite the notes over and in their own words, so that they get reinforcement of the material(but keeping the information thatwe spoke of in class).
Elise,
I don't know how flexible you are on how your students take the tests. Where I teach currently, everything is open book except for the final. I used to work for a college that discouraged open book tests. I let my students use one 3x5 note card with notes written on it. I think this was a good "security blanket" for those students with test anxiety. I also found that a lot of students spent more time studying for the tests, because they had to determine what was important enough to put on the card. I think that writing down their notes reinforced their learning and retention, as well.
Hi Elise,
I would suggest guided notes. Guided notes are an outline of the lecture or reading that students are to listen to or review. The guided notes highlight the key points over which the students will be tested. This way the students can concentrate on the key points and as result be able to use that content when being tested.
If you have any additional questions of guided notes let me know and I will be glad to talk with you further.
Gary
Verify if student has a disability. Student may need to have the test read to them. Also make sure students have adequate time to take the test. Sometimes time pressure will hurt test scores.
Hope this helps.
this is a common case in my classes as well, good productive classroom students but they have terrible test taking anxiety. this goes back to the reinforcement or affirmation that the student has proved they know content in the classroom. as an instructor i will then evaluate how the student is studying for the class and take it from there. The key is to catch the difficulty as soon as possible so the student does not get frustrated and withdrawl from class or even school.
I find encouraging them to use flash cards to write the key questions on one side & the answers on the other side & then repeatedly review these cards to build their confidence. I also find I will take a few minutes the day before the test & quiz them my self.
