I find that most students fear quizzes and tests because they are unprepared for them. I have been working on adding more quizzes to my classes. even if they don't count for a grade. As students progress through the program, they learn that this is a benefit and start to cope with their test anxiety.
While I think it's unrealistic to expect all students to look forward to quizzes and exams, I believe the way you present the quiz or exam is important in how the students perceive it and how little (or how much) anxiety they will have.
For example, I provide a study guide for each exam, and I tell the students the exact number of alternate format questions that will be on the test. There are no surprises, so they don't feel blindsided.
In my clinical, I provide a calendar with due dates for every assignment in the rotation. I spend a lot of time discussing each assignment in detail, so the students are clear on the expectations.
These techniques seem to reduce a lot of the stress my students experience around written and skills testing.
How can you sooth a students fear if if the fear is failure. Example. Is a student fails a quiz or an exam they feel it is the end of the world.
Is there ever a situation or maybe because of the facilities demographic that there is no other way to use a quiz or an exam except for a fear factor? I have just noticed that sometimes the class is afraid of the test and once done, there are many that did better than they thought.
Students are fearful of quizzes which are subjective, which means they have to memorize and reproduce without any pointers. I tried conducting open book quizzes, with the purpose of being used as a study guide. That is working very well. Students don't have the threat factor at all, and they are relaxed and enthusiastic about it.
I never use a quiz as a threat its only for checking what students are retaining at each level of learning for each course.
Its good to see where students are strong and where they are weak and how to adjust my teaching to help them learn.
Good Morning,
When there are a lot students missing from class and they are in the next class and goofing off and do not even asked what is missed then I do pop a quiz to make sure they are taking notes and know they are missing classes that important to be there...I understand emergencies do not get me wrong but there are student who rather be on there cell phone and on google watching videos and not doing the work. Some students I had in the refused to take notes. I had to send those students home because it was distrubtive to other students because they them getting away from taking notes and you want to students to form good habits in there learning process. Eileen
I usually use quizes in my accelerated programs to gauge whether or not students are reading the chapters prior to class so as to help them engage more during lecture and be quized after the lecture. Often times I will reward them by letting them work in pairs to complete their quizes and ask one question to me that they struggled with the most. I have found that students often think harder and more criticaly when they work with another student on a quiz and decide which question to ask of me. They also tend to stick around before handing in their quiz to hear what other students ask as well. My only fear with this method is that it decreases their reading chapters prior to class in hope of pairing with someone who has. Lucky for me self image seems to play a role here and so far this hasn't been to much of an issue.
Using quizzes and tests to discipline a class is counter productive. I use quizzes all the time in my class to refocus those students who you lose during a lecture. It is a good summary technique that forces the students to really think about what was just discussed.
I never threaten my classes with tests as a fear factor. In my humble opinion, it never works for an extended period of time. Some people simply do not test well, and therefore have a fear factor associated with taking tests. I think all the things we can do to reduce that fear factor as much as possible for as many students as possible, will make leaps and bounds to build up student confidence, as well as test taking confidence, thereby reducing that fear factor.
I give my students a study guide for the test during the class before the test is scheduled. By doing that the students know what is coming. that helps them to know it is something we went over and what is comiong on the test during the next class period. As a result I find that they are more relaxed and generally test better overall.
Seeing the number of students that freeze on test, I can only imagine how much their security can suffer by threatening with quizzes/test. It may give the impression the quizzes/test are impossible task and doubt will surely sink in
Using tests or quizzes as a fear, punishment or control technique is not an acceptable practice. Students have enough built-up anxiety for tests: Do they really know the material? What type of questions is the instructor likely to ask? What if I don't pass the test? Instead a test/quiz should be an opportunity for the student to demonstrate what he or she has learned and to demonstrate proficiency in that chapter or section. If students are intrinsically motivated, they will be anxious to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. This will, in turn, enhance their security with the course and subject.
A student who is insecure, will already be afraid to take a test or quiz and will back off from it. Punishing serves no further useful purpose. Instead, the instructor should meet with the student to determine what is wrong, what can they do together to demonstrate some proficency in the course material. If the student still does not respond, then maybe the instructor should consult with a colleague or talk to the Dept Chair to find out if the student has a common problem in all their classes.
I don't feel that an assessment should ever be used as a threat or in a negative manner. I try to give frequent quizzes, not as a challenge, but to let the students see how they're grasping the objectives and better prepare them for the exams.
I like to give quizzes every so often. That way students can be better prepared to answer information in a timely manner. It also prepares them for a bigger quiz later on in the semester.
I have never used Test/quizzes against the students as a fear tactic. WE go over all tests and quizzes in class, if they got it wrong they have to write down the correct answer and know why they got it wrong. It is to evaulate what they retained and if i am getting the information across or if i need to improve on or change my delivery of information so all expectations are clear.
Using tests or quizzes as a threat or punishment is setting up the student and yourself (teacher) for failure. The students will either rebel against this type of authority or succumb to it, putting a barrier in their learning process. This will impact their autonomy and security in negative ways. As an instructor, your impact on their learning will be jeopardized and their trust in you may be eroded. They may no longer believe you have their best interests in mind.
Students should look forward to quizzes and tests as an opportunity to demonstrate their newly acquired knowledge and to measure their progress. An instructor who uses testing as a disciplinary technique is self defeating because students are sure to perform poorly when they feel that kind of pressure.
I have never felt that using a quiz as a threat or discipline is acceptable. We all attended classes at some point in our lives and all felt anxiety about them even if only a small amount. I feel that if one is anxious about a test they focus more on the possibility of failing than recalling what they have learned and passing the test.
I agree there should be no punishment associated with tests
