Milton, for those rare times you are not able to cover all the questions students missed, what if anything do you provide to assist them in figuring out and understanding the correct answers?
James Jackson
Charles, how do you present these older students with the topic of testing as a means of better understanding where they need to focus their studies? Do you offer take home tests or are all administered during class time?
James Jackson
I tell my students to use the test not only as a gauge of there knowledge of subject matter,but also as a learning tool.If they missed a question or did not fully understand it try to analyze WHY. We usually do this in class discussion's.This also help me know if there may be area's that i may need to reenforce.
Older students ofter have been away from a formal learning enviroment for quite a while and are already afraid that they will not be able to be able to keep up . I don't approach a test as a threat to make them study but rather as a way to see what we need to do next to attain his goals. Chuck Peters
Sharon, along with preparation of needed knowledge of the subject matter do you also include test taking techniques that can assist in reducing stress related to taking tests? Thanks for anything you can share.
James Jackson
Steven, thanks so much for getting back with me and this is a method I hope others will take to heart and give it a try as it sounds interesting, relevant and helpful to students. Keep up the great work.
James Jackson
Cheryl, test taking can be a daunting issue for many students regardless of the level of preparation. Continual reassurance and taking time to train students on best test taking skills can go a long way to assist students in feeling most comfortable during an otherwise stressful event for many students.
James Jackson
Everyone has a certain amount of anxiety or fear when it comes to test taking. No matter how hard you prepare for a test, you are never prepared for the questions. But to use the threat of a quiz as a discipline control technique, or to throw out a surprise quiz because a class has not responded well to your teaching attempts, is not only inappropriate, it is flat-out wrong. Students do not respond well to threats; especially adult students. They expect and deserve to be treated with repect and dignity, and if an instructor, facilitator, or teacher cannot find another way to motivate the learner other than using childish threats, then perhaps they should think about changing careers.
To assist our students with fear of exams we hold study groups, review sessions and offer study tips such as making flash cards to help them feel more prepared for the exam.
James sorry I did not get back to you sooner. I picked this up from another instructor. Reading one line at a time tends to enhance the concentration level. They do not see the next line and get ahead of themselves. I have noticed that they read things into a question that is not there but by reading one line they do not seem to this and get a better understanding of what the question is actually asking.
Even as an instructor I have a fear factor in taking exams at times even though I know the material.
I have often provided the students a few minutes of "breathing" to relax those that have worked themselves up to a frenzy and that seems to help and have been told by many of my students it was greatly appreciated.
Ben, great post and I tend to agree with your point. Can you share some of the techniques you use in how the results of a test are used to enhance the overall learning process of your students? I am sure our readers would be interested in some ideas you could share. Keep up the great work with your students.
James Jackson
Tina, to the concept that we learn best from our failures, how do you build a safe learning environment that encourages students to be confident that even through their failures they can learn and grow within your classroom? Of course this does assume your students take the time to properly prepare for the various assessments you provide in the classroom. If a student properly prepares they may still fail an exam. By providing a proper review structure they will learn from their mistakes and have a better recall of that information for later use.
James Jackson
Annette, failure is part of learning. In what ways do you encourage your students to learn from their failures within the classroom? The classroom is to be a safe learning environment where failure is part of the overall learning process. The more you can get them comfortable learning from their mistakes the better you will achieve their desired learning outcomes of the course. Thanks for any thoughts you can share on this topic.
James Jackson
Chuck, what are some techniques you can use so your students feel more comfortable sharing their results in the classroom? Building a safe learning environment is part of the best practices in achieving desired learning outcomes and if students feel safe they will be more willing to share their successes and failures with their peers. Thanks for any thoughts you can share on this topic.
James Jackson
Taylor, do you conduct any type of exercise that reinforces the concept of the first answer is typically the best one? Good to provide tangible examples so students can experience the importance of sticking with their initial answers.
James Jackson
Lisa , do you get a lot of students that just do not like the attention or are not comfortable in front of a group? What are some other techniques you can use when you have a group of students that do not like to be the focus of any attention? Thanks for anything you can share.
James Jackson
Using tests/exams as a threat is counter productive. The whole idea of an exam is to check for understanding and to see where the student stands. If used correctly, the exam will tell the instructor wether to proceed or if a review of the materials is in order. Teaching students that a test is anything other than a tool to gauge understanding and is in some way a punishment for poor behavior sets them up for test anxiety and poor performance in the future.
I feel often students' fear and anxiety surrounding quizzes/tests revolves around the desire to do well on them and/or feeling inadequately prepared due to a lack of study time. I do not make my quizzes and exams unannounced (A.K.A. "pop quiz"). I want them to be aware of the date they will be tested so they can adequately prepare mentally and through studying the material beforehand. Concerning threatening students with a quiz as a discipline control technique, I feel it contributes to a student's fear of quizzes. Additionally, it punishes all students, even the "good ones", instead of focusing an the actual students that require disciplinary action.
Some students have a fear of test taking because they are afraid of failure. They may be fearful that they are not grasping the content being taught.
Other times students are afraid that they will disappoint other people that they feel are counting on them, whether it be the instructor, their parents, spouse or even their children.
Quizzes should not be used as a disciplinary tool because this is a negative action and test should be looked at as positive. A test will let the student know what they have retained from the classroom and what they need to review.
