Fear of tests reminds me of the movie "SHAW SHANK" with the young man testing for his GED. My point is I had several students simular to this that was very inteligent but at tests just froze.
I think using quiz's and tests for dicipline is totally wrong,to get past the fears of testing and quiz's I think as an instructor that test's and quiz's should be put in the right context and purpose of use. Let the students know exactly what the test's are used for instead of pass/fail and I think the adult student responds to that and over comes the fear.
I have found that the majority of my students fear taking tests. In an attempt to reduce the fear and stress level associated with test taking in my class I have implimented a series of practice exams. The practice exams are not graded and can be used as a study guide for the students. I have found that by using this method my students test scores have increased by about 20 percent.
Jessica, how do the mini exams assist students in reducing their fear of taking tests? What methods do you use to assist students with test anxiety?
James Jackson
I break chapters into mini exams when the students look to be struggling.
Lynn, use different questions but from the same level of bloom's taxonomy and same domain of topics. An example would be as follows:
If blue and red make magenta what would be the impact of adding a hint of white?
New question:
What color description would result from the mixture of green and blue with a hint of black?
Notice the sentence structures are similar, domain of topic is identical and expected outcome of the questions assume students know primary and secondary colors and influence of white and black.
James Jackson
I have not tried giving a practice quiz, although I have almost always given some kind of review in class and/or in writing. I think I may try this with one of my current classes, as anxiety is a big issue with certain students. I am concerned with "spoon-feeding" my students, however, as I don't like to give actual questions from the test itself. I tend to change wording up on the "review" so it is not exactly the same and students must think creatively and use more vocabulary. Would you suggest using the same questions or changing the terminology to a certain extent?
Joni, instead of a guessing game why not create a study guide that highlights the main points of the course materials?
James Jackson
I like to give "wink winks" which allow the students to have an idea of what to study in a chapter but not give out any questions. This works very well with multiple chapter tests. There is a lot of material and the students feel overwhelmed with what to study. By using the "wink wink" method they have an idea of the areas from which to study in the chapters which reduces the fear of studying the wrong stuff and gives them an edge when taking the test. No one aces my tests, and I still have a few that fail, but when they do I ask if they studied using my method and the general consenses is that they did not study using the "wink winks."
Jo, what you describe looks like a very effective use of assessments to enhance the learning process. Thanks for sharing.
James Jackson
Tierra, preparing students to take tests is a critical skill and one that is missing in many institutions today. Helping students to better understand test taking strategies and providing them the tools they need to be successful is essential and expected. This is not to say you are teaching to a test, you are preparing your students to properly demonstrate their knowledge.
James Jackson
With my adult learners, they have come to learn that a pop quiz or projected quiz is a method to help them stay on task with reading assignments and build a 'study bank' for the exam. There are multiple chapters to prep for, so using a quiz of 5 simple questions, vocabulary, diagrams, is just a way for them to reinforce their reading assignment. My students have built test taking confidence through the use of quizzes. They have come to trust me, feeling secure, and knowing that they can use the quizzes as notes for an exam.
I beleive Students learning or studying in fear of quizzes ordisciplne are liable to have the same type of mental blocks to learning and studying as they do for actually taking the test and therefore are less likely to learn or if they never test well may completely give up and do nothing.
I use activities like that as well...it does seem to bring the anxiety levels down somewhat for students that do not do well on tests.
I have had similiar problems with my classes. I have to prepare the students to take the state boards and I have had students that do well in class but still fail the exam. I actually allow my students to take several similiar exams both oral and written. This has helped some of my students who fear tests. We also take time out during class to discuss different methods to enhance their test taking ability.
Jane, you are actually practicing a very good form of assessment. The myth here is that a quiz has to be a written instrument when in fact assessments can come in many styles and forms. Assessment is simply a way of determining how well the knowledge transfer process has taken place so by your methodology of having students teach to the teacher on the subject materials, you are practicing a very good form of assessment. Thanks for sharing.
James Jackson
I try and work with my students over their test anxiety. That is one of the big reasons I do not give "pop" quizzes. I feel it puts those who do not take tests easily at a disadvantage. But, what I do if there becomes an attendance issue, I tell everyone to open the book to a certain chapter, let them pick a topic in that chapter, and explain it to me as if they were teaching it to me. This helps those with test anxiety because it tests just how well they understand the material (not just regurgitating it out on paper) and those that were absent missed a quiz. My students seem to like this and actually enjoy when this happens (which is not very often) because they have some control of what they want to tell me and they were not under pressure of taking "pop" quiz.
Curt, great use of in-class practice and association games to get students to realize they know more than they may realize. Using a written test to determine their understanding of materials is just a method that is easily quantified and allows you as an instructor to quickly evaluate what learning materials may need to be reviewed. Sometimes just letting students know the purpose behind different assessment tools helps them to better understand why such tools are needed and takes a lot of the confusion out which can lead to the fear factor they experience.
James Jackson
I teach at a technical school most of my students are kinetic learners .They do a good job on the hands on applications but some times not so good on the written tests.They are nervous about the final exam so we play a question game between the students to get them all to participate in the review .Aseveryone gets to ask and answer questions it helps them to relize that they do know the answers and usually do well on the final.
You are very right about students and the fear of test. I have allot of Students that are fear full of test. In my classroom I try to interact with games like a quizz show. If they sitll afraid of the test I try to mini review were they trying to teach me a topic they are struggling with. Belive it or not they enjoy teaching the topic. All in one I try to make learning fun, and less stress for the student.
Wook, great idea and I agree that practice makes perfect. Providing students with several opportunities to practice taking assessments and learning from their outcomes can greatly assist students in becoming better test takers. Focus must be placed on assisting students in understanding the role the assessment plays in their overall learning and how the evaluation process is part of the overall learning process.
James Jackson
