Pre-Test
When I issue pre-test, this gives me an opportunity to discover where each student truly is in terms of retaining the information that has been delivered.
Steven,
A pretest given before the real test is one version of pretesting. The more common one is to give a pretest at the beginning of the course to determine the prior ,learning of the students. With those results, an instructor can determine where more (or less) emphasis may be needed in their daily lessons. Pretesting is a planning tool.
Barry Westling
Giving a pretest lets you know the knowledge base of the student, that way the student and the teach knows what to focus on mainly
Cheryl,
Exactly. It's a helpful planning tool for the instructor!
Barry Westling
i found that a pre test alows me to assess what area of course study i need to focus more on and some area need less time to teach on
William,
Great! That's one of the primary reasons instructors might choose to do pretesting now and them intermittently, or on a regular basis.
Barry Westling
I also enjoy the pre-test. It can prove to be a confidence builder for some and give you an indication of what students are going to need a lot of work.
Eric ,
Good point about confidence builder. Students often enter a class with apprehension about what the course may entail. When we can provide a sort of preview, and students realize they may already be familiar with some of the material, that can reduce their angst, and some may even look forward to old and new information that'll be upcoming. Others may use the pretest as a way to refresh or study some weaker areas beforehand as well.
Barry Westling
Pretesting allows the student and instructor to identify transferable skills in students who lack sufficient background knowledge; this then, is a great confidence booster.
Cathleen,
Right! For me, I choose not to grade pretests (because it's really information for me). I find students are willing to try their best when they know beforehand the test won't be graded, and the result is usually a fairly accurate composite of the class as a whole.
Barry Westling
