Learning Styles
As a instructor you must pre-test the students and it will help you assess your student's.
Jeannette,
I pretest my students so I can get a baseline on them and know where to start with my content and instructional planning.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I don't feel you need to pre-test, especially if you are familiar with the students in the class or taught a basic building course. As a new teacher with a new class I feel providing a pretest will help you get a better handle on what to expect from your students and how to guide them in a more effective manner.
Kaitlin,
Pretesting is something that instructors need to decide upon individually based upon the students they have and the classes they teach. Your comments illustrate both sides of pretesting very well. Thank you.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Pre-tests, when giving timingly and properly, will also benefit the student as well as the instructor. The student will be giving a sample of the expectations and upcoming curriculum during the course. I review the pre-test and then use it display it to the students as a measuring stick as to how far he or she must go to learn the material.
Brian,
This is how I use pretesting in my courses as well. Gives me a baseline from which I can plan my instructional delivery.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I agree with Kaitlin's comment to some extent... I teach numerous classes to the same cohort groups. In such a case, a pre-test may not be as beneficial once I've already assessed their learning styles. That being said, a pre-test can still be useful in gaining a perspective on their baseline knowledge of the subject material. It can also give the students an initial idea of the course content and show them how the've progressed by the end of the course.
David,
Thank you for the additional comments about the use of pretesting. It is a tool that can be used if it provides the results we are seeking as instructors. The key is to use pretesting or any other instructional tool where it will yield the most results and results will be measure by each individual instructor and his or her current group of students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
As an instructor in human sciences courses, my new students often have no previous training in these courses. High school biology courses would probably be their closest comparison. By pretesting, I give the student an opportunity to experience what the course may contain, and to prepare themselves mentally for how they may need to approach their studies.
Jesse,
There are numerous benefits from using pretesting as a starting point in a course. I like the baseline I get on my students so I can customize my instructional approach as well as identify areas where I need to spend some extra instructional time.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
On the first day of class, I make the pretest to determine individual students' learning styles by asking them to identify what they know as their learning style and find out if it turns out the same as they expect, after their prestest on learning styles.
Ramon,
I think this is a good way to get foundational information on your students and then use that information to create customized instruction. As a result of having this information you can be much more accurate in your use of different learning activities.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Pretesting is always a great way to see where your students are prior to going over anything. Sometimes the students can really surprise you.
Kristin,
I use pretesting in my classes because of the point you make in your comments. I want to get a baseline on my students so I can plan my instructional delivery and selection of content around that specific group of students. This is how I customize my teaching.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
This is a great use of pre-testing, to let students know what they will be learning. I also like the thought that when they take later assessments they will be encouraged by the progress they have made since their pre=test.
Phil,
I use pretesting in all of my courses to establish a baseline on my students so I can more accurately select my instructional delivery and content. Your use of the pretesting to show student progress is going to work very well when students start to wear down in a course and forget how far they have come in a very short amount of time.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
basically any kind of learning syles can be learned
