Classroom Discussion and Examination of Test Prompts

Possibly the best way to help students learn from their tests is to go over the tests with the students in class. While this might seem obvious, it does take some important steps to be executed correctly. To begin with, the test must be graded in a timely fashion. Now, for some disciplines, this might be a matter of course. For other disciplines, however, this could present a real challenge for the teacher.

An ELA teacher, for example, who assigns an essay component to the test might take longer to return the exams as opposed to say, a math teacher who may be able to use a scantron sheet to grade the majority of the test or who does not have as long of an assessment to grade. By reviewing the tests with all students, it provides immediate feedback and allows students to gain a better, more thorough understanding of the topics they were assessed on as well as the misconceptions they had with the material.

Once the tests are corrected and returned to the students, the teacher needs to take time going over each question, specifically focusing on those questions that had the most incorrect answers. Although this may be tedious and time-consuming, it is truly beneficial to the students. When going over the test, the teacher can have the students put all writing instruments away and have students simply listen and pay attention to the corrections.

Or the teacher may require that the students fill in the correct answers and make the corrections during the review of the test and remind students that many of the questions may appear again in the future such as on a midterm or final exam. This behooves students to not only write down the correct answers, but to also make sure they have a full understanding of why they may have answered incorrectly on the exam.

Go Over Answers as a Class

Another way students may learn from a test is for the teacher to point out the answers to certain questions that were revealed on the test itself. Oftentimes, by the nature of the exam, answers are embedded within the questions. Savvy students, with help, can begin to ascertain how to find many answers to test prompts that are often revealed in the test itself. Once the exam is handed back, a teacher can point out areas of the exam that reveal answers to other questions.

If a teacher models that strategy enough, a student may begin to learn how to find answers to difficult questions right under their very noses. This can help students to not only relearn the material that was assessed upon on the assessment but also to develop better critical reading or problem-solving skills. These skills will be used in the future and help prepare students for their next assessments.

Student Reflection

Another way teachers can help student learning from reviewing tests is by providing a reflection component of some sort to the review. A reflection component can help students to identify the errors they made and learn from those mistakes. Some teachers might do this reflection component by having students do corrections in which they will redo the components of the assessment in which they lost points. Some teachers might even give points back to the students for doing this, which could be a motivator for some students. Other teachers might assign test corrections as part of a homework assignment.

Either way, by having the students take a second look at their original work and compare to what they were taught and what they have in their notes can help them to learn from their mistakes – a major part of education and life. Other ways that students can reflect on work is by having them identify what they did incorrectly and what would have been correct. This could be discussed at a time with the teacher in an independent setting or done on a separate sheet of paper in a journal-style format. Again, having the student take a second glance can help them to recognize the few mistakes that they made or the misconceptions that they had.

Review Assessments with Students

Reviewing assessments with students helps them to not only understand the topics but also the overarching concepts and themes that will help them with future topics. By developing a strong skill sense, it helps the students to understand skills are needed as well as when and how to best apply them. It also helps students to continue to better themselves and their learning. Students can start to develop a sense of what works for them in preparing for an assessment and what does not.

By reviewing an assessment, students learn the course’s crucial aspects and what is needed to succeed. Students can, then, take this information and use it to better themselves and their learning while studying for the assessment. It can help students to create a game plan in which they are preparing as best as they can based on what they have learned in the chapter/topic area as well as from past assessments and assignments. Again, it allows students to reflect and learn from their mistakes.

The ultimate reason to review assessments with students is to provide critical feedback to help improve the students’ learning and performance in the class. Receiving feedback, whether positive or constructive, can help any person to gain a better understanding of what is right and what is wrong/what is good and what is bad. It is a way to help the students develop a sense of what they know and what they are missing as well as the in-between. It is a way for students to gain a better understanding of how they learn in each class and how to prepare in each class.

Reviewing formative and summative material with students helps them to retain the information better by constantly reviewing concepts that they will continue to use throughout the course. Reviewing helps students to understand what they have learned and continues to reinforce the learning as the course goes on.

Teachers never stop learning; check out our available graduate degree programs  to hone your skills and promote lifelong learning and academic excellence.

The post Ways to Help Students Learn from Their Tests appeared first on Graduate Programs for Educators.

Summing up what ensures a high percentage of student mastery on academic content is one of the most debated issues in education. So, what makes a test and instructional design effective?

• Increasing student engagement
• Ensuring the presence of learning objectives
• Common formative assessments
• Periodic checks

The list goes on to what has been argued as the magic bullet for guaranteeing academic mastery. While I agree that all of the aforementioned items are essential, they all lie under the umbrella of instructional design. This leads me to believe that presenting those things in an intentional systematic format produces far greater results than them functioning in silo.

Tests should be developed to measure the students’ content acquisition and teachers’ material delivery. Effective student testing should highlight their strengths and weaknesses. They provide information on areas where the student needs additional support and where enrichment will be beneficial. For students, tests should be similar to a doctor’s prescription; following the steps and symptoms should improve what is lacking or not quite right.

For teachers, tests can be multifaceted. They can reveal areas in which remediation and enrichment are needed for their students, and strengths and deficiencies in their presentation of the curriculum. The effective utilization of tests will prompt teachers to ask themselves how they can change the way they previously taught the material to provide opportunities for a greater number of students to grasp the concept.

In stagnation, where teachers fail to make the appropriate adjustments according to testing data, assessments lose their power to be effective.

What is Instructional Design?

Instructional design is the development of curriculum presentation in a manner that leads to understanding and application of the content. It encompasses the “what” and the “how” of teaching and learning. The design process takes the “what”, which is the subject matter, and develops the “how”, which is the roadmap, that leads to a deeper understanding.

I would say that an effective instructional design and learning technology provides the greatest return in student learning. This is especially true when the design of instruction is constructed with the needs of all learning styles and abilities considered. The growth that I have referenced can be measured by student performance on tests apart from the instructional design. I believe that tests are the most crucial component of the instructional design in that they validate the strength of the process.

Using Instructional Design to Create Effective Tests

Research on instructional design models is varied in terms of components. However, certain elements are present in most models that could cause one to reason that those pieces are pertinent to the overall effectiveness. Therefore, I assert that careful consideration should be given to how they can be used when making assessments for students.

Objective Is Key

Knowing where you are going is the first step to getting to your destination. The objective in the design process provides that. It informs the teacher and the students of the lesson’s desired outcome; the objective clarifies what they should be learning and what they should accomplish.

For the teacher, it outlines where the instructional focus should be and what the students should be able to do after successful presentation. Well-written objectives are usually measurable and concise. The measurable portion of the objective should be used as a guide when developing tests.

An effective test must be constructed to mirror what the objective is stating. It directly measures how well the objective has been mastered and taught. When creating a test, the developer should first dissect the objective into small manageable parts and create questions that align to each part of the objective. The questions may vary in style and complexity but should not focus on content not directly related to the objective.

Identify Resources

After determining what students should know, identifying how to teach the material is a natural next step. Having materials and strategies that engagingly present the information is essential to content mastery. There should be an extreme commonality between instructional practice resources and the assessment that is used to assess mastery.

Therein, the resources that are used in teaching the content are essential to the development of tests. The importance lies in the style of questioning from the resources. When developing tests, it is important to be mindful that the goal isn’t to trip the students by surprising them with material and questioning styles that they have no exposure to. The goal should always be to develop tests that are identical to the resources and strategies you have used to teach the lesson.

I encourage pulling questions from your resources and formatting them into test questions. This adds validity to the assessment as it directly correlates to your learning objective, which directly aligns with your teaching resources. When your test questions mirror the information and style that the students have been exposed to, it provides a translucent glimpse into what they have indeed learned during the teaching and learning cycle. Furthermore, it allows the teacher to gauge how best to tackle remediation and enrichment.

Remediation and Enrichment

Remediation and enrichment are often overlooked as essential in the initial presentation of the information. Although remediation and enrichment can occur before final tests, they are vital parts of the instructional design process. I assert that as teachers explore what moves the needle for student learning, remediation and enrichment should be considered essential.

When designing instruction, it is important to plan for those students who will not master the content and those that will exceed your expectations. You must make sure that your test is married to the remediation and enrichment process; “married” in the sense that there is a direct correlation between the information you are remediating, enriching, and the final test. The goal is always to have the students demonstrate mastery of the assessment content.

When developing your tests, explore your plans for remediation and enrichment. Ensure that the goals are aligned and the information covered with the students is used on the assessment. Remediation and enrichment should be the practice shots you take before stepping up to the line with one second left in the game. There must be clear links between the remediation and enrichment process when building an effective test.

Test questions should be reflective of those practice shots. As remediation and enrichment directly result from student performance on formative and summative assessments, tests should be constructed to allow the students exposure to “test-like items.”

We do our students a disservice when we construct assessments filled with “gotcha!” test questions instead of thoroughly taught concepts. There should be minimal to no surprises when students take the game-winning shot!

Are you interested in instructional leadership and instructional technology as an educator? Check out our available instructional leadership and instructional tech graduate programs and advance your career today!

The post Embracing Instructional Design to Create Effective Tests appeared first on Graduate Programs for Educators.