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karen
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What are your thoughts about tests?
October 15, 2007 - 11:14 PM
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What do you think about assessment tools? Do we use the correct measuring sticks to determine if a topic has been learned in a school or are testing models outdated?
This post was edited on: 2007-10-24 at 08:18 PM by: karen doktor
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Nick Yeo
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Re: WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT TESTS?
October 17, 2007 - 11:47 AM
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I think an important thing to consider when thinking about tests are is what the test and by extension, education, is supposed to measure.
For instance, if the aim of education is to memorize a list of facts, and the measurement of success is how many facts you can recall, then testing is a sound and proven method to accomplish that.
If, on the other hand, the aim of education is to prepare students to be intellectually and emotionally prepared to enter the "real world" - then testing needs to reflect these aims. An example would be written essays - with a specific question, students can respond accordingly, based on the knowledge that they have learned in their class.
What I would like to see is almost an "exit" exam/essay - where students, before they graduate/receive their degree, are asked to submit a reflection piece on what they have learned, and how they intend to use this knowledge. This I feel would give educators a way to measure the growth of a student - by asking them the question: do you believe you are ready?
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~Mary*Anne~
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Re: WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT TESTS?
October 19, 2007 - 01:34 PM
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I was never too fearful of tests, and I don't mind them, although I think that standardized tests might be bad to try to rank people, as it doesn't fully show what a kid really knows... I think that teachers have to include a variety of different types of tests, and that the traditional test taking, with objective questions and answers shouldn't be thrown out, but there should also be interactive projects, essays, skits, and etc. to help determine a grade.
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S
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Re: WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT TESTS?
October 20, 2007 - 06:25 PM
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Without going into a long rank about the practicality of testing, I think tests, if we must have them (which I do not believe we need them) should be almost entirely practical. What I mean is that tests should move away from the regurgitation of information, being overly theoretical, and serving no practical application in the real world.
Learning does not begin in the classroom, I believe it begins as soon as we enter into existence (at conception presumably) and we should only stop learning when we die. Given the latter as my premise, tests should test people the way life tests us everyday---teaching us how to survive in life or in other words, all tests should be applicable to real life experiences and not only relevant to the theoretical realm outside our existence.
That's my two cents or my 142 words!
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Madelaine Hamilton
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Re: What are your thoughts about tests?
November 18, 2007 - 07:11 PM
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I agree with Kurshauna that tests should be practical. I find I learn best when teachers go out of their way to be creative. Reading and regurgitating information doesn't really help me learn - i find I forget about it shortly after. I think there is an over emphasis of "written" tests in school that isn't reflective of other types of learning.
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Osamuyi Okpame
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Re: What are your thoughts about tests?
December 26, 2007 - 06:48 AM
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test should be considered as a vital part of our learning and education process.
without it there is no way to really know if one has learnt something or not. besides it strengthens our memory base.
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Thesane1
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Re: What are your thoughts about tests?
March 29, 2008 - 07:48 PM
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Standardized testing has been proven over and over again to only test how well students fill in bubbles yet the United States government relies on it in order to demonstrate how well schools are doing. School should teach students not how to fill in bubbles but how to be critical readers and thinkers.
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Nick Caprio
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Re: What are your thoughts about tests?
April 15, 2008 - 09:03 AM
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I think that your education is an important aspect of your life. If you just slack off during class, you're going to end up a complete "loser" in your future life. If you want more $$$ you might as well do your work and study hard for tests.
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Hugh Switzer
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Re: What are your thoughts about tests?
April 15, 2008 - 05:43 PM
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Yes, but just because you perform poorly on a test doesn't mean that you don't understand the content. For example, I have an A in one of my final year classes though well thought out projects and solid presentations.
When I write my exam on Thursday, I will likely only get 70-75%. I'm not stupid. I studied. However, I'm not good at memorizing content and then barfing it back on to a page. I would argue that testing in the sense of bubble sheets, or fill-in-the-blanks are totally useless. Similar to, for example, math tests where you have to memorize equations. WHY!?!
I thought the purpose of school was to learn and more importantly, learn how to learn and be critical. It's great that I memorized some useless table, but I sure instantly forgot it right after the test, and frankly doesn't make me like the subject. Being here at school, it is really clear those who just memorize content, and those who actually understand the content.
It's great that so many of these people will be able to recite a table when they get a job, but they're also going to be sitting in the dungeons of the office since they have no idea how to think for themselves.
Good luck to all of you!
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Zach
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Re: What are your thoughts about tests?
May 8, 2008 - 02:03 PM
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Ugh! I hate tests; especially through the "No Child Left Behind Act". Classroom learning has not focused on learning, just studying for test after test.
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FaerieGirl
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Re: What are your thoughts about tests?
July 12, 2008 - 12:34 PM
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To be honest, I think they are useless as learning tools. I can firmly affirm that, in the last six years, all I learned in middle and high school (which are now over for me, finally), I learned because of research projects, certain types of homework or extracurriculars.
I can see, though, the current importance of tests. I think they're a necessary evil, but that doesn't make them, IMO, useful in regards to learning. Just in regards to evaluation.
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Jay DeGrandis
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Re: What are your thoughts about tests?
August 22, 2008 - 10:00 PM
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osamuyi-2 wrote:
test should be considered as a vital part of our learning and education process.
without it there is no way to really know if one has learnt something or not. besides it strengthens our memory base.
What sort of tests are you referring to? In the US, "testing" usually refers to High-Stakes Standardized Testing hated by all teachers I am acquainted with. The various educational entities in the US waste millions of dollars a year on needless tests in order to "improve" education, but in reality they destroy it. These monies could be better spent on authentic assessments, reduced class size, and social programs to reduce the effects of poverty on children.
Again, what is the state of testing in your country?
This post was edited on: 2008-08-22 at 10:02 PM by: jdegrandis
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HIbiscus89
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Re: What are your thoughts about tests?
October 19, 2008 - 10:18 PM
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I particularly dont mind tests, i am not the one that gets anxiety attacks whenever i have one, put i think they should not be what determines pass/fail in college
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Curtis
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Re: What are your thoughts about tests?
October 29, 2008 - 10:51 PM
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Test Arnet So Bad Exept When You Havn't Studied For It, But When You Have They Are Fine. Oh And Also They Are Also Better When You Keep Your Cool. 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MACCA MAN
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Natalia
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Re: What are your thoughts about tests?
November 16, 2008 - 12:33 PM
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I really don't think so. It has been proven that individuals have varying learning styles - some people learn better through reading, while others learn through watching, listening, or doing or a combination of these. Yet, the ways in which students are evaluated on their knowledge is very much based on what they can write under timed classroom conditions. By forcing students into a box they are incapable of effectively demonstrating their true knowledge of any given subject.
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