Whatever school or university you may teach at, there are benchmarks the school probably uses to measure academic progress. In the state of California, there is a “standards test” that each child must take in April. This tests provides valuable information to the state and local school systems, as well as the world, about how well our kids are progressing toward goals. Because it is such a “high stakes” test, there is often a lot of anxiety shared by students and teachers about it. I have found that using similar tests can help bring that anxiety down (you should have SOME anxiety as a teacher I think) and help familiarize the kids with the “giant” they will soon be facing.
I’ve been teaching since 1997 and I have seen many many test prep tools. The best ones I have found in recent years are simply: other tests. By modeling with the kids how to take tests you give them valuable skills you didn’t even know you had. I recommend trying as a test prep tool in your next teaching day, a related test. Get an overhead, document camera, or power point and project each question on the wall. Go through all the processes you went through when taking your teaching exams. The kids will love it and thank you later for sharing! *Note: test prep will never replace extended vigorous teaching of a concept that include all the steps of a proven teaching-psychology based system like EDI. This post recommends its tip only after the normal teaching curriculum has been taught. So, now … what do you think of preparing for tests with tests?
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