Learning Through Tests at Students 2.0

Learning Through Tests

Published by Anthony Chivetta on January 5, 2008 in Asides. Tags: assessment, memorization, recall, test.

Cognitive Daily has a summary of a study (PDF) on the connection between different types of practice tests and performance on a final test. The conclusion (as reported by Cognitive Daily) shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to seasoned teachers:

more elaborate retrieval processes during practice tests lead to better results on final tests

While the researchers looked at a much simpler form of learning (memorization of lists of words) than we strive for in our classrooms, the applicability of their results is easy to see: make students think. The study would seem to support the idea that when we force students to use their knowledge in elaborate ways, such as class discussions, presenting projects, or defending a thesis in an essay, they will be able to better recall the information in the final test—whether it be an exam, or life.

About Anthony Chivetta

Two seals are in a bathtub full of warm Crisco. One says "Pass the soap." The other says "What do I look like, a typewriter?"

2 Responses to “Learning Through Tests”

Feed for this Entry Trackback Address

1 Henry
Jan 9th, 2008 at 11:49 pm

As a student going through the last semester of Senior year, I can see a lot of the importance of actual learning being diminished due to tests being held as the most important thing in the curriculum. We seem to be bound more in a state of ”getting the grade, pass the class” than actually learning from the class.

However, some of my classes, such as a film class in which we carry discussion of a film on after watching said film, tends to produce what to me seems to be a more intelligent classroom: we can openly discuss visual metaphors and symbolism. Stuff of that vein. And it is not due to the class being an elective. Many kids who want an easy class with minimum work or thought input actively take part in conversation.
2 Christine
Jan 15th, 2008 at 2:11 am

I often find myself trying to help my peers understand a concept, but the barrier between learning and understanding often gets in the way. To really grasp the subject, one must understand “Why” it is done this way rather then just “How”. I think if a student, like myself, understands not only “How” to do something, but “What I am trying to accomplish” and “Why am I doing this”. The learning process become much easier, resulting in better test grades and a better understanding of the subject. I think, if a student really understands the materials (i.e. How, Why, and What) then they will retain and understand much more than pure memorization.

Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported

Students 2.0