I have been teaching other people's students for 10 years and I hear a lot of questions about tests (read: complaints). Below are a few examples of those questions, my explanation to most of them and how we prepare you at Jill Dixon's Eclectic Academy of Learning to prepare for tests. (See specific information about tests at EAL further in this article- it's long but will answer most if not all of your questions about tests.)
Let me be clear, I do not believe tests are always an accurate indicator of mastery of a subject. The dominant test formats do not afford the different learning modalities to show what every student may know about a subject. However, tests are the primary method for entrance and advancement in most colleges/careers and they are here to stay. I've seen many intelligent students be able to communicate their extensive knowledge of a subject with oration or projects but they were terrible test takers and had to jump through hoops to try and enter college because their tests did not reflect what they knew. Students must learn how to prepare for and take tests. This doesn't come naturally to most students and some students succeed not because they were taught how to take tests but because their learning styles match the test format.
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| Calvin should practice study/test skills. |
Identify Learning Style For Testing Advantage
I was a very good test taker in school primarily because my learning styles meshed well with the teaching styles of my teachers and with the most popular forms of test giving (ie- visual). I'm also a strong tactile and auditory learner so while I do have excellent note taking skills they also stick with me because I remember what I hear, what I physically experience (writing notes) and what I see.
I was a very good test taker in school primarily because my learning styles meshed well with the teaching styles of my teachers and with the most popular forms of test giving (ie- visual). I'm also a strong tactile and auditory learner so while I do have excellent note taking skills they also stick with me because I remember what I hear, what I physically experience (writing notes) and what I see.
I score almost evenly in all three learning styles but this is rare and a great advantage that most people do not have which reflects in their test taking. For auditory and tactile learners who must take visual tests it is akin to someone having to take a test in a language they don't read. It doesn't matter that I am an expert in 'The Art of Drinking Coffee' if the test is in Mandarin or Binary Code (two languages I have yet to master) I will probably fail.
Identify and Transform Challenges Into Strengths
So now you've realized your learning style doesn't jive with the test format but what about other challenges? I don't have learning disabilities (LD) but many of my students do and they have either embraced their differences by finding ways to cope and maximize these challenges or they throw in the towel. Please don't do that. People with LDs have a gift for thinking outside the box and approaching problem solving from a different perspective that is a strength! There are advantages to having LDs or attention differences. My ADD tendencies can be an advantage when I get hyper focused on one thing I can become an expert on whatever I'm focusing on. I was also a procrastinator of the first order which didn't impact me as much in high school but knocked me upside the head when I entered college. I learned on my own how to take notes and how to prepare for a test. No one taught me and that was hard, I don't want you to go through that so please take what I share here to heart.
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| Find resources to help you maximize your challenges! |
Two 'take aways': It's is imperative to 1) know your learning style so you can in put information into your brain the way you learn and 2) learn how to study and how to take all types of tests.
FAQs from my high school students:
Mrs. Heather, why don't we get study guides or review sheets for all of our tests? How come we take all these different tests? They are annoying and some of them are harder for me than others but I can't figure out why. And tests are stupid, I know this stuff when we talk about it in class but when you give me a test I can't put it on paper. You said tests don't always show mastery so what's the point?
Answer:
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| Look at this home school graduate who has learned how to study and prepare for college. Doesn't he look happy because he listened to Mrs. Heather and Miss Hannah? |
The Eclectic Academy of Learning gives you a variety of test taking and test preparation experiences to mirror what you will likely experience in college. The more exposure you have to tests the more likely you will know how to interact with them in a successful way (note: this is why we expose even our youngest students to tests). The homework assignments have been designed to help you practice study and time management skills that can be applied to other subjects. Every year EAL alumni return to say how 'Mrs. Jill's Class' gave them the skills they need to succeed in college and that is true of both advanced students and students with learning differences**.
Your professors will employ a variety of testing styles that require different styles of test prep in college. Most WILL NOT give you a study guide but will give you a syllabus telling you what you will be responsible to know for the entire semester, when it is due and when tests are. Don't count on them to remind you, most won't.
It is the student's responsibility to own their educational journey and seek out the knowledge they need, not the teacher's or the parent's (who won't be there when you are in college) but yours. The sooner you learn this the better off you will be.Part of test preparedness means preparing from the first time a topic is introduced which is often weeks before a test.
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| This is your brain when you cram. See how everything is falling out? That's not very helpful. |
- taking notes in class
- completing assignments on time
- reviewing information from previous weeks (not just looking at the current week and waiting to cram past information in right before the test).
- doing assignments over several days to allow your brain to 'build pathways' instead of trying to do all of your work in one day and overwhelming your brain with information it can't hold; like a soaked sponge it will drip out.
Know When Tests are Coming: Read the Weekly Assignment Sheet & Look Ahead!
Weekly assignment sheets tell you when the tests are and what material is covered. Look at the entire semester's course pack and make sure you know when tests are coming so you can prepare as you go.
Your assignment sheet always tells you where to find the information you need for all of your tests either by saying which topic it is (i.e. Literary Terms and the weeks covered) or where the test is (chapter in a book).
Study Guides: Make your own and study via your learning style
It is nice to have a study guide or a word bank to refer to but in college you will most likely need to create your own study guide (sometimes one will be provided for you at EAL but it is your responsibility to know what will be on the test so don't count on it).
At EAL we teach you to start this right from the beginning. For example, your weekly vocabulary words are placed in a notebook, spiral index cards or typed up and placed in a central location depending on your learning style.
Weekly assignment sheets tell you when the tests are and what material is covered. Look at the entire semester's course pack and make sure you know when tests are coming so you can prepare as you go.
Your assignment sheet always tells you where to find the information you need for all of your tests either by saying which topic it is (i.e. Literary Terms and the weeks covered) or where the test is (chapter in a book).
Study Guides: Make your own and study via your learning style
It is nice to have a study guide or a word bank to refer to but in college you will most likely need to create your own study guide (sometimes one will be provided for you at EAL but it is your responsibility to know what will be on the test so don't count on it).
At EAL we teach you to start this right from the beginning. For example, your weekly vocabulary words are placed in a notebook, spiral index cards or typed up and placed in a central location depending on your learning style.
Study Guides You Build Yourself at EAL & Types of Tests:
EAL uses different formats to reflect some of the tests you will need to take in college and career. Some tests will be multiple choice or short answer only (World History the Easy Way, SAT practice) or essay (SAT in class practice, government). Some will rely heavily on memorization (such as our matching tests). Some will require critical thinking (such as our word usage section on the vocabulary tests and history short answers). Many will require you to communicate your understanding of a subject (short answer tests/homework questions, essay assignments, class discussion/debates).
Here are some of the ways we help you "learn how to learn" by studying as you go.
Vocabulary notebook of roots and weekly words definitions (visual/tactile may illustrate meanings, auditory write silly sentences).
Test is matching roots from a word bank to definitions and identifying how vocabulary words are used in sentences.
Century Book with timeline and biography terms provided in handout at front of history course pack for the entire semester(visual/tactile may illustrate meanings, auditory should use Time Rhymes handed out in class).
Test is matching terms from a word bank to definitions and answering a short answer format question regarding significance of historical figures or events as discussed in class and in homework (see next section about this).
Idioms notebook where you write or type the definitions of idioms from Dictionary of Cultural Literacy(visual/tactile students may illustrate meanings).
Test is matching idioms from a word bank to definitions.
Authors and Lines notebook where you write or type from Dictionary of Cultural Literacy.
Test is auditory. Teacher will read aloud a definition and student will identify correct Author or Line from word bank.
If you keep up with this work weekly (as best you can) then you always have your study guide to go back to and review. You also need to interact with that material the way you learn such as the ways I describe above and on your study guides using visual, auditory or tactile study methods.
Other Tests Which Require You to Find What You Need to Know:Test Taking Trouble? If you struggle with test taking you MUST review your work frequently! Your brain is like a forest. When you learn you are creating walking paths of information. The more you walk on the path the clearer the path becomes. When you don't walk the path it becomes overgrown and you have to rebuild the path. Walk your paths at least weekly and possibly daily if you really struggle a lot. 10 minutes a day reviewing one or two of the subjects you must memorize will make big difference. Try using online flashcards like Quizzlet. (See example of how a student kept up with weekly terms using quizzlet here.) It offers lots of different ways to review and self-test terms. And it's fun.
When we learn we build pathways in our brain.
In college (and life) you have to seek out the information you need. Some tests in college will not be found in your text books but only from your notes in class. This is why we emphasize taking notes during the 'literary vocabulary' section of literature class and during discussion time with your literature and history homework (to gather information for the short answer questions). There are four tests you take that fall in this category: Literature Vocabulary, Literary Analysis Terms, World History the Easy Way and American Government.
The literary vocabulary(synonyms) and literary analysis terms are in your literature notebook homework under each week of Read With the Best *(Confused? See note at end)
Keeping up with weekly homework IS study preparation and you only need turn back to the designated week's homework to find your terms. If you don't keep up with this regularly (barring the occasional sick day) you will have a tougher time preparing for the test because you'll have to go back and do the work you should have done previously.
It is also why we teach you how to read books actively and engage non-fiction/fiction books with our reading guides (see front of literature course pack) that teach you how to take notes when you are reading.
Review your notes from class.
Note taking in class is very important preparation for college, career and test prep. This is done when we discuss the critical thinking questions from the literature and history homework. When your teachers or classmates say things you didn't include in your answers then you should write this on your homework in red pen (NOT pencil or blue/black pen). When your teacher is lecturing and writes things on the board or emphasizes something in discussion you should write it down on your homework. Review these notes to prepare for biography tests and to help you prepare for your writing assignments.
World History the Easy Way tests are multiple choice and short answer and taken when we finish reading a chapter. Test questions are selected directly from the end of chapter test. Use the tips below to learn how to read actively and recognize important information in a text book.
How to prepare:
- Photocopy the test and have it beside you while you read.
- Skim the questions before you read and look for the answers as you go. (auditory read aloud)
- Highlight the answers when you find them. (visual/tactile)
- Write out the test questions with the correct answer. (visual/tactile)
- Read aloud the test questions with the correct answer. (auditory)
- Read the summary at the end of the chapter, pay attention to key words in bold face.
- Review your short answer essay questions from the previous homework assignments.
Tip: Review the concepts on the outline and teach someone or tell someone in your own words what those concepts are about and the impact they have had. If you can do that then you will be able to answer the questions on the test.Essay tests will be done at home and require you to use your outlines, text book, current events articles and discussion notes from class.
So, the next time you ask yourself, "Why do I have to do this and why can't you make it easier for me, Mrs. Heather?", you know the answer.
At EAL we are far more concerned with teaching you the skills for success you will use the rest of your life than we are interested in making the moment easier for you.
So, from one recovering procrastinator to you, learn the discipline of time management now before you are paying thousands of dollars to a college and realize you might not have the necessary study, test and discipline skills necessary to succeed.
And, some day you'll thank me for it. Just remember to bring me a cup of coffee when you do!
Note: I hear consistently from EAL students who are enrolled in college how they have an advantage over their peers from traditional schools because they learned in EAL how to communicate with their professors, how to manage their time, how to research, how to communicate, how to start a project, how to work independently and manage their workload. While their peers stare at a syllabus and don't know where to start these EAL alumni recognize what is expected of them and what to do next. This message comes from both super star' students AND students who struggled through high school. In fact, just this year a recent graduate who had multiple learning disabilities and ADHD told me his college writing class was 'easy' because of Mrs. Jill's class. This is WHY we emphasize teaching you HOW to learn and not just what to learn.
Pictures of the Books Discussed in this blog:
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| EAL Course Packs contain this book. It can also be purchased at www.edudps.com, www.cbd.com or www.rainbowresources.com |
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| EAL Course Packs contain this book. It can be purchased at www.edudps.com, www.cbd.com or www.rainbowresources.com |
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| Used at EAL for World History Courses 1 & 2: Ancient World and Medieval World |
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| Used at EAL for World History & American History Courses: Medieval World, American History 1 & American History 2 |
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| Used at EAL for American Government 1 & 2 |
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| Used at EAL all years for World Literature, British Literature, American Literature 1 & 2 |
**This blog has been updated and was previously part of the Moving Stones series. September 2014.
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