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A
Developmental Approach to Preparing Students for formal Tests
There is a distinct difference between
preparing students academically to be successful on a test and teaching
students test-taking strategies that are universal for all tests. First,
students need to develop proficiency in grade-level content standards that will
be on the tests.
TEST-TAKING SKILLS
In your classes, you can help prepare your students for
the National Examinations by providing practice in test-taking skills. There
are many types of examinations your students may have to take. The most common
are multiple choice, oral interviews, and writing samples. By familiarizing
yourself with some basic test-taking skills and providing opportunities for
your students to practice these, you can help your students demonstrate what
they know. This does not mean coaching students on the answers to tests or
limiting what you teach to only that which is covered by the tests. It does
mean incorporating test-taking skills into routine classroom activities.
Basic test-taking skills fall under several
categories: following directions; understanding test vocabulary; and taking
timed tests. The following is a checklist on basic test-taking skills.
Skills:
A. Following directions.
1. Carry out oral test directions.
2. Carry out written test directions.
3. Ask for clarification of test directions when
necessary and appropriate.
B. Understanding test vocabulary.
1. Recognize key test words and phrases (e.g.,
compare, rank, choose the best order).
2. Apply vocabulary learned in the classroom to
testing situations.
3. Ask questions if test vocabulary is unclear.
C. Time management.
1. Have developed a sense of time awareness when
taking a test.
2. Understand the importance of using time to the best
advantage in a testing situation.
3. Can adapt general skimming strategies (e.g. locate
easy items first, become familiar with overall test format).
4. Can adapt general skipping strategies (e.g., mark
omitted questions for easy location later, skip questions rather that puzzling
over answers).
FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS
Students frequently miss answers unnecessarily due to
their inability to follow directions. Your students can practice following
directions as a routine part of classroom activities. A few ways to develop
this strategy are: classroom games, giving oral directions, and using written
directions. Classroom games such as “Simon Says” and bingo can help students
learn to follow directions. With “Simon Says”, the penalty is elimination from
the game whenever directions are not followed. For example, the teacher
instructs the students: “Simon says stand up.” Students who do not follow the
directions sit down and remove themselves from the game. The winners of the
last students left standing; this could be five, ten, or thirty students,
depending on the size of your class.
Playing bingo has its own reward for following
directions. Students feel a sense of accomplishment when they can correctly
identify words in response to clues the teacher has called out. Winners are
students who identify words on a bingo card which fall in a row either
vertically, horizontally, or on the diagonal. The vocabulary you use on bingo
cards should be familiar to your students. Directions may include: “Cover the
space that has the word that matches each of the following definitions. When
you have covered all the spaces in a line going across your card, up and down,
or on the diagonal, say “Bingo” in a loud voice.” Giving oral directions for
performing routine classroom tasks also helps prepare your students to take
tests. Directions can range from easy to more difficult. Begin with simple
instructions such as, “Put your name in the upper right hand corner of each
first sheet you hand in.” With more advanced students you might say, “Be sure
to include your name and grade on the upper right hand corner of every sheet
you hand in, the date on the upper left hand corner, and the name of today’s
lesson in the center of the first line.” Vary the directions so that they learn
to respond to different assignments.
Another way to help your students take standardized
tests is to find out how written instructions are worded on National
Examinations. Written directions on teacher-made tests and exercises should be
similar to ones found on standardized tests. Some examples are: “Circle the
correct answer…” “Write the letter of the correct response…” and “Full in the
blank with the best word.”
UNDERSTANDING TEST VOCABULARY
Various kinds of tests use specific vocabulary to
provide directions for completing each section of the test. If your students
know what the different words and phrases mean, they will be better prepared to
answer test questions appropriately. Here are some of the most frequently used
words and phrases.
TEST VOCABULARY: FREQUENTLY USED TERMS
Name List Cite
Mention State Trace
Chronological order Compare Contrast
Means about the same as Label Approximate
Mark the space for the answer Choose the best answer
Summarize
Listen and read along Complete the sentence Rank
Match Column A with Column B Complete the meaning Fill
in the blank
Put in your own words Skim to find the answer Arrange
in order
It may be helpful to become familiar with the language
used on standardized tests such as the National Examination by reviewing a copy of a sample
exam. Sample examinations are designed to parallel the format and vocabulary of
the actual test, so they should contain words and phrases that your students
will see on the exam. You can also review the contents of old exams for special
vocabulary and directions. After an examination has been given, talk with your
students about the experience in order to determine what words they had
problems with, and take the time to clarify these before the next exam session.
Once you are familiar with the vocabulary your students will encounter, you can
make up your own test vocabulary lists. By using words from these lists in
daily classroom activities and exercises, you can help your students become
better prepared to show what they can really do on standardized tests.
TAKING TIMED TESTS
The greatest challenge for many of your students may
be demonstrating what they know on a test which has strict time limits. Most
standardized tests are timed tests, and students are penalized for not being
able to complete these tests within the specified time.
One way to develop a sense of time awareness in your
students is to incorporate into routine class activities exercises which will
focus your students on the critical role of time in accomplishing classroom
tasks. For example, you can tell the class: “When I tell you to begin, take
your pencil and print the alphabet on
your paper. After one minute, I will tell you to put your pencil down. I want
you to try and guess how long a minute is.” You can also use a timed activity
approach where you tell students that they will have only ten minutes to work
independently to complete an exercise. This will help your students experience
the passage of time. By giving students varied times for simple tasks, starting
with one to two minutes and building to longer time blocks, you help students
adjust to working independently for extended periods of time. Administering
occasional teacher-made quizzes and tests under timed conditions with also help
students get used to what “time is up” means. The purpose of these activities
is to help your students develop an ability to make good use of time. As with
other test-taking skills, time management can be considered a life skill that
your students can incorporate into their daily lives.
TAKING MULTIPLE-CHOICE TESTS
Multiple-choice tests are challenging and technically
difficult to prepare, which makes them impractical for most classroom needs.
Furthermore, studies by language researchers indicate that multiple-choice
tests not the best way to get feedback on how much your students can do with
the English language. However, there are some test-taking skills that your
students can develop to help them with these tests. These include:
♦ Read the question or statement completely a
few times before attempting to correct answer.
♦ Choose only one answer for each question. To
indicate two answers to any single question, no matter how much they may both
appear to be correct, will be counted as being wrong.
♦ Avoid absolute answers. Words such as all,
none, only, always, and never are often found in incorrect responses. Words
such as usually, generally, often, and may are more likely to be found in
correct responses.
♦ Narrow down your choices by eliminating
responses which are incorrect. If two responses are opposites or one implies
the incorrectness of the other, one of the two is probably incorrect.
Your students will appreciate any help that you give
them in preparing for a major examination, but be sure that these test-taking
activities play a secondary role in the assessment process. You may want to
include a few test-taking exercises in each unit, and then include these
exercises as a minor section of the test. Again, keep in mind that the primary
purpose of your assessment is to find out if you and your student are meeting
your course goals.
Finally, as you think of meeting your goals, don’t
overlook the importance of monitoring your own progress as a teacher. Through
student feedback, you have been trying to diagnose the problems in your lessons
and adjust your teaching. But who can provide you with an honest opinion so
that you can assess and improve your progress toward meeting your teaching
goals?
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