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Tests:WHo Needs Them?
Tests: Who Needs Them?
You can learn more from tests than you might think.
by Robert Berendt
Years ago I taught high-school chemistry,
trigonometry, physics and math. I knew students who were in their last year of school
before going on to college or trade school or some other form of education to equip
them for a productive and satisfying life.
I knew from my own experiences that stress and pressure would accompany each student
for the rest of his life, and I wanted to do the best I could to help him succeed.
Life has many moments that tax our abilities to the limit. As a teacher I wanted
to be sure the students could meet each challenge.
When times of pressure and crisis come, we do not have the luxury of time to develop
the skill and character we need to handle them at that time. We develop skills, knowledge
and character over the years rather than in an instant.
The vital ingredient that helped me determine how the students were developing was
the need from time to time to test their skills and knowledge. Tests tell the student
where their knowledge may be weak. Tests boost the confidence of a student by showing
that he really does understand the material. Tests show the instructor the weaknesses
or strengths of students. Tests also reveal where an instructor may not have been
clear enough.
Success under pressure
Tests become a vital tool in another area. Tests place the student under pressure.
In the chemistry classes I taught, my students had to take a final exam prepared
by the board of education. The test largely determined the students' final grade
and thus influenced their plans for their careers. Some students resented this type
of test, and all the students I knew grew nervous when this test came around.
Susan was a good student--not brilliant, but a good student. She planned to go to
college, but tests were a mountain for her. She had studied and I knew she could
pass, but her nervousness and fear made her stay up for 48 hours with no sleep in
the days leading up to the exam. On the last evening before the test she planned
to stay up all night to study.
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