September 16, 2014 AT 2:00 am
Why Flunking Exams Is Actually a Good Thing #makereducation
In a recently published story in The New York Times Magazine, science reporter Benedict Carey explores the benefits of pre-testing for certain subjects, especially the sciences:
The excitement around prefinals is rooted in the fact that the tests appear to improve subsequent performance in topics that are not already familiar, whether geography, sociology or psychology. At least they do so in experiments in controlled laboratory conditions. A just-completed study — the first of its kind, carried out by the U.C.L.A. psychologist Elizabeth Ligon Bjork — found that in a live classroom of Bjork’s own students, pretesting raised performance on final-exam questions by an average of 10 percent compared with a control group.
The basic insight is as powerful as it is surprising: Testing might be the key to studying, rather than the other way around. As it turns out, a test is not only a measurement tool. It’s a way of enriching and altering memory.
Each Tuesday is EducationTuesday here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts about educators and all things STEM. Adafruit supports our educators and loves to spread the good word about educational STEM innovations!
Check out all the Circuit Playground Episodes! Our new kid’s show and subscribe!
Have an amazing project to share? Join the SHOW-AND-TELL every Wednesday night at 7:30pm ET on Google+ Hangouts.
Join us every Wednesday night at 8pm ET for Ask an Engineer!
Learn resistor values with Mho’s Resistance or get the best electronics calculator for engineers “Circuit Playground” – Adafruit’s Apps!
Maker Business — Transforming Today’s Bad Jobs into Tomorrow’s Good Jobs
Wearables — Snap a picture
Electronics — To Y5V or not to Y5V?
Biohacking — Ticks are Spreading an Allergy to Meat
No Comments
No comments yet.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.