Posted by Doug Whitten on September 08, 2002 at 12:32:44:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: The Swing of the Pendulum posted by Rick Denney on September 08, 2002 at 00:45:25:
I do not wish to labor this subject a whole lot more because it is not related very closely to tuba.
Testing FOR knowledge is quite important. It is the very basic idea that students may actually know something before you teach it. If a student already has the knowledge or ability to do the desired tasks or already knows the material why teach it again? Much can be accomplished educationally by administering non-graded (or at least not high stakes) tests that measure knowledge and using this information to develop lesson plans. This is in contrast to the standard mode of operation where the teacher makes laundry lists of facts that the students try to memorize and regurgitate on tests.
I was probably not clear on what I meant by testing to guide instruction in my earlier post, but I still do not completely agree with your assertion that "Tests are used to verify that objectives are being met, not to determine a course of action if they are not." While this statement truly does speak to the status quo of most classroom instruction, it is certaily not the only nor the best use of tests. If learning is the objective, then to test at the end of the unit and move on regardless of the results is educationally unsound. You move on when the information is learned. Sometimes, the information is learned befor the unit even begins, making the unit redundant. You might be suprised how much students already know (or don't). Therefore using tests to guide instruction removes the assumptions a teacher might have about students prior knowledge on a subject and relies, instead, on real data.
Now teaching teachers how to effectively develop tests for learning and how to interpret the data is a whole different story. These skills are not usually part of their preservice training and "old guard" teachers are often not open to new ways of teaching. This is where our Continuing Education for teachers could be used, but instead, most school didtrict have "drive-by" inservices in which the teachers learn little.
This is where I get off my soap box... there is so much more to be said, especially to provide clarity. To continue this discussion or if you want references to articles, books, etc. email me I will hall happily direct you to sources.