Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Partnered Test...Good or Bad?
So I'm taking this physics class right now and we are preparing for our final in a week. My teacher likes to give her students a partner for the test. You each have your own test, but you can work together to solve the problems. My teacher also chooses the pairs for the test based on your overall grade in the class. So, if you do well in class, you will be paired with someone who is about your same level. This way, not one person (the smarter one) is carrying the whole weight of the test. So far, through the 2 physics classes I have taken, I have done fairly well and thus have always had good partners. However, I was just thinking do partnered test-taking really give all students an advantage over individual test-taking? Sure, you have another person's brain to work with, but what if the two of you have no idea how to approach a problem on the test? Or worse, what if the more outspoken of the 2 goes down a wrong path? Does the other partner feel pressure to go along? What if the learning styles of the 2 students differ? Would one hinder the other? Another point that my teacher brought up was the fact that some people don't study as hard because they are expecting a partner. They assume that the other student will have studied, so why waste your time? I find the idea of partnered tests very interesting and I do wonder if the benefits outweigh the negative?
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4 comments:
It is interesting, and I have some idea why it is good. If you are good student but not confident, your partner can support you, and you will rely on him/her because of the way the partners were chosen. If your partner is outspoken and wrong, you have to show your confidence in the material to convince him/her or just not listen to him/her. If you prefer to work alone (as I do), it force you to learn to collaborate because that what you will need in your life. If one of you more prepared than the other, use the situation to your profit or learn not to be used. :)
I see the problem as you do Hai,but I think you teacher made a great discovery when they decided to pair by using your test scores as an indicator. I think that two equaly matched students would find a way to work throught the problems that you brought up. As a teacher I would like to try this at some point to see how it works out.
At the end of a unit in my math class I give the students a partner test. After I've scored the partner test and the students have a chance to correct them, I give an individual test. So far I've been pretty happy with this process, though it can be time consuming. I usually spend three days on the assessment process: one day each for the partner test, making corrections, and individual test. Their end-of-term narrative is based on their individual assessments, though sometimes I will use evidence from their partner tests.
I allow my students to pick their partners, and they seem to enjoy being able to work together. Learning, as we now know, is a relational process. Even though they know it's not a "real" test, they do seem to take it seriously. The features I like from the partner test is that test anxiety is reduced, students can use each other to bounce ideas off of, and catch mistakes. Hai, you're absolutely right that students can lead each other down incorrect paths, especially if one of the partners is shy to share their thoughts. However, I find that when I let students pick their own partner, they naturally choose someone who they feel they can have a voice with.
I think the key for assessment is diversification. Assessing only through individual tests or partner tests can't reveal the full extent of what a student knows. Mixing tests of various types with writing assignments, and projects and presentations allows students various avenues for learning and expressing what they know.
Thank you for sharing all your thoughts. Ava, I think the idea of a partnered pre-test and then an actual individual test afterwards is a great idea. Of course, it also means more work for the teacher. However, it does serve to build confidence in each student.
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