New Scientific Finding: Tests Are Good!

Parents Forum
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<p>I was interested by this article in today’s NYT that some sceintists have found that testing, and more importantly, just simple reading to prep for a test is how kids learn best. No fancy diagramming, no cramming, no note taking–just read it and you’ll know more than any other method. And do better on the tests. This seems a pretty low level definition of “education” to me. Its foundational, but not much more. </p>

<p>Yet the results of these experiments to determine how kids learn were taken seriously by some important perople, including Howard Gardner, whom I admire for his theories of “multiple intelligences” What do other parents think? </p>

<p><a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/science/21memory.html?ref=general&src=me&pagewanted=all[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/science/21memory.html?ref=general&src=me&pagewanted=all&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>My initial reaction was more tresting is needed.</p>

<p>Then I read this…</p>

<p>“More testing isn’t necessarily better,” said Dr. Linn, who said her work with California school districts had found that asking students to explain what they did in a science experiment rather than having them simply conduct the hands-on experiment — a version of retrieval practice testing — was beneficial. “Some tests are just not learning opportunities. We need a different kind of testing than we currently have.” </p>

<p>Anyway, I am bumping this up because I find this subject interesting. :)</p>