Re: [Phys-L] TWITTIG (was Evaluation tests)

[Ludwik Kowalski <kowalskil@mail.montclair.edu>]

High school teachers usually insist that written communication with other people should be clear, that sentences should be grammatically correct, that compositions should be well organized, etc., etc. But this is practically impossible when one is tweeting  (exchanging posts that are no longer than 140 characters, including spaces between words). 

Teachers used to say that those who do not write well do not think well. Millions of children are now probably tweeting extensively. Is there any evidence that their ways of thinking are very different from those of non-tweeters?

Ludwik Kowalski

http://csam.montclair.edu/~kowalski/life/intro.html

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On Dec 14, 2013, at 1:51 PM, John Clement wrote:

> There are no test with very high predictive value.  That being said, the
> Lawson test of Scientific Reasoning is probably one of the best predictors.
> It predicts the maximum possible gain on the FCI or FMCE extremely well, but
> is only a fairly good predictor of the actual gain.  It does not predict the
> ability of the students to memorize their way through.  So in addition to
> that having the first test within the drop window is very advisable.  But as
> we all know the first test can be a wake up call that some students will
> respond to.  If you use the Lawson test, you should only reveal the
> aggregate score and not the answers to the questions as it is basically a
> research test and others may wish to use it.  Also it should not be for a
> grade except as a participation grade for finishing it.  However, you can
> have the score handy to use when advising a student.
>
> Your first test may be a reasonable guide as it notifies the student what to
> expect on tests.  Of course an alternative is to have daily quizzes instead
> of big tests.