New Scientific Finding: Tests Are Good!

<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%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/science/21memory.html?ref=general&src=me&pagewanted=all&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<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>