There are many runners in my family, including my father. He ran almost daily and competed frequently in races from 10K distances to marathons. I was witness to the preparation that went into these races. So, when I saw the title of this Edutopia Community post, by J.P. Ryan, "Taking Tests and the 10K Race: What can we learn from the runner?", I was intrigued.
Too often, students approach test taking with methods that are not very successful. Students sometimes don't prepare for tests at all, or sometimes they 'cram' in their studying at the last moment. 'Cramming' as a study technique has been toted as an effective way to get ready for a test, but as Ryan noted, research bears out that it does just the opposite. Ryan explains that just like a runner would never 'cram' for a race by logging hours of running just before a race, students should take a more structured approach to studying, that builds on itself.
I appreciated the way that Ryan drew a parallel between each step of the study process and a similar step in race preparation. I think that many students will be able to relate to this comparison as well.
I have created a prezi to illustrate the key points of Ryan's post. Visuals always make things clearer for me. Just click on the image below to access the prezi link.
Too often, students approach test taking with methods that are not very successful. Students sometimes don't prepare for tests at all, or sometimes they 'cram' in their studying at the last moment. 'Cramming' as a study technique has been toted as an effective way to get ready for a test, but as Ryan noted, research bears out that it does just the opposite. Ryan explains that just like a runner would never 'cram' for a race by logging hours of running just before a race, students should take a more structured approach to studying, that builds on itself.
I appreciated the way that Ryan drew a parallel between each step of the study process and a similar step in race preparation. I think that many students will be able to relate to this comparison as well.
I have created a prezi to illustrate the key points of Ryan's post. Visuals always make things clearer for me. Just click on the image below to access the prezi link.