Have you ever heard students ask the question, “Will this be on the test?” and wondered about any more profound implications and the students’ motivations for asking?
I have, and I believe we can learn something meaningful from thinking about it.
As teachers within an academic setting, our first response to a question like this one is likely that of familiarity. We remember asking the same question when we attended school. We recall having a primary motivation in recognizing the need to arm ourselves with as much information as possible so that we might achieve the best outcomes possible within the rules of the system upon which success was defined. Paying attention to details seems reasonable, and even prudent, where the student is concerned – particularly when “success” is determined and measured by specific evaluation tools, she. Students would be considered wise to pay close attention and be prepared for being evaluated by those measurement tools.
Read the full article in The Link Online, SCSBC’s quarterly newsletter:
