How do you feel about testing...

Intuitivedoula · 08-10-2007, 01:57 AM

I was reading a thread below about the number of typos in the CBI written material/tests.
After finishing the thread I was wondering how important you think TESTS are to learning the material you need to know for your Doula work.
Are tests really an accurate way to determine someone's skill ?
Do you feel that tests make you a better Doula?
Do they "make" you study harder?

Carla

MothertheMother · 08-10-2007, 08:52 AM

I think it depends on the person. I don't think tests may be better for everyone but I like tests.

There was a time in my life that I thought I'd never say that but for me it gives me the confidence that I do really know the material. I love to read and I love to learn but I think I don't really know what I know until I need to use it. My first interview with potential clients was such a big confidence booster because I realised how much I had really absorbed in all of my reading. Another benefit of the testing is if you have skimmed over something important it gives you the heads up to go back and look it up and learn more about it.

aetrusty · 08-10-2007, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MothertheMother

I think it depends on the person. I don't think tests may be better for everyone but I like tests.

There was a time in my life that I thought I'd never say that but for me it gives me the confidence that I do really know the material. I love to read and I love to learn but I think I don't really know what I know until I need to use it. My first interview with potential clients was such a big confidence booster because I realised how much I had really absorbed in all of my reading. Another benefit of the testing is if you have skimmed over something important it gives you the heads up to go back and look it up and learn more about it.

Also, didactic learning is important for doulas. While the hands on is extremely important and so is the intuition that we have, we definitely need to understand birth and basic information. Tests are really the only way to gauge whether or not someone has learned the information.

Kacy · 08-10-2007, 11:21 AM

I like tests.

They really do a) remind me that I do know the material and b) let me know if I need to go back and study a bit more in certain areas.

ctowndoula · 08-10-2007, 11:41 AM

Agree with others. On another note, I have found that potential clients have shown that impressed face (smile, nod, and one eyebrow up) when I mention that passing an exam was part of my certification.

And I

that Anna used the word "didactic".

DoulaCBE · 08-10-2007, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Intuitivedoula

I was reading a thread below about the number of typos in the CBI written material/tests.
After finishing the thread I was wondering how important you think TESTS are to learning the material you need to know for your Doula work.
Are tests really an accurate way to determine someone's skill ?
Do you feel that tests make you a better Doula?
Do they "make" you study harder?

Carla

I don't know that they're important, but they can be a valuable tool. In training programs like CBI where the training goes far beyond that which you will get at a traditional 3 day workhsop I think they're a really great way to make sure that those doulas seeking certification are actually *doing* their work and studies and that they are familiar with the information.

Now, it's not always about having the answers off the top of your head, but knowing to find them that I feel is important and I think that CBI allows for that.

I haven't met a CBI certified doula yet that I don't feel is well spoken (actually *got* the communications part of the training) and knowledgeable. I've met many doulas from other orgs that are less than desireable.

brilliant · 08-10-2007, 09:32 PM

i love the CBI tests.

i read WAY too fast (900+ words per minute) so i tend to gloss over things. a test is a great way for me to force myself to slow down and truly absorb the information. i have to be honest and say that i expected the tests to be sort of redundant and i was thrilled when i actually had to *work* to answer the questions.

but to answer the OP in a general sense - tests can be helpful in assessing someone's understanding of a topic but i also think they can be a gigantic waste of time if not properly administered.

Intuitivedoula · 08-11-2007, 12:33 AM

I've always had an easy time with test taking, but I know that it isn't true for everyone.
I was just wondering what some of you thought.
I know that there are quite a few different ideas when it comes to the writing of test questions.
For our Doula training we rely more on free-response written questions and answers.
I do think that for hard science subjects multiple choice questions are more indicative of the students knowledge.

Carla

doula Michele · 08-11-2007, 09:42 AM

I have mixed feelings on testing. I think if we can use them primarily for ourselves as doulas, and not feel we need to use our marks in comparison to everyone else ( you remember high school right?...it was always the smart kid asking what everyone else got)they are good.
If we are able to use them as a tool to see where we need to focus more of our attention, then it is a good thing, and a great learning experience. If we just get a mark returned to us with no way of going back and seeing where we went wrong, then its pretty useless.
Or sometimes its for the teachers to see where they are lacking and it has nothing to do with the students.

MothertheMother · 08-11-2007, 09:46 AM

I have to say that I feel I learned a lot while taking the CAPPA test for certification. I felt like I had a grasp of most of the answers but still found myself researching through the books that were on the required reading list to find more exact answers. Having to do the digging through the books and on the internet was the most valuable part. I think that knowing where/how to find the answers is must more important than knowing the answers off the top of your head. One good example is cardinal movements. From the reading I did I knew what it was but I had to do some research to find a good resource to really explain it in detail. I don't think a doula has to be able to explain in great detail exactly what cardinal movements are but I do think she should be able to put her hands on a great explination in the event a client would like the info.

Intuitivedoula · 08-11-2007, 11:36 AM

I think it is true (for me at least) that open book tests are helpful and that there is a learning curve if you have to search for the answer.
There is an art to writing test questions. I recently renewed my CPR and after the test for certification the group discussed each question. It is always interesting to understand other peoples thought processes when analyzing a particular question to find the "correct" answer.

Carla

BirthBuddy · 09-01-2007, 09:35 AM

I recently took a 3-hour exam for my local doula course. It was my first proper exam in 12 years and I actually really enjoyed it. The hardest part was my hands cramping and getting tired because I am not used to writing with a pen any more. I wrote 19 A4 pages. I still have to wait 6 weeks or so for my results, but I feel I have accomplished something, and am actually looking forward to getting a score for my work.

syncreo · 09-01-2007, 02:31 PM

I think tests are useful in terms of assessing your own knowledge but I also think tests and evaluative exercises can get in the way or learning. Often times people have hang ups about tests and the anxiety among other things can get in the way of learning. People get so stressed out about the exam, or do what I call 'test learn' which means that they learn for the test but forget it afterwards, that I am not sure how much they learn.

When I was doing my Master' in Adult Ed., many of my courses did not have tests or papers that were graded. We were told that all of us in the course would get an A as long as we put in the effort so now we needed to put all of that aside and do some real learning. We often wrote papers but we were not given a grade. Instead we were given a lot of qualitative feedback on our work. The comments were more questions of interest or suggestions of alternative approaches we could have taken but I would say always very constructive as opposed to critical in the approach. The rationale was that writing tests and papers is more about knowing how to be a 'good student' then about the material or the process and that much of the research on testing shows that it is not a very good predictor of success beyond that course. Some of my coursework was more traditional and had typical evaluative measures in place but I often got the most out of the ones where we were given the freedom to explore and learn, free of grades.

I for one like writing tests but when I design courses for other people I tend to focus more on qualitative ways that the learner can assess their learning, as opposed to quanitative and I never give marks or grades.

familyway · 09-07-2007, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brilliant

i read WAY too fast (900+ words per minute) so i tend to gloss over things. a test is a great way for me to force myself to slow down and truly absorb the information.

Quote:

Originally Posted by brilliant

but to answer the OP in a general sense - tests can be helpful in assessing someone's understanding of a topic but i also think they can be a gigantic waste of time if not properly administered.

In my case, I'm a bit of a grade whore so I ADORE tests, always have. I find them a real confidence booster, especially when the subject is something I feel is *important* to know... like doula information, as opposed to the primary export product of x country, KWIM? Plus, I'm a bad procrastinator, having a test helps curb that tendency and makes me work that lil'bit harder to really KNOW the material.

BirthBuddy · 09-15-2007, 03:01 PM

Ok, I am just whining, but I am less thrilled about the testing now that I have my results back.

I did well but not nearly as well as I expected, and I am really disappointed. I haven't though of a single thing I did wrong or left out in my exam, and I was expecting no less than 95% - I was that ready and the paper was that easy for me.

I tried contacting the lady who runs the course and marks the papers (not our facilitator) and she refuses to give me feedback on where I lost marks, and I have heard via a friend that someone in her group insisted on a remark and went from 60-80 something% as this same women had no marked all the pages of her paper.

If the marking is going to be so unreliable, there doesn't seem to be much point in the testing, other than that I know I know my material now...