When a Written Test is a Must ...

Tests will be part of academic life at every level. You have a great deal of freedom to adapt your testing techniques in the homeschool environment, but should also offer opportunities for your child to test in the traditional method in order to be prepared for standardized testing, college testing and entrance exams. Let’s review some methods for your child to cope with the written test, no matter what his or her learning style.

For the auditory learner, thinking noises and processing information vocally are common. These can usually be accommodated in your daily educational activities, but in a group testing environment, the noise would be distracting for others. If you know the test administrator, you may be able to get permission for your child to listen to music on an iPod to provide the auditory cover needed. But don’t overlook the need for providing practice in a quiet testing environment. Make it a game. Start by challenging your child to work quietly for just 5 minutes, then build on that. When your child can work quietly for a reasonable span of time, add some further challenge such as distracting noises to help your child condition his auditory brain to tune out sounds.

A visual learner can be distracted simply by the appearance of the test itself. Lots of questions, lots of bubbles on a multiple choice test, disorderly presentation … any of these can present distractions to your visual learner. Coach your child to cover distracting portions of the test. A hand or second sheet of paper can be used to cover lower portions of the test, enabling your child to focus on the upper portion. The “wrong” answers on a multiple choice test are actually called distracters. These can cause your child to overthink the answer. Coach your child to cover the answers, read the question and think of the answer before looking at the choices, then mark the answer.

Your kinesthetic learner, aka wiggle worm, may find himself overwhelmed by the effort to simply sit still and not be able to answer the questions. Test whether manipulating a piece of clay or small stress ball, or chewing gum, will “release” your child to focus on the written work. As with the auditory learner, practice test conditions, challenging your child to be still for progressively longer periods. Or, find acceptable movement for a test environment – such as highlighting words, doodling in the margins – provided that the movement doesn’t occupy all of your child’s time at the expense of answering the questions.

Though written tests are not the only means for evaluating your child’s mastery of concepts, they cannot be completely avoided. Preparing your child to cope with the written test setting will provide him or her with a step up toward success.