Subconscious' role in problem solving
It is amazing to me how the subconscious is always hard at work and how even when we are not focusing on the problem we want to solve, the subconscious can come up with solutions to that problem. I wonder if this is the ultimate cause of why students blank out when they take tests. Is it because they are thinking too hard, and the subconscious doesn't really want it to? Does the subconscious work more productively when in the relaxed state?
Melissa,
Yes the subconscious does work more productively when in a related state. By building confidence in our students through learning strategies and reviews we need to develop a mind set in students that they know more than they think they do and that they can reflect their knowledge on exams if they will settle down and focus on what is being asked. I use a lot of situational assessments in my classes because they let students demonstrate to me what they have learned and as a result they don't have as high of text anxiety.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Developing confidence is key. All too often I see students go back and change correct answers to the wrong answers on an exam.( I have done this myself, even on the assessment for this course) The subconscious has the information stored, but we somehow convince ourselves we cannot trust it. Reviews and practical application of the learning to case studies, or discussions of how the concepts apply to patient care helps link the knowledge in long-term memory and promotes recall, especially when students can visualize the relevance to thier professional goal.
Being relaxed absolutely helps the subconcious work. A student experiencing stress during a test has all of the normal test taking obsticles to deal with plus physical obsticles created by stress. I encourage students to be calm and methodical during test taking but in addition I try to get them to picture the outcomes they want. Like a pro golfer "pictures the shot" before even adressing the ball.
David,
Good advice for your student to follow. This way they can reflect on what they know and give responses that demonstrate this knowledge. If they panic there will be failure and with failure comes even more anxiety which is of no value to and for anyone.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
4 AM, wake up, AHA, I know the answer!
Bernie,
Been there, done that. Great feeling but doesn't do much for sleeping.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I echo what Dr. Meers had to say. I recently stopped to ask myself, what exactly is the goal of my testing? Of course, we always want to convey a basic curriculum, but I teach a variety of college level humanities courses, like Ethics, Psychology, Politics, and Cultural Diversity. In humanities, the ultimate goal is to learn more about our fellow species in through the filter of my particular content area, not factual minutia per se. My subjects touch upon highly sensitive and controversial areas. Thus, I consistently tell my students that it is not my job to tell them what to think, but that it is my job to help to them think better. I am finding that teaching diverse contemporary thematically appropriate content really lends itself well to assessments that are almost strictly asking for critical evaluations. I try to take the stress out of testing by giving my students free access to the information they'd need by rote memorization alone, but the assessment questions are asking them to process the material and apply it in different ways. It levels the playing field, it encourages success, it allows for confidence for those who do tend to go blank, and allows for students to really expand upon and express what they've learned. They consistently tell me that my tests are unlike other tests they receive, and although they are difficult, they love my exams because I ask them questions that really make them think.
Thank you,
Melville
Melville,
You are most welcome and I thank you for these targeted comments that contain a lot of valuable advice and information that will be of benefit to other instructors.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
