KNOW YOURSELF, KNOW THE TEST, KNOW YOUR RESOURCES
Use the test, don’t let it use you – or your students.
Below is a free booklet to get you started on test prep for the NYSTCE exams:
A Guide to Calm and Effective Preparation for NYS Exams for Teacher Certification A Watson Guide _ EAS and CST Introduction
Frankly, if test prep isn’t about using critical thinking skills, I don’t want anything to do with it. As you prepare for your exams, try this:
Wear two hats – one the hat of a person preparing for a standardized exam, and the other the hat of a person who will be preparing their own students for standardized exams.
In other words, make every effort to use test prep as a means to help you explore ways you might approach test prep in your own classroom.
Specifically, I encourage you to teach through the test rather than to the test.
Q. Why should you pay attention to what I have to say?
A. I’ve worked with a few hundred students as they prep for the NYSTCE.
Also, as a former grade-school teacher, I’m passionate about helping people discover the potential of learning to write by writing. I have over a decade of experience teaching writing in public schools and have taught college level courses in Composition and Literature. I’ve worked as a writing consultant in public and private schools to help teachers invigorate their writing instruction, and I’ve taught a non-credit writing class for seniors.
