Create your own exam
Small groups of students generate test questions and offer peer feedback on each other's questions.
- Pairs
- Small groups (3-10)
- 10-30 minutes
- Activating prior knowledge
- Assessment
- Creative Thinking
- Understand
- Apply
- Create
When to use it?
- When you want to identify how well the students have grasped the topic in question.
- When you want students to reflect on their understanding of the content and identify gaps in their own knowledge.
- When you want students to apply their knowledge.
- When you want students to learn from one another.
- When you want to be inspired by new types of test questions.
Activity instructions
Preparation
- Gather information about the construction of different types of test questions (such as multiple choice and open questions).
Activity steps
- Instruct
Provide the students with information about how to construct different types of test questions.
- Make groups
Divide the students into pairs or small groups. - Generate the questions
Give the subgroups 10-15 minutes to generate different types of test questions and model answers. - Swap the questions
Let the subgroups swap questions. Every subgroup takes the test of another subgroup and also offers peer feedback on their questions.
Tips for implementation & variation
- Online teaching: The subgroups can work in breakout rooms and put their test questions into PresentersWall, Brightspace or a video lecture tool. The subgroups take each other's test in the online environment or the whole class can answer all questions in a plenary quiz session. They can offer peer feedback on each other's questions in Brightspace or FeedbackFruits.
- You can also provide each subgroup with a specific topic for which they need to write test questions.
- You can reuse good test questions next year.
- As a teacher, you can walk around the classroom (offline) or you can visit the separate breakout rooms (online) to hear what the students are talking about and help them if necessary.
Supporting tools