Excellent (part II)

The kids took their test yesterday for the solids unit using their custom-built Excel spreadsheets to help them do the calculations. They had complete discretion as to whether or not they used the spreadsheet. A few students preferred to do it the “old fashioned” way, but most used Excel for at least part of the exam.

Most of the kids needed extra time to finish, which I certainly did not anticipate. But in retrospect, it makes total sense. They were basically taking a test in a completely new way, and it noticeably slowed them down. In addition to the normal processing time needed for the content, they were not yet proficient in using the spreadsheet…how and where to enter the data.

By far, the most interesting thing was realizing that they were learning and adapting on the fly. Multiple students had to make adjustments to their formula cells during the course of the test as they caught errors in the calculations. Even better, some students modified the very structure of their spreadsheet, or added completely new formulas to streamline or improve their calculations.

It was a pretty cool experience.

 

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