Map Drawing Quizzes

[McDreidel09]

So last week, I had a quiz in my Planet Earth class. A good chunk of the quiz grade was drawing isolines on one side of the map and isotherms on the other side. We drew these during our lecture and we had to copy these. I studied pretty freaken hard and still received a D. The multiple choice part saved my ass.

I can't remember maps to save my life, let alone for a quiz! I understand that being able to deal with isolines and isotherms on a map is crucial to this class, but c'mon! Couldn't have there been something that would have been better to study for and would get the point across? At the very least, have some type of small hint key!

I know, I should be an adult and deal with it because that is college life. However, I just think that tests like that are inefficient and they only bring down grades, except for the people who can memorize maps. I know that I know the concept, but I can't draw the exact map from the lectures from memory.

[Greenday]

You didn't have notes to study from? I'm kind of confused.

I'm not sure what to tell you. That really has little to do with my major so I don't know how complicated it is to memorize.

As far as being given hints or not being quizzed on it at all, what's the point in even going over it then? If it's an important part of the class, it has to be taught. Just gotta roll with the grade and realize there are other tests.

[McDreidel09]

There were notes. The maps we had to draw in lecture were the exact same maps we had to draw for our quiz from memory. I studied really hard for it and still received a D. I realize that there are other exams to make up for it. However, there has to be a more efficient way to test this than to give us a map and say "Memorize this and copy this exactly." How are you even supposed to study for that? With Math, you do problems to get the concept. With other classes, note cards are sufficient. How exactly do you study a map to repeat it exactly later on?

Like I said, I get the concepts of what we are studying, but my grade is down because I cannot memorize a map. That is what makes me mad. This is a class I am taking for my Science Gen Ed.

[Greenday]

This is the kind of class you took for a gen. ed.? Did you talk to people who have taken the class before? ratemyprofessor?

You are upset that you have a class that forces you to memorize maps. I was upset that I had classes that forced me to memorize random facts. I do pictures and problem solving. Just repeating random info doesn't seem like learning to me.

[Andara Bledin]

However, there has to be a more efficient way to test this than to give us a map and say "Memorize this and copy this exactly."

The same way you study for any other form of rote memorization: You practice.

Talk to yourself about what you're doing. Both speaking it and hearing it will increase retention. Find patterns wherever you can and use those as mnemonics. Create other mnemonics that you can use to help yourself replicate what is being requested.

Although, I can't see what value duplicating an isotherm or isoline map from memory would have; I'd think they'd have values for areas and then want you to create the maps based on those.

^-.-^

[Rageaholic]

Wow that sounds like an exceptional pain in the ass. I hate having to memorize facts too (Like Greenday: I learn best from problem solving instead of memorizing notes), but I never had to be that accurate. That would be like having to memorize definitions word for word.

It makes me wonder what the purpose is.

[McDreidel09]

It's not ALL about maps. As for talking with people, I heard nothing but good things from every person I talk with. I don't bother with ratemyprofessor because at my school, only the slackers post on there. I have had really great professors when the site said they were really bad.

Apparently, my grade was in the average for that quiz, as it was in the past seven years. With that kind of average, something has got to give. Trust me, my school isn't good about letting go of people who have large fail rates. One professor continues to have a 95-96% fail rate. Anyway... what I mean by little hints is like having a box with the values on the side. It won't be that obvious what goes where if people don't study.

We have an exam on Friday that I am studying for obsessively that will more than make up for that quiz disaster.

[Ladeeda]

I don't get why you'd have to draw a map from memory. That seems... well, completely pointless.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Sounds like some kind of meteorology class? Although in the meteorology class I took in college drawing maps from memory wasn't a part of it.

That was the best college class I ever took, even though I was in lecture and lab 5 hours straight one night a week. I kinda regret not pursuing meteorology a bit more.

The assignment seems pretty pointless, but that's education I guess. There will always be some things that, no matter how hard you study, you just won't get.

[Andara Bledin]

How much of the maps do you have to draw?

^-.-^

[BlaqueKatt]

Trust me, my school isn't good about letting go of people who have large fail rates. One professor continues to have a 95-96% fail rate.

It's called Tenure, and teacher's unions, they CAN'T be let go without a lawsuit. I had a teacher in HS(algebra II) that all he ever did was write the assignment on the board and sit in class reading the paper or a book, he refused to actually teach anything, I was failing because of that, as was 90% of the class. I had a note from my therapist, due to a learning disability, saying he HAD to help me, he refused, and nothing was done because he had tenure.

[Greenday]

I don't bother with ratemyprofessor because at my school, only the slackers post on there. I have had really great professors when the site said they were really bad.

I didn't use them to see if they were good or not. I used word of mouth to find that out. But I did use RMP to see if there's any common trends among people who don't like him. Like if a teacher consistently is doing something people don't like, I know what to expect.