When you have some students who don’t exactly love math (despite your best efforts) but who *do* care about their grades a test or exam can be an opportunity to teach a thing or two. You have their undivided attention and focus for once and with a little planning you can line up a sequence of problems that does a bit more than check off the boxes. Problems that offer an opportunity to see the bigger picture of the subject (even as you ensure the students aren’t surprised by anything too new.)

I don’t know if I’d use exams in the same way if I could teach however I want— but if I must write an exam, I’m going to create a whole “math experience” — a “math safari” it’s just so much more satisfying when I don’t feel like I’m wasting their time. I think it worked well today!

I’ve taken a few exams that managed to do this— where I walked out knowing more than when I walked in and I vowed to learn the black magic of test writing that could make that happen.

@futurebird Curious, what level was this?