Why Give Pop Quizzes as Part of Instruction

Upon what principal of learning or instruction are pop-quizzes based? There is one generally accepted teaching tenet that discourages testing what has not been taught, and pop-quizzes can easily violate that practice.

There is no one type of pop-quiz, and that makes research on the effectiveness difficult. The most common characteristic is the unannounced nature of the examination. There is good reason for teachers to justify the use of pop-quizzes or any type of instruction. If the justification is based on the popularity of the method among other teachers or to merely keep students on their toes, it’s probably time to look for additional justification.

In teaching, as in life generally, knowing whether or not a particular action “works” is important. If pop-quizzes, or any other assessment is given for punitive reasons, that’s not a valid basis for its use. The main problem with pop-quizzes as an assessment is that students may not have studied. Is it reasonable to expect all students to maintain a state of readiness for being assessed at any time in all classes, for it might well be the case that a student has several teachers who give unannounced quizzes? 

Don't test what you haven't taught!

Teachers ethically do not have a right to assess topics that have not been taught. Pop quizzes can easily violate this principle if the idea is to simply encourage students to study. Assessment dates should be given far enough in advance to allow students time to prepare. In middle school and beyond teachers know less and less about student schedules outside the class they teach. It may well be that they are overloaded on a particular day that some students are not prepared for a pop quiz due to a variety of academic and personal reasons. Offer a chance for review before assessment, 

Pop-quizzes are examples of one of the many things teachers do because they can. That students be always prepared to be assessed is simply not realistic. Few adults involved in college classes meet such a lofty expectation. Why is it fair for students in public school?