Lawnmowing, Studying, and Testing

A couple of years ago, I bought a push mower. I mean an old-fashioned reel mower that has no power other than that which you give it.  I love that thing even though it doesn't really do a good job (or is it me that is not doing a good job?).  Recently I had to consult the owner's manual to fix something and I wound up re-reading the "suggestions for best results" section.  Now I KNOW I read that section carefully when I first bought it (I had never even used a reel mower before then), and I even REMEMBER reading it.  However, rereading after actually using and struggling with the mower for a couple of seasons, the suggestions had a different meaning and deeper significance to me.  I was in a position to appreciate and understand what they were getting at!

As it is final exam season at school, my mind first went to studying and the undervalued experience of rereading stuff you think you already know.  As a student, I used to focus on the stuff I felt like I didn't understand at all when studying for a test.  However, it is now clear to me that reviewing and rereading (at least the chapter summaries) the stuff you think you do understand can take your understanding to the next level.  It is a different cognitive experience to read something with a pre-existing understanding than it is to read about something for the first time!

Finally, my thoughts turn to the utility of final exams themselves.  Recently I have been asked why do I give final exams at all?  Trumping all the other reasons I have, I'm thinking the forced revisiting of topics you think you understand can be the potentially most enlightening moment of the course...