I am a teacher in Moscow and I am preparing my students to take the TOEFL. The most difficult sections of the TOEFL are the structure and writing parts.
Do you know some strategies which have worked best?
Can you advise me what to do first to prepare?
What can help students to make the written part easy?
Do you know how to make preparation interesting and engaging?
Thank you for your answers.
Greetings from Moscow.
Kate.
preparation for TOEFL
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toeflsmeagle
- Posts: 42
- Joined: Thu Mar 30, 2006 3:02 pm
Kate,
Let's take these comments as they came.
"I am a teacher in Moscow and I am preparing my students to take the TOEFL."
So you probably have convenient access to:
http://artefact.lib.ru/languages/english/
where you can download entire textbooks and audiofiles. Be careful, though. I tried it and I had funny problems with my computer for a few days.
"The most difficult sections of the TOEFL are the structure and writing parts."
So you are preparing for the CBT, huh? I prepare for the iBT, so the CBT is not my strong suit. But my advice on grammar is similar to the usual teach-meaning,-use,-and-form advice grammar books give. That is, teach what the grammatical form in question looks like, what that form means, and in what situations it would be used. If they are bookish learners, then go piecemeal; teach accuracy as separate pieces of a bigger puzzle which they have to put together. If they are more natural, non-academic in their learning preferences, then give them a meaningful text (e.g., from a US newsmagazine) and have them deconstruct or analyze it.
"Do you know some strategies which have worked best?"
Depends. Just stay committed to your learners to provide them with the education they need.
"Can you advise me what to do first to prepare?"
Depends on them. What do they need? Why do they need it? If they need everything, then rotate the skills being taught. Don't exhaust one skill (say, reading) in one big lump. Keep it varied to keep up their motivation.
"What can help students to make the written part easy?"
I would prefer NOT to make it easy. Overshooting their level is better than undershooting their level.
"Do you know how to make preparation interesting and engaging?"
Yes. Variety, meaningful learning experiences, and treating this class as providing your students with life skills (not just TOEFL skills) will make the class more relevant.
Let's take these comments as they came.
"I am a teacher in Moscow and I am preparing my students to take the TOEFL."
So you probably have convenient access to:
http://artefact.lib.ru/languages/english/
where you can download entire textbooks and audiofiles. Be careful, though. I tried it and I had funny problems with my computer for a few days.
"The most difficult sections of the TOEFL are the structure and writing parts."
So you are preparing for the CBT, huh? I prepare for the iBT, so the CBT is not my strong suit. But my advice on grammar is similar to the usual teach-meaning,-use,-and-form advice grammar books give. That is, teach what the grammatical form in question looks like, what that form means, and in what situations it would be used. If they are bookish learners, then go piecemeal; teach accuracy as separate pieces of a bigger puzzle which they have to put together. If they are more natural, non-academic in their learning preferences, then give them a meaningful text (e.g., from a US newsmagazine) and have them deconstruct or analyze it.
"Do you know some strategies which have worked best?"
Depends. Just stay committed to your learners to provide them with the education they need.
"Can you advise me what to do first to prepare?"
Depends on them. What do they need? Why do they need it? If they need everything, then rotate the skills being taught. Don't exhaust one skill (say, reading) in one big lump. Keep it varied to keep up their motivation.
"What can help students to make the written part easy?"
I would prefer NOT to make it easy. Overshooting their level is better than undershooting their level.
"Do you know how to make preparation interesting and engaging?"
Yes. Variety, meaningful learning experiences, and treating this class as providing your students with life skills (not just TOEFL skills) will make the class more relevant.
Thank You for advice
Thank You very much for advice. They are very helphul.
Greeting from Moscow.
Kate.
Greeting from Moscow.
Kate.
i was visiting a site and found very useful free material for the test of TOEFL, i thought to share it with u : http://www.4englishexams.com
thanks
thanks