Job Discussion Forums

[JimDunlop2]

I work for an eikawa, and recently in addition to my regular schedule, the school has assigned me a new student (for 2 private lessons) to help her prepare for the level 1 Eiken test.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the nature of this test, the section which I am to help this student with, is the one section that involves the candidate choosing one of five topics (e.g. Can all human beings be equal?) and in 1 minute, preparing a 2-minute speech. This is then followed by the interviewer asking the candidate some additional questions... The grading is done in 5 different areas, ranging from grammatical corectness to posture and eye contact....

Anyway, my question is this. I've never taught a preperatory course like this in the past, and I wonder if someone could give me some advice or pointers or a sample lesson-plan that I might consider to fill up two 50-minute sessions that would give this student what she wants in the way of helping her prepare for her speech/interview.

BTW.... I already have a gazillion sample topic questions from "the Net" as well as some example speeches. I'm just not sure of the best way to utilize this information.... One thing I don't know however, is the exact breakdown of evaluation marks (I know that there are 5 competencies, each graded from 2-10 and one from 1-3) but nothing too much more detailed than that.

Thanks in advance, folks!

JD

[Sherri]

JD
I used to be one of the markers on the Eiken 1st grade--it was a couple of years ago, but I doubt much has changed. Here are some pointers from my experience:
1. Make sure the candidate is able to make a bit of small talk when she enters the room and is reasonably relaxed. Could you recreate the situation in your school? You need a pretty big room. You should sit behind a desk or table and she should sit in a chair about 3 meters away. Ask her qs like did it take you long to get here? or it's a cold day today isn't it? Just 1 or 2 questions like that.

2. Many candidates lose points because their speeches are not organzied. They spend too long on an introduction and middle, then are not able to conclude for example. So try to give your student some tips on organizational styles and how to choose the right one to match the topic fairly quickly. Make sure she knows how to use markers to move from one section of her speech to the next. Time her so she gets a feeling for how long she has to talk.

3. The Eiken people go to great lengths to make sure that there is a topic choice for most people. Out of the 4 or 5 topics (I can't remember how many there were now), usually most people would choose the same 1 or 2. So the topic itself is not a big problem, just being composed enough to think on your feet and gather your thoughts quickly is the key.

4. Try to clean up glaring grammatical mistakes like subject verb agreement or tense choice if possible. She might know the rules and might even be OK under normal conversational circumstances, so put the pressure on by recording her speech.

5. Try to clean up any glaring pronunciation problems.

That is really all you can do in the time you have, just practice, practice, practice. Another point, one examiner is usually Japanese and the other non-Japanese. I have noticed that my Japanese partners have been concerned with the appearance and behaviour of the candidate. People who were dressed too casually (sloppy jeans,baseball hats, that type of thing) in their opinion were not well regarded. Our marks were done separately so I can't say if they were marked down, but I would encourage her to be modest, respectful of the examiners and dress "nicely".

If you have any more questions, please let me know. Good luck.
S

[easyasabc]

[TokyoLiz]

Sherri, your information is invaluable.

Right now, I'm preparing students for various entrance exams that have an interview component, and Eiken level one.

My students are essentially fluent English speakers - returnees from schools in the US, Canada and the UK. Some of them have lost points on the level one because of organization problems and hesitation.

We've been working hard for about the last three weeks to prepare. Our solutions -

1. Prepare one or two formats - argument and description - for the shape of the speech, and drill transition words.

2. Practice reading a passage from a book, timing the student. The idea is to make sure his/her delivery is clear, loud and at an appropriate speed.

3. Allow the students to prepare a speech each week, have them present it to you in the given time limit, and then spring another topic on them, somewhat related, to produce a sponaneous speech.

4. Get them reading a lot! The students need to see vocabulary in an appropriate context and then discuss the passage using the vocabulary they gleaned from the reading.

I'm seeing really wonderful results with my students.

Eiken is next week in Tokyo, I believe.

Gambatte kudasai!

[JimDunlop2]

I am assuming that the Eiken exams must happen either on a fairly frequent basis, or perhaps the components are spread out.... If the exam is next week in Tokyo, I don't know why my student would be coming on Nov 8 & 15 -- unless it's for a future exam....

On a seperate note, our office staff has spoken to the student some more, and gotten a little more clarification on what she is expecting from us in the way of exam prep.... And it seems like I will be (more or less) a sounding board, and she will just practice, practice, practice, with me giving her feedback....

Although I do plan on using some of the materials and tips given to me thus far....

JD