Korean Job Discussion Forums

[supermouse]

The Hagwon I work at every Friday we have to give tests to classes. Depending on the class its either writing or speaking. I am still fairly new at this place, I work at a small school. There is only one foreign teacher so the guy before me was using the memorization approach. He pretty much made scripts every week and had the students remember them.

I am not sure how much that tests their ability and half the time the kids just want to read off the script which bothers me. I remember when I was taking a foreign language, speaking was tested by doing a role play. I am not sure I can do that every week. As for the writing test I just have to come up with a question and they write a response.

Any ideas would be helpful.

[some waygug-in]

Try to have them related to what the kid's study during the week.

At least they should be somewhat related.

All of them will be memorization, you won't be able to get them to do anything else.

Is this the best? No, but you have to do what you can with what you're given.

Short scripts/ dialogues are good.

[Skippy]

Many factors to consider.

How many times do you get classes a week. Once, twice, and so on. If you get once or twice you may want to make them short and sweet. Like ten minutes at the beginning of class.

How much time is allocated for the test. All class, a ten minutes before or after? How long are classes.

Age of students? Seriousness of students?

Is this actual testing or just a move to placate parents?

Do you like more work? When and where is this going to be marked? In class or after class. By you or or by students. How is the info going to be used, is to be collected and and posted somewhere or just looked at once and then tossed.

Even the quality is to be question. Why spend 30 minutes making a test for one class that in the end get used for 10 minutes then ignored.

Sounds like the previous teacher went the path of least resistance. The only problem with memorizing speaks or role plays is that nobody does it. Kids are too busy with real school homework. Follow the previous teachers path but change it up. Make simple questions to do - word quizzes, fill in the blanks. Actually go over the book you use and cut and paste. Work books are nice the use as tests.

[supermouse]

The truth is i have a lot of freedom with the speaking test, i was actually encouraged to do something different. The speaking test is for all elementary kids, classes are 50 minutes long. Thats the other issue, i want the test to take more time. I have all period for it and i can plan activities, but those only take you so far. Some classes I just get stuck with a lot of time. I have these groups of kids 3 days a week including test day. I post the scores online and i think parents might see them when grades are sent home. I was told to mark kids 7-10, which i think is dumb, but i know why its done.

[Fat_Elvis]

Set them some kind of speaking activity based on what you have done in class that week, set it up and get them to do it in pairs or groups. It might be a role play, jigsaw reading, information gap, something like that. While they are doing it go around and assess them based on fluency, accuracy, task completion etc. That's how I'd do the speaking test. Kind of do the same for writing - give them a writing task in class and mark that, based on letterformation, grammar, task completion etc.