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Real Reality · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul

Teachers' low test scores defended by ministry
Low scores by more than 270 middle and high school teachers on the Test of English for International Communication do not reflect their ability to teach English, officials of the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development, and an independent English education expert said yesterday. Given the relatively poor test scores, government officials said they would take steps to improve the skills of English teachers in the country but said that actual teaching skills rather than test outcomes were the most important aspects of teaching. "Test scores are just one of the many yardsticks that we use to judge teachers," said a government official.

The government was reacting to statements from Grand National Party lawmaker Lee Ju-ho who pointed yesterday to an average TOEIC score of 718 by 272 middle and high school teachers. That figure was below the average score of 841 for new employees of 12 public companies on exams in the first half of this year.

The English teachers participated in a six-month program sponsored by the ministry intended to improve their skills. The teachers enrolled in the program last year in March and also this year.
Separately, a leading English-language education expert agreed yesterday that too much weight was often put on test scores. "The teacher's job is to get a kid excited about learning English. That's by far the most important thing," said Steve Stupak, a senior adviser for YBM Sisa, a language institute.
by Brian Lee, JoongAng Daily (July 5, 2005)
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200507/04/200507042203071039900090409041.html

chiaa · Joined: 23 Aug 2003

So I can score low on a Math test and still be a good Math teacher?

Damn this place is dynamic.

endofthewor1d · Joined: 01 Apr 2003 Location: the end of the wor1d.

stat · Joined: 22 Apr 2005

i took the TOEIC just for fun whilst the rest of my school's students were taking it. I forget my score, but i was beaten by one of the third-graders! i was so embarassed :-$

some of the questions were pretty weird though, and i thought some of the listening Qs were darned difficult to make out (excuses excuses).

anyone else sat the exam?

ajuma · Joined: 18 Feb 2003 Location: Anywere but Seoul!!

Yep, I did...and I got a perfect score. However, I think that SEVERAL teachers who post here WOULDN'T! It's a DANGED hard test...and hard to concentrate for such a long period of time. The listening/picture part was SO confusing...you had to think about what the test-maker was looking for. The reading/grammar part was pretty easy for me though. I finished about 15-20 minutes before the end of the test and the proctor didn't really want me to leave early!

Taking the test was a good experience. Now I KNOW what the students need for the listening portion and I've adjusted my teaching accordingly.

Thank heavens they didn't have a spelling portion! Mine is HORRIBLE! (can't spell attrocious???)

I think ALL teachers should be required to take it...at least a practice test!

jajdude · Joined: 18 Jan 2003

The tests are not well made. I helped someone study for TOEFL once and there were quite a few of those multiple choice things I was not sure of. A Korean properly prepared might beat me on one of of those.

But they were picky, pedantic really.

"Bob was in the store." WRONG

"Bob was AT the store."

nonsense a good bit of it...

joe_doufu · Joined: 09 May 2005 Location: Elsewhere

denverdeath · Joined: 21 May 2005 Location: Boo-sahn

I got perfect as well. Actually, I got two wrong on the reading comprehension section, but one of my students showed me the chart showing that even with two wrong, I still had a perfect score. Go figure.

fidel · Joined: 07 Feb 2003 Location: North Shore NZ

Gopher · Joined: 04 Jun 2005

Most Chilean English teachers speak very little English, too. Indeed, like their Korean counterparts, they teach in their own language, just talking about English, rather than actually practicing it. (This was how they were taught when they "studied" English at university.)

I tried to talk to one teacher at my Chilean high school on my first day. "So, how do you like this school?" And she simply said "yes," and excused herself (in Spanish). We spoke in Spanish from that point forward.

The Korean teacher I work with is only a little better. Speaks like 90% Korean/10% English in her classes, and translates everything.

This is the ultimate explanation concerning why they don't speak English very well here and elsewhere, why their education is not particularly effective.

Gopher · Joined: 04 Jun 2005

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

Moldy Rutabaga · Joined: 01 Jul 2003 Location: Ansan, Korea

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periwinkle · Joined: 08 Feb 2003

Hanson · Joined: 20 Oct 2004