Teacher Discussion Forums

Hello Henryworldus: Although the previous poster has a point in that it always helps to know the subject via some reading, it is somewhat impractical to expect a language teacher to be knowledgeable about the various aspects of business she is liable to encounter. Nor do I feel that it is either wis...

Hi there: For the most part, people who create assessments, do so according to the contexts and needs of their program and it is typically not the case that an assessment designed for one context, fits nicely into a curriculum for another. This is because any assessment used for placement, or entry ...

Eric,

go to the TOEFL and IELTS web pages and this information is provided, though you will probably have to compare the two yourself.

Here is one: http://info.anu.edu.au/Policies/_REG/Policies/English_Language_Admission_Requirements_for_International_Students.asp?tab=1 Do a google search and you'll probably find more. Looking at unversity entrance requiements from universities that take scores from both IELTS and TOEFL would also ...

Hi there: I can certainly sympathize with your position. There are certain tests out there such as The Best Test which are designed for immigrants and refugees, however these tests are used to place students into a curriculum that correlates with the results. In your case, I suspect that there proba...

Hi Good question that brings up an important barrier to learning (in any context) -fear of making mistakes. To ask what good mistakes are, however, is to imply that some are bad. My basic stance is that all mistakes are opportunities for learning and, in this sense, are all "good". Telling students ...

If you have a relatively small program, then providing the students with writing prompts for pieces of writing that you hope for them to be able to do is more probably better than giving them a multiple choice type objective test. This requires a grading criteria that all graders agree on and are fa...

Jinfeng yuan: All of the posters above have given some great advice. I feel that it is important, however, for you to identify the actual source of their bad attitudes. What is it that is bothering them and why? Once this has been identified, it is usually much easier to know what course to take tha...

Sounds like you are in a challenging situation. My experience has been that each school tends to have its own circumstances and types of students. A good approach for you might be to observe a number of classes at every level and note down the kinds of language being used and the types of errors tha...

It is unlikely that you will find something off the shelf that will place students according to already created levels. How will you know that a level one according one measure is not the same as a level three according to yours? What are your levels based on? If you have particular objectives or ty...

Hi: I think Sally, as usual, gives you some great advice. :D I have a couple more ideas to add to the mix. One is to find out what their interests are and organize activities around that. When I was in Japan I had to teach at a college for bakers that may have been a similar situation, but I managed...

Hi: That's is a difficult situation. I encountered it a few time while teaching in Houston. Here are some thoughts: Have literacy materials with you in class and when other students are engaged in a different activity that involves reading or writing, work with that student and give him/her a separa...

Hi: Lots of cool thoughts and questions. To reply to cinderella's last post, I think what others like EH and moonchild have said about the kinds of tests is important to notice. In my experience, many forms of continuous assessment are entirely free of negative backwash. The key element that creates...

Hello all:

I wonder how people may react/respond to the following statement:

"The only true assessment is self assessment because, even if others tell us something about our progress, it is still up to us to agree or disagree with them."

Hello again Selma: Lots of interesting questions and thoughts. How do we know what a number score actually means -as teachers- is another worthy question. In my experience, a numerical score on a test is far less reliable and instructive than day to day observation and activity. I gather far more in...