Search found 88 matches
- Sun Jan 22, 2012 4:26 am
- Forum: Assessment
- Topic: Interchange/Passages (Cambridge) - Placement & Eval Test
- Replies: 1
- Views: 7104
I've been reading the online preview of the latest version. It's a pretty comprehensive placement test. The Objective Placement Test alone (70 q's) takes 50 min's. Then there's a 20 min Placement Conversation and a 30 minute (optional) Placement Essay. http://books.google.ca/books?id=yhdCdKAbaNEC&pg...
- Fri Jan 20, 2012 2:16 am
- Forum: Software
- Topic: Mind mapping softwares
- Replies: 2
- Views: 7291
If you're the non-linear type, check out Visual Thesaurus. There's a limited online demo you can use or subscribe to if you wish. It creates a visual map of related words. Type in a work, then click on any one word and it rearranges the entire array with that word as the new central hub. http://www....
- Wed Jan 18, 2012 1:41 pm
- Forum: Assessment
- Topic: Anyone Unhappy with the Level Test Used at their School?
- Replies: 7
- Views: 10149
Has it ever struck you that most initial placement (level) tests are actually (mid or final) achievement tests--they provide limited information of the overall strengths and weaknesses of prospective students. They just leave them feeling inadequate for not being able to respond to a single question...
- Wed Jan 18, 2012 11:40 am
- Forum: Video in the Classroom
- Topic: Teaching How to Use Movie DVDs to Improve Language Skills
- Replies: 3
- Views: 8975
- Tue Jan 17, 2012 3:55 pm
- Forum: Texts
- Topic: Oxford Picture Dictionary
- Replies: 5
- Views: 12819
- Tue Jan 17, 2012 3:49 pm
- Forum: Assessment
- Topic: Interchange/Passages (Cambridge) - Placement & Eval Test
- Replies: 1
- Views: 7104
Interchange/Passages (Cambridge) - Placement & Eval Test
It's been years since I've used this series and I actually left the older version back home in Canada. As for the paper tests, as I recall, they're not very communicative in scope: blank-filling, multiple choice q's. If anyone has the Placement tests, I'd like to know if they're of much value. I'm s...
- Tue Jan 17, 2012 3:38 pm
- Forum: Adult Education
- Topic: Interchange Users: Care to Share Resources & Teaching Id
- Replies: 1
- Views: 2470
Interchange Users: Care to Share Resources & Teaching Id
As I'd written elsewhere, I've come up an effective revision method involving translation. As it seems I'll continue teaching with the series, I'd be interested in sharing and collaborating on the development of such supplementary resources. PM me or respond to this thread. By the way, I left the Pl...
- Mon Jan 16, 2012 3:47 pm
- Forum: Adult Education
- Topic: Motivating adults
- Replies: 15
- Views: 16652
Sally's right! In my experience, adult students attend class as much for social reasons as for learning--but don't second guess them, they do want to learn something even if they don't put in any extra effort on their own. I know, it sounds contradictory but keep in mind, at the beginner AND advance...
- Sun Jan 15, 2012 2:41 pm
- Forum: Adult Education
- Topic: Difficulties and problems in learning English
- Replies: 2
- Views: 2543
It's not just L1 that interferes in L2 acquisition, but personality as well. I remember teaching a Taiwanese girl with immaculate pronunciation, good vocabulary but atrocious grammar. I read something about syntax vs vocabulary once and how personality affects this but I just don't remember the sour...
- Sun Jan 15, 2012 2:32 pm
- Forum: Adult Education
- Topic: Practising English on your own
- Replies: 10
- Views: 8012
- Sun Jan 15, 2012 2:23 pm
- Forum: Adult Education
- Topic: Practising English on your own
- Replies: 10
- Views: 8012
Re: Oral Translation
Many ESL experts are against translation It's not just experts. Many ESL teachers who've never learned another language, ban it entirely from their classroom (at least that's my memory of teaching in Canadian private schools). Could it be a subconscious inferiority complex--the students have more l...
- Sat Jan 07, 2012 4:34 pm
- Forum: Adult Education
- Topic: Activities/Games that would be good for Adult ESL learners
- Replies: 3
- Views: 4228
- Sat Jan 07, 2012 4:03 pm
- Forum: Preschool Education
- Topic: Your feedback about Fingerprints, Hello Jojo and Hats On
- Replies: 1
- Views: 6596
I used the Fingerprints book here in China 2 yrs ago and thought it was a superb coursebook--very usable and well-crafted songs that the kids could sing along with and a good overall progression. Coming from someone who's highly critical of the most coursebooks, I quite enjoyed using it. PM me and I...
- Sat Jan 07, 2012 2:24 pm
- Forum: Pronunciation
- Topic: How to differ /l/ /n/ and /r/?
- Replies: 15
- Views: 44576
I'm close to the area of China that can't produce an 'R'. What's interesting is that the 'L' rather than the 'R' here (just East of Nanjing) loses clarity in words such as 'well' but is clear in 'Lily'. Last summer I read about palatograms on free online accent reduction software. Palatography is a ...
- Sat Jan 07, 2012 1:24 pm
- Forum: Texts
- Topic: Help contribute to a study involving bias in ELT coursebooks
- Replies: 1
- Views: 4736
It's not so much gender, as cultural bias--unexplained cultural references, for example. In addition, here in China it seems, there's more and more ESL texts--our school just received a shipment --that presupposes the students already culturally aware. Sorry. I won't participate in your survey, not ...