WHAT ARE TEST FOR? GIVE SOME REASONS FOR TESTING.
A TEST may be defined as an activity which main purpose is to convey how well the testee knows or can do something.
TESTS are mostly used for ASSESSMENT: the test gives a score which in assumed to define the level of knowledge of the testee.
REASONS FOR TESTING:
give the teacher information about where the students are at the moment
help the teacher decide what to teach next
give the students information about what they know, so that they also have an awareness of what they need to learn and review
assess for some purpose external to current teaching ( a final grade for the course, selection, etc.)
motivate students to learn or review specific material
get a noisy class to keep quiet and concentrate
provide a clear indication that the class has reached a ‘station’ in learning, such as the end of unit, thus contributing to a sense of structure in the course as a whole
get students to make an effort, which is likely to lead the better results and a feeling of satisfaction
give students tasks which themselves may actually provide useful review or practice, as well as testing
provide students with a sense of achievement and progress in their learning
GIVE TYPES OF TEST ELICITATION AND DESCRIBE ONE OF THEM.
Testes, whether formal or informal, utilize one or more of a large number of elicitation techniques:
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS – simple questions, very often following reading or as a part of an interview; may require short or long answers.
TRUE/FALSE – a statement is given which is to be marked true or false. This may also be given as a question, in which case the answer is yes or no.
MULTIPLE-CHOICE – the questions consists of a stem and a number of options (usually four), from which the testee has to select the right one.
GAP-FILLING and COMPLETION – the testee has to complete a sentence by filling a gap or adding something. A gap may or may not be signaled by blank or dash;
MATCHING – the testee is faced with two groups of words, phrases or sentences; each item in the first group has to be linked to a different item in the second.
DICTATION – the tester dictates a passage or set of words; the testee writes them down.
CLOZE – words are omitted from a passage at regular intervals. Usually the first two or three lines are given with no gaps.
TRANSFORMATION – a sentence is given; the testee has to change it according to some given instruction.
REWRITING – a sentence is given; the testee rewrites it, incorporating a given change of expression, but preserving the basic meaning.
TRANSLATION 0 the testee is asked to translate expressions, sentences or entire passages to or from the target language.
ESSAY – the testee is given a topic, and asked to write an essay of a specific length.
MONOLOQUE – the testee is given a topic or question and asked to speak about it for a minute or two.
WHICH GUIDELINES DO YOU CONSIDER BES FOR TEST PREPARATION?
Guidelines for test preparation by Penny Ur:
VALIDITY – check that your items really do test what they are meant to.
CLARITY – make sure the instructions for each item are clear. They should usually include a sample item and solution.
‘DO-ABILITY’ – the test should be quite do-able: not too difficult, with no trick questions. Ask a colleague to read through it and answer the questions before finalizing.
MARKING – decide exactly how you will assess each section of the test and how much weighting (percentage of total grade) you will give it.
INTEREST – try to go for interesting content and tasks, in order to make the test more motivating for learners.
HETEROGENITY – the test should be such that lower-level students can feel that they are able to do a substantial part of the test, while the higher-level ones have a chance to show what they know.
WHAT IDEAS FOR IMPROVING LEARNERS’ PRONUNCIATION DO YOU KNOW?
imitation of teacher or recorded model of sounds, words and sentences
recording of learner speech, contrasted with native model
systematic explanation and instruction
imitation drills: repetition of sounds, words and sentences
choral repetition of drills
varied repetition of drills (varied speed, volume, mood)
learning and performing dialogues
learning by heart of sentences, rhymes, jingles
jazz charts
tongue twisters
self correction through listening to recordings of own speech
WHAT IS VOCABULARY AND WHAT NEED TO BE TAUGHT?
VOCABULARY – the word we teach in the foreign language. However, a new item of vocabulary may be more than a single word, which are made up of two or three words but express a single idea, e.g. post office, mother-in-law.
What need to be taught:
FORM: PRONUNCIATION AND SPELLING – the learners has to know what a word sounds like (its pronunciation) and what it looks like (its spelling)
GRAMAR – the grammar of new item will need to be taught if this is not obviously covered by general grammatical rules. An item may have an unpredictable change of form in certain grammatical context or may have some idiosyncratic way of connecting with other words in sentences
COLLOCATION – the collocation typical of particular item are another factor that makes a particular combination sound right or wrong in a given context
ASPECTS OF MEANING:DENOTATION – the meaning of a word is primarily what it refers to in the real world; this is often the sort of definition that is given in a dictionary
CONNOTATION – a less obvious component of the meaning of an item
APPRIOPRIATNESS- a particular item is the appropriate one to use in a certain context or not
ASPECTS OF MEANING: MEANING RELATIONSHIP – how the meaning of one items relates to the meaning of others.
SYNONYMS – items that mean the same or nearly the same
ANTONYMS – items that mean the opposite
HYPONYMS – items that serve as specific examples of a general concept
CO-HYPONYMS or CO-ORDINATES – other items that are the ‘same kind of things’
SUPERORDINATES – general concepts that ‘cover’ specific items
TRANSLATION – words or expressions in the learners’ mother tongue that are equivalent in meaning to the item being taught.
WORD FORMATION
IN WHAT WAY WILL YOU PRESENT THE MEANING OF NEW ITEMS/VOCABULARY?
concise definition (as in dictionary)
detailed description
examples(hyponyms)
illustration (picture)
demonstration (acting, mime)
context (story or sentence in which item occurs)
synonyms
opposite (antonyms)
associated ideas, collocations
GIVE SOME FEATURES OF INFORMAL SPEECH.
BREVITY OF ‘CHUNKS’ – it is usually broken into short chunks. In a conversation, for example, people take turns to speak, usually in short turns of a few seconds each
PRONUNCIATION – the pronunciation of words is often slurred, and noticeably different from the phonological representation given in dictionary
VOCABULARY – is often colloquial
GRAMMAR – utterances do not usually divide nearly into sentences, a grammatical structure may change in raid-utterance
‘NOISE’ - there will be a certain amount of ‘noise’: bits of the discourse that are unintelligible to the hearer, and therefore as far as he/she is concerned are meaningless ’noise’. This may be because the words are not said clearly
REDUNDANCY – includes such things as repetition, paraphrase, glossing with utterances in parenthesis, self-correction
NON-REPETITION – the discourse will not be repeated verbatim.
WHAT TYPES OF LISTENING ACTIVITIES DO YOU KNOW? GIVE SOME EXAMPLES.
NO OVERT RESPONSE:
stories
songs
entertainment: films, theatre, video
SHORT RESPONSES
obeying instruction
ticking off items
true/false
detecteking mistakes
cloze
guessing definition
skimming and scanning
LONGER RESPONSES
answering questions
note-taking
paraphrasing and translating
summarizing
long gap-filling
EXTENDED RESPONSES
problem-solving
interpretation
EXPLAIN THE TERM OF INHIBITION. GIVE SOME OTHER PROBLEMS WITH SPEAKING ACTIVITIES.
INHIBITION – speaking requires some degree of real-time exposure to an audience. Learners are often inhibited about trying to say things in a foreign language in the classroom: worried about making mistakes, etc
NOTHING TO SAY – learners cannot think of anything to say: they have no motive to express themselves beyond the guilty feeling that they should be speaking
LOW OR UNEVEN PARTICIPATION – the tendency of some learners to dominate, while others speak very little or not at all
MOTHER-TONGUE USE – learners may tend to use mother-tongue, because it is easier, they feel less ‘exposed’, etc.
WHAT TYPES OF READING ACTIVITIES DO YOU KNOW?
answering comprehension questions – a conventional type of reading activity, consist a text followed by comprehension questions
set of titles together with a set of extras and match them
WHEN IS READING OF TEXT EFFICIENT/INEFFICIENT?
| EFFICIENT | INEFFICIENT |
|---|---|
|
|
DISCUSS THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN WRITTEN AND SPOKEN DISCOURSE IN TERMS OF PERMANENCE AND EXPLICITNESS.
PERMANENCE – written discourse is fixed and stable so the reading can be done at whatever time, speed and level of thoroughness the individual reader wishes. Spoken text in contrast is fleeting and moves on in real time.
EXPLICITNESS – the written text is explicit, it has to make clear the context and all references. In speech, however, the real-time situation and knowledge shared between speaker and listener means that some information can be assumed and need not be made explicit.
DISCUSS THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN WRITTEN AND SPOKEN DISCOURSE IN TERM OF DENSITY AND DETACHMENT AND ORGANIZATION AND SLOWNESS OF PRODUCTION.
DENSITY – the content is presented much more densely in writing. In speech, the information is ’diluted’ and conveyed through many more words: there are a lot of repetitions, glosses, and so on.
DETACHMENT – the writing text is detached in time and space from its reading. Speaking usually takes place in immediate interaction with known listeners, with the availability of immediate feedback.
ORGANIZATION – a written text is usually organized and carefully formulated, since its composer has time and opportunity to edit it before making it available for reading. A speaker is improvising as he/she speaks: ongoing alterations.
SLOWNESS OF PRODUCTION, SPEED OF RECEPTION – writing is much slower than speaking. On the other hand, we can usually read a piece of text and understand it much faster that we can take in the same text if we listen while someone reads it aloud to us.
GIVE CHARACTERISTIC OF A SYLLABUS AND GIVE TYPES OF SYLLABUS AND DISCUSS ONE OF THEM.
SYLLABUS – is a document which consist of a list. This list specifies all the things that are to be taught in the course for which the syllabus was designed.
Characteristics of syllabus:
consist of a comprehensive list of: content items (words, structures, topics)
process items (tasks, methods)
is ordered
has explicit objectives
may indicate a time schedule
is a public document
may indicate preferred methodology or approach
may recommend materials
DIFFERENT TYPES OF LANGUAGE SYLLABUS:
GRAMMATICAL – a list of grammatical structures, usually divided into sections graded according to difficulty and/or importance
LEXICAL – a list of lexical items with associated collocations and idioms, usually divided into graded sections
GRAMMATICAL-LEXICAL – a very common kind of syllabus: both structures and lexis specified in section that correspond to the limits of a course, or in two separate lists
SITUATIONAL – these syllabuses take the real-life context of language uses as their basis: sections would be headed by names of situations or locations
TOPIC-BASED – this is rather like the situational syllabus, except that the headings are broadly topic-based; these usually indicate a fairly clear set of vocabulary items, which may be specified
NOTIONAL – ‘notions’ are concepts that language can express. General notions may include numbers, time, place, etc
FUNCTIONAL-NOTIONAL – functions are things you can do with language, as distinct from notions you can express: indentifying, promising
MIXED or ‘MULTI-STRAND’ – modern syllabuses are combining different aspects in order to be maximally comprehensive and helpful to teacher and learners
PROCEDURAL – specify the learning tasks to be done rather than the language itself or even its meaning, e.g. map reading, story-writing
PROCESS – is not pre-set. The content of the course is negotiated with the learners at the beginning of the course and during it.
GIVE SOME CRITERIA FOR COURSEBOOK ASSESSMENT.
Criteria for coursebook assessment may be GENERAL – applicable to any language-teaching coursebook or SPECIFIC –relating to the appropriateness of the book for a certain course or learner population.
GENERAL :
clear layout or print
provides periodic review or test sections
SPECIFIC:
attractive and colorful illustrations – for younger
vocabulary and texts relevant to topic
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF USING COURSEBOOK?
FRAMEWORK – a coursebook provides a clear framework: teacher and learners know where they are going and what is coming next, so that there is a sense of structure and progress
SYLLABUS – the coursebook serves a syllabus: if it is followed systematically a carefully planned and balanced selection of language content will be covered
READY-MADE TEXTS AND TASKS – the coursebook provides texts and learning tasks which are likely to be of an appropriate level for most of the class. This of course saves time for the teacher who would otherwise have to prepare his/her own
ECONOMY – a book is the cheapest way of providing learning material for each learner
CONVENIENCE – a book is convenient package
GUIDANCE – the coursebook can provide useful guidance and support
AUTONOMY – the learner can use the coursebook to learn new material, review and monitor progress with some degree of autonomy
WHICH CATEGORIES IN COURSEBOOK COVERAGE DO YOU THINK ARE MOST IMPORTANT?
Any single unit of a coursebook should cover a fair range of language content and skills:
pronunciation practice
introduction of new vocabulary and practice
grammar explanations and practice
recording for listening practice
listening and speaking communicative tasks
reading and writing communicative tasks
mixed-skills communicative tasks
short and large reading texts
dictionary work
review of previously learnt material
some entertaining or fun activities
GIVE GUIDELINES FOR ORDERING COMPONENTS OF A LESSON.
put the harder tasks earlier
have quieter activities before lively ones
think about transitions
pull the class together at the beginning and the end
end on a positive note
GIVE SOME CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING LESSON EFFECTIVENESS.
the learners were active all the time
the learners were attentive all the time
the learners enjoyed the lesson
the learners were motivated
the class seemed to be learning the material well
the lesson went according to plan
the language was used communicatively throughout
the learners were engaging with the foreign language throughout
GIVE SOME CLASSROOM INTERACTION PATTERNS AND DISCUSS TWO OF THEM.
Classroom interaction patterns:
GROUP WORK – students work in small groups on tasks that entail interaction: conveying information. The teachers walks around listening, intervenes little it at all.
CLOSED-ENDED TEACHER QUESTIONING (IRF) – only one ‘right’ response gets approved. Sometimes cynically called “Guess what the teacher wants you to sat” game.
INDIVIDUAL WORK – the teacher gives a task or set of tasks, and students work on them independently; the teacher walks around monitoring and assisting where necessary.
CHORAL RESPONSES – the teacher gives a model which is repeated by all the class in chorus; or gives a cue which is responded to in class
COLLABORATION – students do the same sort of tasks as in ‘individual work’, but work together, usually in pairs, to try to achieve the best results they can. The teacher may or may not intervene.
STUDENT INITIATES, TEACHER ANSWERS – e.g. students think of questions and the teacher respond, but the teacher decides who ask
FULL-CLASS INTERACTION – the students debate a topic or do a language task as a class; the teacher may intervene occasionally, to stimulate participation or to monitor
TEACHER TALK – this may involve some kind of silent student response, such as writing form dictation, but there is no initiative on the part of the student
SELF-ACCESS – students choose their own learning tasks, and work autonomously
OPEN-ENDED TEACHER QUESTIONING – there are a number of possible ‘right’ answers, so that more students answer each cue
WHAT IS DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUP WORK AND INDIVIDUALIZATION?
WHAT IS FEEDBACK?
FEEDBACK is information that is given to the learner about his/her performance of learning task, usually with the objective of improving this performance.
FEEDBACK has two components: ASSESSMENT and CORRECTION
WHAT IS DISCIPLINE? WHAT DOES A DISCIPLINED CLASSROOM LOOK LIKE?
DISCIPLINE is a state in which both teacher and learner accept and consistently observe a setoff rules about bahaviour in the classroom.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A DISCIPLINED CLASSROOM:
learning is taking place
it is quiet
the teacher is in control
the teacher and students are cooperating smoothly
students are motivated
the lesson is proceeding according to plan
teacher and students are aiming for the same objective
the teacher has natural charismatic authority
GIVE SOME PRACTICAL HINTS FOR TEACHERS ON CLASSROOM DISCIPLINE.
start by being firm with students
get silence before you start speaking to the class
know and use students’ names
speak clearly
make sure your instructions are clear
look at the class when speaking
avoid confrontation
show yourself as supporter and helper to the students
treat students with respect
be warm and friendly to the students
WHAT IS EXTRINSIC/INTRINSIC MOTIVATION?
EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION – is that which derives from the influence of some kind of external incentive, as distinct from the wish to learn for its own sake or interest in tasks, e.g. tests, competition, reward
Extrinsic motivation, on the contrary to the previous one, is understood as motivation which is caused by external factors as, for example, good grades or parents’ approval. These factors may lead either to get a reward or to avoid a punishment.
INTRINSIC MOTIVATION – the generalized desire to interest effort in the learning for its own sake – is largely located in the previous attitudes of the learners.
Intrinsic motivation is defined as the one which leads a student to learn because of their own sake. They may pick up information due to the fact that it gives them pleasure or they find a lot of internal gratitude such as satisfaction or joy in the process of learning and doing some cognitive activities.
DESCRIBE THE ROLE OF PRACTICE IN TEACHING A LANGUAGE
Practice – rehearsal of certain behaviours with the objective of consolidating learning + improving performance.
(utrwalić uczenie + poprawienie działania)
Students are learning to a point and then
They have to acquire automatized knowledge to become fluent (express himself + comprehension)
This can be done by :
consolidation Learning through Practice
Learning a skill by means of instructions has 3 stages:
| Verbalization | Automatization | Autonomy |
|---|---|---|
- demonstration of words: describing the rules and grammar (swimming – show+describe) - presentation |
- performing skilful behaviour – practicing again and again - practice |
- mastering, speed up performance - creating new combination - do “own” things - production |
*Practice – activity through which language skills and knowledge are consolidated and mastered.
→the most important of all stages of learning
Practice is carried out through procedures: exercises or activities.
*Effective language practice:
1. Validity – the activity should activate learners primarily in the skill or material it purports to practise.
- interesting speaking activities (mający sens do ćwiczeń)
2. Pre-learning – learners should have a good preliminary grasp of language which they are required to practise. They must know what they will practise, otherwise activity is useless.
3. Volume – ilość – the more language practice, the better.
4. Success-orientation – we consolidate learning by doing things right. Avoid making mistakes (no fossilization). Repeated successfully performance will lead to effective automatization and reinforce the learners self-image as successful learner.
5. Heterogeneity – - a good practice activity provides opportunities for useful practice to all different levels.
- find a group of middle
- give heterogeneous activity with more information
6. Teacher assistance
propose the activity and clear instructions
help learners do it = assist them
Forms of assistance:
allow plenty of time to think
give hints + guide questions
confirm beginners of responses to encourage them to continue
7. Interest: interesting topic, games, catching material, appeal to learners’ feeling, challenge to their intellect.
GIVE SOME PRINCIPLES OF THE GRAMMAR-TRANSLATION METHOD.
a fundamental purpose of learning a foreign language is to be able to read literature written in it
an important goal is for students to be able to translate each language into the other
the ability to communicate in the target language is not a goal of foreign language instruction
the primary skills to be developed are reading and writing
the teachers is the authority in the classroom
it is important for students to learn about the form of the target language
students should be conscious of the grammatical rules of the target language
WHAT ARE SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TEACHING PROCESS OF THE DIRECT METHOD?
teacher who use the Direct Method believe students need to associate meaning and the target language directly
teacher never translate new words or phrases into the students’ native language
student speak in the target language a great deal and communicate as if they were in real situations
the syllabus used in the Direct Method is based upon situations or topics
grammar is taught inductively
students practice vocabulary by using new words in complete sentences
ENUMERATE TYPICAL TECHNIQUES OF THE DIRECT METHOD.
reading aloud
question and answer exercise
getting students to self-correct
conversation practice
fill-in-the-blank exercise
dictation
map drawing
paragraph writing
GIVE TYPICAL FEATURES OF THE AUDIO-LINGUAL METHOD.
new vocabulary and structural patterns are presented through dialogs
the dialogs are learned through imitation and repetition
drills such as repetition, backward build-up, chain are conducted based upon the patterns present in the dialog
grammar is induced from the examples given; explicit grammar rules are not provided.
cultural information is contextualized in the dialogs or presented by teacher
students’ reading and written work is based upon the oral work they did earlier.
WHAT ARE SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TEACHING PROCESS OF SUGGESTOPEDIA
course is conducted in a classroom which is bright and cheerful
posters displaying grammatical information about the target language are hung around the room in order to take advantage of students’ peripheral learning. The posters are changed every few weeks
students select target language names and choose new occupations
the texts students work from are handouts containing lengthy dialogs in the target language. Next to the dialog is a translation in the students’ native language
the teacher presents the dialog during two concerts which comprise the first major phase (the receptive phase). the first concerts – the active concert. The second – the passive concert
GIVE EXAMPLES OF TYPICAL TECHNIQUES OF THE SILENT WAY
sound-color chart
teacher’s silence
peer correction
rods
self-correction gestures
word chart
fidel charts
structured feedback
DISCUSS THE PRINCIPLES OF THE COMMUNITY LANGUAGE LEARNING.
the teacher ‘counsels’ the students. He does not offer advice, but rather shows them that he is really listening to them and understands what they are saying.
the students’ native language is used to make the meaning clear and to build a bridge from the known to the unknown
students learn best when they have a choice in what they practice
in the beginning stages, the syllabus is generated primarily by the students
WHAT ARE SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TEACHING PROCESS OF THE TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE METHOD
the first phase of a lesson is one of modeling. the instructor issues commands to a few students, then performs the actions with them
In the second phase, these same students demonstrate that they can understand the commands by performing them alone.
the teacher next recombines elements of the commands to have students develop flexibility in understanding unfamiliar utterances.
after learning to respond to some oral commands, the students learn to read and write them.
DESCRIBE TYPICAL FEATURES OF THE COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH
Language used in a real context – ‘authentic language’
Communication
Linguistic forms, meanings, functions
Culture: social context
Communication – understanding the speaker’s and writer’s intention
L2 is a vehicle for classroom communication, not just the object of study
Function can have many different linguistic forms
Students should learn about cohesion and coherence-it creates fluency
Games are part of the lesson
Students can express their ideas and opinions
Cooperation among students
Functions over form
Students work in groups, pairs, triads
Students are motivated to learn when they have a feeling that they learn something useful
Errors are tolerated during fluency, they are natural outcome of the development. They can be overworked later
Teacher establishes situation to promote communication
Teacher as a facilitator in communicative activities
Adviser
GIVE EXAMPLES OF TYPICAL ACTIVITIES AND TECHNIQUES OF THE COMMUNICATIVE METHOD
Classroom should provide opportunities for rehearsal of real-life situations and provide opportunity for real communication. Emphasis on creativity, spontaneity and improvisation -not just repetition and drills.
Example Activities:
Role Play -Interviews
Information Gap
Games -Language Exchanges
Surveys -Pair Work
WHAT IS THE PLACE OF GRAMMAR IN COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING?
Grammar and vocabulary follow from the function, situational context
One way to present grammar communicatively is through structured input activities. Structured input is a type of instruction that directs learners to pay attention to the target language through arranging input from the instruction. These activities are called structured input activities. The basic notion of these activities is how learners encode grammatical forms through meaningful context. The purpose of structured input activities is to raise learners’ awareness of the target structures with meaning.
NAME AT LEAST THREE PRINCIPLES OF THE COMMUNICATE METHOD.
Language used in a real context – ‘authentic language’
Communication
Linguistic forms, meanings, functions
Culture: social context
Communication – understanding the speaker’s and writer’s intention
L2 is a vehicle for classroom communication, not just the object of study
Function can have many different linguistic forms
Students should learn about cohesion and coherence-it creates fluency
Games are part of the lesson
Students can express their ideas and opinions
Cooperation among students
Functions over form
Students work in groups, pairs, triads
Students are motivated to learn when they have a feeling that they learn something useful
Whenever possible, ‘authentic language’—language as it is used in a real context—should be introduced.
Being able to figure out the speaker’s or writer’s intentions is part of being communicatively competent.
The target language is a vehicle for classroom communication, not just the object of study.
One function can have many different linguistic forms.
Students should work with language at the discourse or suprasentential (above the sentence) level. They must learn about cohesion and coherence.
Games are important because they have certain features in common with real communicative events—there is a purpose to the exchange. Having students work in small groups maximizes the amount of communicative practice they receive.
Students should be given an opportunity to express their ideas and opinions.
Errors are tolerated and seen as a natural outcome of the development of communication skills.
One of the teacher’s major responsibilities is to establish situations likely to promote communication.
Communicative interaction encourages cooperative relationships among students.
The social context of the communicative event is essential in giving meaning to the utterances.
Learning to use language forms appropriately is an important part of communicative competence.
The teacher acts as a facilitator in setting up communicative activities and as an advisor during the activities.
In communicating, a speaker has a choice not only about what to say, but also how to say it.
The grammar and vocabulary that the students learn follow from the function, situational context, and the roles of the interlocutors
Students should be given opportunities to listen to language as it is used in authentic communication.