"Testing" is the MOST crucial for language learning success!

 

            Testing brings dramatic advantage both teachers and students. 

              -to know student's proficiency levels

              -to give teacher and student feedback

              -to become a decision maker to divide into different proficiency level of groups

              -to see student's learning

              -to check teacher's coverage 

    There are many ways to express "testing" such as assessments, measurements, and examinations. In general, people HATE testing regardless of ages. One of reasons of why testing is treated as evil is because it has been implemented for a decision maker to divide people into certain ways. Like school entrance examinations, test has a clear numerical value and school makes a decision of pass or fail based on what scores the students earn. In fact, in many different countries, testing is administrated not only for school entrance purpose, but for more varieties in job promotions, replacement tests for different levels of abilities. You may declare test is not everything of life. Yes, it is true. Testing can give you idea not only pass or fail, but more importantly it gives you a clear image to create your teaching plan to improve student’s learning success!!

    As you see in Module 4: Effective lesson planning, WHAT-WHY-HOW to teach-WHAT students are able to do at the end of class are crucial consequences when you plan a lesson. Testing is actually the MOST important key function in this consequence. 

         Here is the basic principle to create your lesson plan in Module 4:

• WHAT you’re going to teach your students – the language learning aims
• WHY you’re going to teach that language – how new language fits into the overall syllabus
• HOW you’re going to teach it – the tasks, activities, and materials you intend to use
•  WHAT the students will have learned by the end of the class – the results of your teaching.

Introduction  

How can we answer to the first and second questions, “WHAT are you going to teach your students – what are the language learning aims?”"WHY you’re going to teach that language – how new language fits into the overall syllabus".

It is actually very hard question to answer, especially if the class is  the first class of the year with students you never worked before with. How do you know where students are from, what they want to learn, and what they know already or what they do not know yet? As a teacher, you always want to teach students something new, something to encourage their curiosity, or  to articulate their motivation, right?? Especially young ages of students are difficult to control because they are inpatient and love to play with classmates. Thus, remember! your role as a teacher is a key function to manage and keep students stay on right track in a good learning environment. As an essential support for your rule as a teacher, testing is here for you. 

What can you do in order to research the answers for“WHAT are you going to teach your students – what are the language learning aim?" and "WHAT are you going to teach your students – what are the language learning aims?”"WHY you’re going to teach that language – how new language fits into the overall syllabus".

It starts to KNOW about your student and school.

In academic word, this process is called Needs analysis.

Needs analysis is simply to figure out your teaching focus (what your students need to learn and what you need to teach) based on student's general information and your teaching situation. 

 

 

Question: 

1. List 10 things what you know about your students with your best knowledge.

Ex. Ages, background, years of experience being schooling or not, where they can use English after the class etc. 

Sample answers: 

- There are about 20 students in total.

- They are ages 6 to 12.

- 5 students already have an exposure English at their home/community learning.

-They mostly use English when they help their parents' business (some students sell products, some students are formers. Some are needed to prepare a school entrance exam.)

-They are 5 male, 15 female students. 

-2 students do not have their parents, but live in group home. 

-6 students do not know how to write.

-Many of them do not have a notebook, and they do not have a bad to put all stationary goods. 

-Their parents also do not speak English. 

-They love to talk about animal, food and things to ride! 

-They have a hesitation to speak out in front of everyone. 

-They do not have a custom to do homework after school. (Or students do not have time to spend for extra study   at home due to help their parents.)

-They love candy!     etc...... 

 

2. List 10 things what you know about your teaching environment with your best knowledge.

Ex. what types of teaching materials, syllabus, and educational equipments are you allowed to use?

 

Sample answers:

-use the same syllabus from a previous year

-there is a designated textbook

-teach in team 

-need to use a specified language test (the test is a part of course book)

-there is a master teacher 

-there is no copy machine and computer facility 

-schools do not provide a free textbook for every student 

-there are three hours for English class per week 

-in this area, there is not many English speaker

-there are variety levels of language proficiency   etc 

 

 

You can have a better understanding on your students and your teaching environment from these answers. However, here is a trick! What you see and what you understand from your point of view are  NOT always correct. Your observation is invaluable asset, however sometimes personally-biases cause a big mistake. To have reliable details, you are always encouraged to look for more than 2 different resources to have deeper insights.  

Question:

1. What approach would you use in order to gain reliable student's information other than teacher's guess? 

 

Sample answers: 

-create *survey (for students and parents)

-give a test

-give an *interview (for students and parents)

-discuss with other teachers 

-ask opinions to a previous teacher who had worked with the students before

-visit a place where possibly your students can use English  etc.

 

2. What are other ways to know more about your teaching situation??  

 

Sample answer:

-talk with the principals, other teachers and ask questions

-see what resources are available ex. walk around the classroom, school and community area 

-look over the textbook  

-join a teacher's meeting     etc. 

 

As we discuss these questions, you will see what you can do for a need analysis. 

Teacher's observation, survey and interview are primely approaches to collect the data. Additionally, some types of conversation like chit chatting, discussion and meeting with other teachers bring grate benefits. 

 

What is survey? 

Survey could be any written forms of questions. It could be sent by post-mail, e-mails. Furthermore you can distribute it during class time. My personal experience, I usually give a survey at the beginning of school day. Ideally, the survey is structured with less text and a few question (maxim up to 20 questions) within 1 or 2 pages. If you do not have much time to spend on the survey, you can create multiple types of questions as well.  

 

Example:  

<Situation>

You will be teaching a beginner class at a private institution, ages are 13 to 16 years old. The school is located in urban area. These students desire an English learning for individual purpose.  

 

You can create question like some examples below. This type of question is called open-ended question, which ask for variety of answers to the question.

-Open-ended question-

 

• Why do you need learning English?  

           Answers could be anything. For instance,  

I need to study English to help my parent's business, or I want to study English because I like it etc. 

• Have you studied English before at any school, educational institution? etc...  

Yes….or no, I only went to school for one year and after a year, I needed to quite because my financial aid was no longer available.

Whereas, Open-ended question gives you many insights about your students, multiple question  is useful to save time and easy to see the results.

-Multiple question- 

• Why do you need learning English for? 

             a. school entrance exam

             b. business use 

             c. traveling in foreign countries 

             d.  other reason

• Have you studied English at school?    Yes/ No 

 

What is interview? 

Interview is to ask question and have talk with your students, parents or other teachers. While a talk, you can prepare questions in advance and take a memo for each answer. In that way, you can always go back and look what really had discussed after the interview.

 

Now let's think

"What approaches can you try to collect your student's details?” 

"What approaches do you think the best fit to know your situation?" 

 

After analyze your student's need and your teaching environment, you can now rethink these questions carefully. 

“WHAT are you going to teach your students – what are the language learning aims?”

"WHY you’re going to teach that language – how new language fits into the overall syllabus and student's need". 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Testing" is the MOST crucial for language learning success!

            Testing brings dramatic advantage both teachers and students. 

              -to know student's proficiency levels

              -to give teacher and student feedback

              -to become a decision maker to divide into different proficiency level of groups

              -to see student's learning

              -to check teacher's coverage 

    There are many ways to express "testing" such as assessments, measurements, and examinations. In general, people HATE testing regardless of ages. One of reasons of why testing is treated as evil is because it has been implemented for a decision maker to divide people into certain ways. Like school entrance examinations, test has a clear numerical value and school makes a decision of pass or fail based on what scores the students earn. In fact, in many different countries, testing is administrated not only for school entrance purpose, but for more varieties in job promotions, replacement tests for different levels of abilities. You may declare test is not everything of life. Yes, it is true. Testing can give you idea not only pass or fail, but more importantly it gives you a clear image to create your teaching plan to improve student’s learning success!!

    As you see in Module 4: Effective lesson planning, WHAT-WHY-HOW to teach-WHAT students are able to do at the end of class are crucial consequences when you plan a lesson. Testing is actually the MOST important key function in this consequence. 

         Here is the basic principle to create your lesson plan in Module 4:

• WHAT you’re going to teach your students – the language learning aims
• WHY you’re going to teach that language – how new language fits into the overall syllabus
• HOW you’re going to teach it – the tasks, activities, and materials you intend to use
•  WHAT the students will have learned by the end of the class – the results of your teaching.

Introduction  

How can we answer to the first and second questions, “WHAT are you going to teach your students – what are the language learning aims?”"WHY you’re going to teach that language – how new language fits into the overall syllabus".

It is actually very hard question to answer, especially if the class is  the first class of the year with students you never worked before with. How do you know where students are from, what they want to learn, and what they know already or what they do not know yet? As a teacher, you always want to teach students something new, something to encourage their curiosity, or  to articulate their motivation, right?? Especially young ages of students are difficult to control because they are inpatient and love to play with classmates. Thus, remember! your role as a teacher is a key function to manage and keep students stay on right track in a good learning environment. As an essential support for your rule as a teacher, testing is here for you. 

What can you do in order to research the answers for“WHAT are you going to teach your students – what are the language learning aim?" and "WHAT are you going to teach your students – what are the language learning aims?”"WHY you’re going to teach that language – how new language fits into the overall syllabus".

It starts to KNOW about your student and school.

In academic word, this process is called Needs analysis.

Needs analysis is simply to figure out your teaching focus (what your students need to learn and what you need to teach) based on student's general information and your teaching situation. 

 

 

Question: 

1. List 10 things what you know about your students with your best knowledge.

Ex. Ages, background, years of experience being schooling or not, where they can use English after the class etc. 

Sample answers: 

- There are about 20 students in total.

- They are ages 6 to 12.

- 5 students already have an exposure English at their home/community learning.

-They mostly use English when they help their parents' business (some students sell products, some students are formers. Some are needed to prepare a school entrance exam.)

-They are 5 male, 15 female students. 

-2 students do not have their parents, but live in group home. 

-6 students do not know how to write.

-Many of them do not have a notebook, and they do not have a bad to put all stationary goods. 

-Their parents also do not speak English. 

-They love to talk about animal, food and things to ride! 

-They have a hesitation to speak out in front of everyone. 

-They do not have a custom to do homework after school. (Or students do not have time to spend for extra study   at home due to help their parents.)

-They love candy!     etc...... 

 

2. List 10 things what you know about your teaching environment with your best knowledge.

Ex. what types of teaching materials, syllabus, and educational equipments are you allowed to use?

 

Sample answers:

-use the same syllabus from a previous year

-there is a designated textbook

-teach in team 

-need to use a specified language test (the test is a part of course book)

-there is a master teacher 

-there is no copy machine and computer facility 

-schools do not provide a free textbook for every student 

-there are three hours for English class per week 

-in this area, there is not many English speaker

-there are variety levels of language proficiency   etc 

 

 

You can have a better understanding on your students and your teaching environment from these answers. However, here is a trick! What you see and what you understand from your point of view are  NOT always correct. Your observation is invaluable asset, however sometimes personally-biases cause a big mistake. To have reliable details, you are always encouraged to look for more than 2 different resources to have deeper insights.  

Question:

1. What approach would you use in order to gain reliable student's information other than teacher's guess? 

 

Sample answers: 

-create *survey (for students and parents)

-give a test

-give an *interview (for students and parents)

-discuss with other teachers 

-ask opinions to a previous teacher who had worked with the students before

-visit a place where possibly your students can use English  etc.

 

2. What are other ways to know more about your teaching situation??  

 

Sample answer:

-talk with the principals, other teachers and ask questions

-see what resources are available ex. walk around the classroom, school and community area 

-look over the textbook  

-join a teacher's meeting     etc. 

 

As we discuss these questions, you will see what you can do for a need analysis. 

Teacher's observation, survey and interview are primely approaches to collect the data. Additionally, some types of conversation like chit chatting, discussion and meeting with other teachers bring grate benefits. 

 

What is survey? 

Survey could be any written forms of questions. It could be sent by post-mail, e-mails. Furthermore you can distribute it during class time. My personal experience, I usually give a survey at the beginning of school day. Ideally, the survey is structured with less text and a few question (maxim up to 20 questions) within 1 or 2 pages. If you do not have much time to spend on the survey, you can create multiple types of questions as well.  

 

Example:  

<Situation>

You will be teaching a beginner class at a private institution, ages are 13 to 16 years old. The school is located in urban area. These students desire an English learning for individual purpose.  

 

You can create question like some examples below. This type of question is called open-ended question, which ask for variety of answers to the question.

-Open-ended question-

 

• Why do you need learning English?  

           Answers could be anything. For instance,  

I need to study English to help my parent's business, or I want to study English because I like it etc. 

• Have you studied English before at any school, educational institution? etc...  

Yes….or no, I only went to school for one year and after a year, I needed to quite because my financial aid was no longer available.

Whereas, Open-ended question gives you many insights about your students, multiple question  is useful to save time and easy to see the results.

-Multiple question- 

• Why do you need learning English for? 

             a. school entrance exam

             b. business use 

             c. traveling in foreign countries 

             d.  other reason

• Have you studied English at school?    Yes/ No 

 

What is interview? 

Interview is to ask question and have talk with your students, parents or other teachers. While a talk, you can prepare questions in advance and take a memo for each answer. In that way, you can always go back and look what really had discussed after the interview.

 

Now let's think

"What approaches can you try to collect your student's details?” 

"What approaches do you think the best fit to know your situation?" 

 

After analyze your student's need and your teaching environment, you can now rethink these questions carefully. 

“WHAT are you going to teach your students – what are the language learning aims?”

"WHY you’re going to teach that language – how new language fits into the overall syllabus and student's need".