Friday, August 21, 2009
Today I received the student evaluations from last semester - the moment of truth! They were a lot better than the fall ones, so I am not feeling too bad about myself. One comment, which I am sure was meant as a compliment, turned out very ambiguous. When writing about my strengths and weaknesses as an instructor a student wrote "She don't have any weakness", which actually points to my mistake of not spending enough time on grammar. Who would have thought, on the other hand, that a class of 25 native speakers would need a refresher on the usage of the -s ending in present tense third person singular? And plural.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Reflection
I honestly believe the AccuPlacer (and I might have misspelled it) was the highlight of last class. The essay was especially fun - for a while all of us thought that we got 4-6 out of 10 on the composition scale. It later turned out that the scale only had 6 points, which made us feel better.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Reading 04/20
This week's reading seemed strangely familiar until I realized that we have, in fact, read it last semester.
I think that purely norm-referenced tests don't have a place or purpose in a language classroom. Whatever test you give your students has to come back with plentiful and constructive feedback. I try to comment more on my students' first rather than final drafts, so that they would have more chance of fixing things before the actual grading.
One problem that I have been having is students forgetting/failing to send me their first draft for feedback. I don't want to make them do it, by giving credit just for submitting it. My idea is that students are responsible for their learning and if they choose not to have my input, it's their right.
I think that purely norm-referenced tests don't have a place or purpose in a language classroom. Whatever test you give your students has to come back with plentiful and constructive feedback. I try to comment more on my students' first rather than final drafts, so that they would have more chance of fixing things before the actual grading.
One problem that I have been having is students forgetting/failing to send me their first draft for feedback. I don't want to make them do it, by giving credit just for submitting it. My idea is that students are responsible for their learning and if they choose not to have my input, it's their right.
Reflection
It was really nice to actually see/hear Ahmet presentation. Jodi's sample of reading assessment was engaging and fun, too. And the activities that have us walking around and designing things from the shelves are my all time favourite.
Friday, April 17, 2009
To be nice or to be fair?
It so happened that this week we discussed writing and assessment of writing in two classes that I'm taking. During the testing class we had a big discussion about how to grade the work of international students and I want to reflect on that. I feel that this would be an appropriate venue, since the subject matter is relevant for this class as well.
So, with international students - should we take into account that they are, in fact, non-native speakers of English and give them higher grades? My answer is no. I believe in standards-based education and the policy of double standards does not appeal to me in any way.
When an international student decides to come and study in the US-college they need to know that they will be studying the same material as native speakers. They will be expected to read the same volumes in the same time, to produce work of same quality. There are no programs just for the international students, and rightfully so. Why should they be graded according to different standards? I am all for providing the international students, ESL students, academically challenged students, with all linguistic and academic support that they need, but once they get to content classes - it has to be the same principles of grading.
The purpose of education in general is not to be nice. It is to give the knowledge and check for its acquisition. If you don't get it - that means that you need to study more, or take an easier course or reconsider your career objectives. I think that part of the problem is that a college diploma is viewed as something everyone should have, on pain of death. So people go to college not because they want to, not because they need to, but because everyone does so.
Coming back to international students, writing, and grading. I would be all for it, if ALL incoming students were required to take a writing exam, so that colleges would know how to scaffold the course difficulty to the necessary level, but in the end, if you want a higher education you have to be able to do certain things, such as write an essay, do math problems, see relationships between facts and processes, draw conclusions, warrant your reasoning, and master the content of your specific field.
Another problem is that very often international students think "I know my stuff, and English is not really important, people will understand me". Not quite. If you want to study in an English-speaking academic environment, you need to speak/write academic English. I am not applying to, say, Berlin University on account of knowing some German. I can make myself understood, but it's not good enough.
The tests that international students have to take prior to admission are meant to see if they will be able to master content in a language other than their own. If we are nice and lower the standards and give the poor souls a higher grade, they will have a terrible time in class. And, by the way, TOEFL is called the golden standard of ESL-testing, because it gives a reasonably accurate account of the person's ability. It's not about taking pity. It is about giving information.
Speaking of admissions I will have to re-do GRE and TOEFL to be considered for admission to the Ph.D programs. I am not really happy about it, since it means losing a lot of time on preparation (GRE!!!) and then paying quite a lot to take the actual tests, but I can see the reasoning there. It is fair that I should take a TOEFL to prove my English skills, and GRE to prove my reasoning, verbal, and math skills. Fair is fair.
If anyone believes that requirements are too high for the international students, they need to protest about the admission policies that are too highly set, not about the test scores. It's not the test's fault that the test taker can't write a coherent essay. It might be the admission office's fault that they demand too much, but do they really?
For some reasons, when people are discussing this with me, one of their favorite arguments is "It's different for you", which amuses and outrages me at the same time. I am an ESL-student. I was not born speaking English. It took me 15 years to go from mono-lingual to almost bilingual. I had to submit a TOEFL score to be accepted in this program. I had to write an essay. It is fair.
So, with international students - should we take into account that they are, in fact, non-native speakers of English and give them higher grades? My answer is no. I believe in standards-based education and the policy of double standards does not appeal to me in any way.
When an international student decides to come and study in the US-college they need to know that they will be studying the same material as native speakers. They will be expected to read the same volumes in the same time, to produce work of same quality. There are no programs just for the international students, and rightfully so. Why should they be graded according to different standards? I am all for providing the international students, ESL students, academically challenged students, with all linguistic and academic support that they need, but once they get to content classes - it has to be the same principles of grading.
The purpose of education in general is not to be nice. It is to give the knowledge and check for its acquisition. If you don't get it - that means that you need to study more, or take an easier course or reconsider your career objectives. I think that part of the problem is that a college diploma is viewed as something everyone should have, on pain of death. So people go to college not because they want to, not because they need to, but because everyone does so.
Coming back to international students, writing, and grading. I would be all for it, if ALL incoming students were required to take a writing exam, so that colleges would know how to scaffold the course difficulty to the necessary level, but in the end, if you want a higher education you have to be able to do certain things, such as write an essay, do math problems, see relationships between facts and processes, draw conclusions, warrant your reasoning, and master the content of your specific field.
Another problem is that very often international students think "I know my stuff, and English is not really important, people will understand me". Not quite. If you want to study in an English-speaking academic environment, you need to speak/write academic English. I am not applying to, say, Berlin University on account of knowing some German. I can make myself understood, but it's not good enough.
The tests that international students have to take prior to admission are meant to see if they will be able to master content in a language other than their own. If we are nice and lower the standards and give the poor souls a higher grade, they will have a terrible time in class. And, by the way, TOEFL is called the golden standard of ESL-testing, because it gives a reasonably accurate account of the person's ability. It's not about taking pity. It is about giving information.
Speaking of admissions I will have to re-do GRE and TOEFL to be considered for admission to the Ph.D programs. I am not really happy about it, since it means losing a lot of time on preparation (GRE!!!) and then paying quite a lot to take the actual tests, but I can see the reasoning there. It is fair that I should take a TOEFL to prove my English skills, and GRE to prove my reasoning, verbal, and math skills. Fair is fair.
If anyone believes that requirements are too high for the international students, they need to protest about the admission policies that are too highly set, not about the test scores. It's not the test's fault that the test taker can't write a coherent essay. It might be the admission office's fault that they demand too much, but do they really?
For some reasons, when people are discussing this with me, one of their favorite arguments is "It's different for you", which amuses and outrages me at the same time. I am an ESL-student. I was not born speaking English. It took me 15 years to go from mono-lingual to almost bilingual. I had to submit a TOEFL score to be accepted in this program. I had to write an essay. It is fair.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Reading
This week's reading is about assessment and, considering the fact that I am now taking a course in assessment it seems that one chapter does not really cover all of it.
language assessment is a very tricky business. What exactly are we assessing? Knowledge of vocabulary? Ability to carry on a conversation? Ability to write a thank-you note? A research essay? General language ability? It seems that language assessment raises at least as many questions as it gives answers.
In my composition class I have two main means of assessment - writing projects and in-class discussions. Of course, we have a bunch of easier, shorter assignments, but I don't put too much faith in them. 85 percent of the students' grades are the four big writing projects. The rest is attendance and participation.
I try to make my assessment procedures as clear as possible - I develop very specific rubrics and try to give plenty of feedback at all stages.
When I taught adult basic ed our main assessment procedure was the administration of the CASAS multiple-choice tests, which has many problems, the main ones could be called teaching to the test and teaching for the test.
In general, the problem with any test is - how far are you willing to go to make sure that your students pass the test? Do you give them candy or show a movie after a successful test? If using test is reasonable for a certain program, purpose, and population we need to make sure that we teach what we ask, and that it is relevant.
language assessment is a very tricky business. What exactly are we assessing? Knowledge of vocabulary? Ability to carry on a conversation? Ability to write a thank-you note? A research essay? General language ability? It seems that language assessment raises at least as many questions as it gives answers.
In my composition class I have two main means of assessment - writing projects and in-class discussions. Of course, we have a bunch of easier, shorter assignments, but I don't put too much faith in them. 85 percent of the students' grades are the four big writing projects. The rest is attendance and participation.
I try to make my assessment procedures as clear as possible - I develop very specific rubrics and try to give plenty of feedback at all stages.
When I taught adult basic ed our main assessment procedure was the administration of the CASAS multiple-choice tests, which has many problems, the main ones could be called teaching to the test and teaching for the test.
In general, the problem with any test is - how far are you willing to go to make sure that your students pass the test? Do you give them candy or show a movie after a successful test? If using test is reasonable for a certain program, purpose, and population we need to make sure that we teach what we ask, and that it is relevant.
Reflection
It was interesting to hear more about the Korean school system. Lately, I have been reading a lot about it, and the more information I have the clearer it is that they need to make some changes. One of the more interesting articles I read was about the tendency for Korean families to educate children abroad, in the US, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada mostly.
Aaron and Kizuna had a fun presentation, too. Finally, it was helpful to discuss our final paper and presentation. I now have a better idea of what to do.
Aaron and Kizuna had a fun presentation, too. Finally, it was helpful to discuss our final paper and presentation. I now have a better idea of what to do.
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