CiC3-TB

will add to your work load. This format also suffers if you have a very large class, as it would take much time to get through everyone. One workaround to save time could be to conduct the interviews over more than one class period, say in the final 30 minutes of each class. Another idea to save time would be to have students come up in pairs or threes. You would still conduct it one-on-one as usual, but time would be saved when switching to the next student. Q UESTION THE T EACHER 1. The student decides what to talk about and asks you X number of questions or talks about him or herself for X number of minutes. 2. You provide basic replies and reactions but do not actively lead the conversation. This is a variation on the Interview test where the onus for leading the conversation is put on to the student. The student can decide what sort of questions to ask and the general flow of the conversation. You provide appropriate reactions and replies but remain basically passive, forcing the student to do most of the heavy lifting. If effect, this test resembles that mini-presentation students give on the Interview & Report speaking task in each unit. To get a high mark, students will need to show initiative. Given the cultural factors in play, this is no small feat. Reliability : This is a tricky thing to maintain because like the Interview test, you are taking part in the conversation while marking it at the same time. Again, you will need to let students know clearly what you are looking for. Fluency, intonation, and content are all areas that can be looked at, but the more things to mark, the less engaged you can be. You may want to consider recording the test so that you can be fully engaged in the moment and then do the marking later on. Validity : This is a good test for speaking because students will need to work on taking initiative. This will be a big challenge for them given your sempai status. Japanese students do not normally take initiative during conversations with people in a

higher social position. Take that into consideration and prepare your students accordingly. Practicality : Similar to the Interview test, this format is easy to prepare and give. The students will be responsible for driving the content of the conversations, so you just need to work on being in a reactive/passive mode. As mentioned above, marking can be tricky, so if you decide to record and mark later on, this will add more work to your day. Also like the Interview test, this format is not very practical if you have a very large class. W RITE & R EAD A D IALOG 1. Students pair-write a dialog that contains a list of required elements. One paper is used, and each students writes their own part, passing the paper back and forth as the construct the dialog together. 2. After writing, students practice reading the dialog until they can do so smoothly with good rhythm and intonation. 3. Students read the dialog aloud to the teacher who then provides feedback and gives a mark. This is an exam format that works well in

conjunction with the Review Lessons after every two units. It is especially useful with students at a very low level who do not yet have the capability to hold a basic conversation. The pair-writing process slows things down, promotes collaboration, and enables students to use a wider range of

vocabulary than may otherwise be possible. During the reading stage, the students don’t have to face you alone, and they can really focus on fluency and intonation. Certain variables can be tweaked to adjust the difficulty level. For example, you could not provide a list of required elements and see what students are able to come up with. The test could also be open-book or not, depending on what you think is best.

How do I test my students? 124