How to Test Speaking Skills in Japan

113 Chapter 9: What about testing small groups of high-level learners?

This is an effective technique that will allow them to hear better while still allowing for collaboration Finally, students may work more efficiently if they just go about everything themselves with the use of their own ear buds or headphones If the room is a bit noisy, this is an excellent way to go However, as a final step, pairs working in this manner should compare their work when done They can then help each other figure out confusing moments In the end, any of these ways are fine It’s all a matter of personal preference As students go about transcribing, walk around to monitor their progress Offer help as needed One thing to check is making sure that the student who speaks first on the recording is Student A, while the next is Student B Sometimes students have similar sound ing voices, so following this convention will make things easier for you when you mark This becomes especially important if there are three students speaking Before the class ends, remind everyone that you want them to put some effort into their self-evaluation handouts Short answers are to be avoided Specifying minimum response length will help them write more interesting comments Probably the best time to complete your official marking is after the following class, when you get back the transcripts and self-evalu ation sheets Being able to simultaneously listen to the performances while following along with the transcripts will make the marking easier and more consistent Most likely you’ll need to listen to each performance at least twice, once for each student as you fill out their marking/feedback sheet Be sure to also look over their self-evalu ation sheets and leave some comments Hopefully you’ll find that students have greater insight into their speaking ability than you ex pected Work with what you get and continually encourage self-re flection This is a great way for students to learn