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Links open in new windows. |
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| Link to my collection of movies and soundclips about language-learning | ||
| The Basics | ||
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Why? Lack of reliable, effective assessment tools (hassan_ger_swed). New (?) emphasis on speaking (car-talk) and real-world communication (coast guard). |
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Review of levels of proficiency (ACTFL Guidelines: speaking • writing; handouts: functional tri-section, WBF 038a) Reminder: You must apply the guidelines on their terms; you can't rewrite or re-value them to suit your notion of language ability. And you must be careful not to be misled by such common notions of proficiency as native-like accent. |
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| What?
A realistic (?), real-time conversation… …that conceals a carefully-conducted exploration of the subject's oral proficiency Handout: Excerpts from ACTFL Manual (WBF 036, etc.) Warmup Level-checks & probes (recursive) Role-play (situation [with complication/]) (panther_zimmer) Let's try one with each other! (high-level speaker interviews low-level speaker) Breakdown Wind-down |
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| Examples
Sorry, my classic video-taped example for Spanish has not yet been converted to digital/ internet. Let's hear one for French (Chris) - (Handout: WBF 269, commentary) Can you use the concepts of function, context, accuracy, text type to gauge the level of proficiency that is being elicited, why the interviewer is doing what she does, and what the strengths and weaknesses of the interview are? Now Spanish (Martin - woman) And now one for German (Bambi) - not all interviews are easy!! Great Moments in Oral Testing (long version • short version) - with lessons about: 1) interview techniques (PAUSES! ENGLISH!); 2) text type and language creation; 3) the power of circumlocution. |
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Handout: "Oral Exams: Useful Suggestions" (WBF 040) If time: more about OPI techniques - but FLL does have an assessment course, and there are frequent workshops in many places (check with ACTFL and your local/ regional language societies). Preview: Standard assessment course activity: conduct, record and rate a pseudo-OPI and document your rating in writing |
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| And now the implications for… | ||
| our theories (and our self-image as teachers!):
1) good thought question - which methods & techniques (GT [Marty], choral repetition [poets], ALM [pussycat], etc.) promote or discourage development of oral proficiency 2) the "official" line: oral proficiency does not dictate ONE SPECIFIC pedagogical method 3) a fallacy: oral proficiency means "you don't teach grammar" 4) it could change our careers (WBF [proj_pub]. OPI training in DC, Feb. 1983; especially "Goethe, Schiller & Me" - home page and article PDF) |
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| our testing
the devoted, burdened teacher: All those students! All those (how many?) tests! (handout WBF 121, Stemler), 054 (my UP article - and its career implications) in large programs: see below |
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| our classrooms
handout: wbf 72 (Govoni, FLA, "Effects") |
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| our programs
handout WBF 071 (James); also Donato FLA article big issues: preK-20 articulation (handouts; WBF PASS documents; 158 "Telephone Date"; German OT setup with benchmarks (PASS mtg. 27 Jan. 2007) MLA report recommending major changes in undergrad and grad programs |
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| …and thus our textbooks (or whatever else we teach with)
handouts: situations (WBF 236); Walz article (227); demo "Wie, bitte?" - it all started with the DC workshop and the UP article |
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| Through it all, remember your language learners as human beings who need to communicate and can be encouraged to try so very hard to do it…
and (rlf_jmp) they can be soooo CUTE when they do it! |