| Testing Evaluation and Assessment in EFL | | | | covered on a pre-scheduled exam. If that happens, |
| "No teacher, why do we have to take exams?" Do | | | | then you shouldn't test what you haven't taught. |
| you get this question as I often do? While there are a | | | | 2. Use Multi-Modal Testing Approaches |
| multitude of possible answers, nevertheless we must, | | | | Global reference testing (IELTS, TOEFL, etc.) aside, |
| in regular intervals, evaluate or test our groups of | | | | your EFL learners shouldn't be subjected to a battery |
| English as a foreign language learners, in addition to | | | | of only "answer the question" or "multiple choice" |
| learners of other foreign languages as well. But before | | | | questions for the entire exam. Many highly successful |
| running off half-baked to twist and squeeze the | | | | people like Albert Einstein, did poorly in school and on |
| wearied brains of our charges, let's take just a | | | | exams for this and similar reasons. You don't always |
| moment to look at some critical points which need to | | | | use the same method in your teaching now (gasp!), do |
| be considered along with the testing, evaluation and | | | | you? Well then don't do it when you test either. |
| assessment processes. We'll discuss the first three | | | | 3. Use Known and Practiced Exercise Types |
| points here in part one of this two-part article post. | | | | As a Department Head, Language Programs |
| 1. Test ONLY Material Which Has Been Actually | | | | Coordinator and Teacher Trainer, I've constantly |
| Taught | | | | "preached" the necessity of using only exercise types |
| It quite common that exams are regularly | | | | on exams with which the learners have been made |
| pre-scheduled into the English or other foreign | | | | familiar. This serves several constructive purposes |
| language curriculum, but hold on there Hoss, `cause | | | | such as eliminating the need for an ongoing string of |
| there can be a few monkey wrenches thrown into the | | | | "Teacher, I don't understand how to do section C" |
| works that need to be accounted for at times. You | | | | questions and the resulting repeated, lengthy, exam |
| know, those pesky little things like holidays, strikes, | | | | time-consuming responses. Use an extensive variety |
| administrative outages, lost days due to environmental | | | | of exercise types during your English or foreign |
| and other factors. For example, we have earthquakes | | | | language classes and you can use more of these |
| in Colombia. There are also periods of heavy rains and | | | | same types of exercises on exams without |
| accompanying floods. Then there are those "annoying" | | | | generating questions or problems. |
| power and water outages that wreak havoc on | | | | In Part Two - More Critical Points English and Foreign |
| virtually any society no matter how "developed" or | | | | Language Testing Will Be Discussed |
| "under-developed" they might be. "So what", you say? | | | | We'll continue to look at some critical points which |
| Well these and numerous other factors can skew | | | | need to be considered along with the testing, |
| your teaching days and schedule so that when test | | | | evaluation and assessment processes in part two of |
| time rolls around, you haven't actually taught everything | | | | this two-part article post. See you then. |