Testing Speaking Skills - Assignment Example

Why is it considered important to test speaking Why is it considered important to test speaking, even if there are many problems in testing it effectively Discuss the problems and possible solutions to testing oral skills in situation where large numbers of students need to be tested Titus Rock Manickam Order No. 295467 29 April 2009 Table of Contents Introduction.3 The Principles of Testing..4 Use the Computer..4 The Concept of Testing Speaking Skills.5 Problems with Tests for Speaking Skills.6 Speaking Skills7 Raise the standard of education..8 A Critical Analysis..9 Conclusion..11 Sources12 Why is it considered important to test speaking, even if there are many problems in testing it effectively Discuss the problems and possible solutions to testing oral skills in situation where large numbers of students need to be tested Introduction The importance of test speaking is gaining ground today together with writing and listening skills in the traditional classroom. Commercially, the demand for speaking skills has never been more acute as it is in the present times. Indeed, the demand for speaking skills is spinning out training centers everywhere like never before. The tremendous growth of information technology and multimedia has exposed the new generation today to an environment of gadgets and gizmos leaving the routine learning environment lagging behind in terms of conduct and communication skills with regard to children's requirement in today's fast moving presentation and learning methodologies. Speaking skills comprise the ability to understand the content of what is taught or spoken by the second person and providing the right response in terms of language and grammar. The difficulty in testing speaking skills is when large number of students needs to be addressed and tested. It is not difficult to develop speaking skills. Test speaking is an arduous task. There is no question about that. And when the number of students to be tested is large, the problem is compounded both in terms of the content of the test and the time to devote to each student. It is well nigh impossible to test a large number of students by one or a handful of teachers. It may not be possible to hire a large number of teachers for the purpose if certain techniques, such as the computer, are adopted that could mitigate the problem to a good measure. (Oral Skills). The Principles of Testing There are certain dos and don'ts for testing. Testing must be planned in advance. There must be a good time gap between planning the test and carrying out the testing of speaking. In the meantime, there must be time for modifications or corrections. There must be a method for testing. The method must be selected keeping the students and the syllabus in mind. Then the person conducting the test must bear in mind that no testing is without anxiety. There must be some room for the tested to face and overcome anxiety. These are the dos. The don'ts are: never add any question outside the syllabus. If there are some tricky questions, keep the students informed that certain questions are bound to be testy, but they are within the syllabus. Do not ask more questions than the time set for answers (Functional Testing). Use the Computer The computer era has firmly set its grip over every individual and organization. The time has come when large number of students can be tested for speaking skills based on the use of the computer. However, the computer is just a machine. It is up to the teachers to use software with the questionnaire and audio receptivity to perform tests successfully on the large number of students. The computer can be effectively used for testing speaking skills. It is one medium that can be used in effectively teaching large number of students, and also testing large number of students. And this can be done in comparatively short duration of time. The content must be planned and drawn up appropriately so that students are able to get it on screen with a few clicks. There are also courses and examinations taken online (Jerry W. Larson). The role of the teacher is crucial in drawing up lessons and having them conveyed to students in large numbers with the help of computers. It is necessary for the teacher to know the use of computers and software in order to make use of them effectively for her lessons (Janet Flewelling). We have stressed the importance of computers in oral learning because this is one medium where students can be effectively trained and tested on a large scale. There are audio-visuals of other types such as the posters and banners that are effective in training and testing oral communications. The issue is to find resources that support learning systems and prop up the learning curve of the large number of students. The Concept of Testing Speaking Skills Speaking skills comprise knowledge and understanding of language, its grammar, pronunciation, diction, intonation, nuance, and the way the person speaks and communicates with those around him. When a test is applied to check the skills of speaking on students, it invariably involves the disciplines of vocabulary, diction, intonation and the ease with which the student responds to the questions put before him. Testing speaking skills on a large number of students is not what a teacher would normally look forward to and correctly so, because it involves huge amount of time to test large number of students. Thus, it becomes necessary to involve a good number of teachers when it comes to testing speaking skills. Normally, a teacher may not be able to test more than twenty students in one session in speaking skills. Giving five minutes for each student in such case becomes a hundred minutes in all, equaling an hour and forty minutes! It is an arduous task to formulate test for speaking skills of a large number of students. It the test happens to be applied for second or foreign language, the problem is compounded due to the enormity of the students' population and to find focus for the test on so many students. Nonetheless, the task is necessary and important and needs to be carried out. Speaking skills brings about discipline in the realms of speaking and thinking and these two elements have been given short shrift for long enough. It is time that these disciplines are brought back into the mainstream testing and provided enough time for execution (Sari Luoma). Problems with Tests for Speaking Skills Testing speaking skills is one of the most difficult tests to perform. This is because the assessor must draw a balance between what he thinks, feels and receives as the correct or incorrect answer. It is easy for prejudice to influence the outcome of a student's performance. Hence, there is the need to remain alert for selfish motives in the test. Undoubtedly, students who fare well in their speaking tests are poised to do well academically. However, not all students have the ability to express themselves eloquently. There are also those who squirm and are at unease while answering. These students must be put in two categories of those who answer correctly and those who do not answer correctly. There are also students who might be too dumbfounded to speak. The trained teacher knows how to deal with the psychology of different students. It is important to gently push out the shy students into playing more active roles in subjects as speaking skills so that at the time the tests are being taken they are not found overwhelmed. Then there is the question paper. Obviously, the paper will have more questions of objective nature. Testing speaking skills must be based on questions that are valid, related to the syllabus and fair. Questions may be asked at random, but they must be written down. After each question, the teacher must jot down the marks for the answers (Testing Oral Proficiency: Difficulties and Methods). Speaking Skills A large number of students tend to perform below par in speaking skills tests. Speaking skills have a lot to do with one's personality. When a student is performing speaking exercises, she is communicating directly with sound and expressions. This is all right with students with the right mental disposition. However, it can be traumatic for some shy students who may be reserved. A shy child, including the brilliant child, may not open up fast enough. There must be sufficient time provided to such children to cope with anxieties and other mental blocks before they are able to start communicating openly. Children may face difficulty with cognitive ability. Others may find it difficult to meet the school's expectations of behavior. Differences in cultural and lingual situations at home and in school may have some students struggling to find balance. Slow learners unable to cope with the fast pace of instructions and home work may get clubbed with below average performers. In each case, the method or methods used for progress must be selective as one method may or may not work in more than one situation. Raise the standard of education Testing speaking skills could be difficult exercise where the teacher student ratio is poor. Students who have to wait for long time for their turn may become tired and will be in no mood to attempt peak performance. The teacher must use the computer to attend to students if they are more than five in number. It is not easy to deal in oral tests for students if they are in large number and the availability of teachers is less. The teacher will find it exhausting and it will have deleterious effect of children due to anxiety. The use of computers is essential for three reasons: the computer has simplified the procedure to handle large scale tests and examinations by making courses and tests available online; the computer has software to facilitate lessons and tests on speaking skills; and lastly, the computer has mass appeal, that is, the application of computer on large scale is not strange to schools and institutions. If there are any inhibitions to the use of computers, they must be handled resourcefully and with determination. There can be no question of not using the computers. The computer is an important asset in learning and it is important that there is access to it. In a situation where large number of students must be handled, the computer is the most ideal gadget on hand. Testing speaking skills must be incorporated into the computer in such a way that the computer apart from asking questions at the click of a mouse has the audio reception to take answers and give marks. Use of computers is costly, but it is worth the exercise if students have to be tested in large numbers (Janet Flewelling). A Critical Analysis One teacher could cover 18 students for testing speaking skills within a three-hour period, at ten minutes per student. However, the same teacher can cover a hundred students on computers within the same time of three hours. At the same time, the teacher must also handle the noises of a hundred students while they are clicking the questions and verbally providing the answers. In such circumstances, it is important that the students are aware of voice modulation. The voices must be low so that it does not create disturbance. Apart from the use of computers, it is not possible to test speaking skills on a large scale without the use of sufficient number of teachers to conduct the tests. Of course, one can always have qualified examiners to take the place of teachers. It is then possible to suitably carry on the test on a one-to-one basis with the students. Taking tests on speaking skills for large number of students is a challenge and must be faced head on. Ultimately, it is the judicious mix of technology and personnel that must prevail in an environment where the presence of teachers is always required but where the computers can play the vital role of administering the tests and analyzing the results (Jerry W. Larson). The need to switch over to oral skills and testing apparently exists and needs to be handled with research and administration. It is possible to overhaul the curriculum where there is maximum usage of testing speaking skills. Tests and examinations are held for large number of students and nothing is strange about this exercise. However, testing speaking skills get the teachers to be involved which make the task daunting if it is not handled astutely. This calls for a little change in the educational system. The exercise of transforming the educational system is not impossible. Similar changes have been made in business and industry. Thanks to the information era we now live it, there is a greater awareness and possibility to effect quick and remedial changes (Tim Newfields). Conclusion The educational environment today is packed with studies, tests, projects and extra curricular activities. Even in ordinary circumstances, preference is given to those consistently scoring well in all walks of life. It is no longer enough to settle for the second best. Everywhere, people who matter are looking for those with discipline and sincerity of purpose. However, the obstacles to discipline are the same as those that abhor changes. Few would like change where everything seems to be continuing well in the good old ways. Nobody understands the horrors and implications of a catastrophe until it has struck at the doorstep. Education is the key to progress and enlightenment. Oral skill is a component of education that continues to suffer neglect due to the heavy reliance placed on writing skills. One can only hope that oral skill is made simple, manageable and motivational so that it inspires the same respect and credibility it as the written test does. Sources: Allan Pollock, Oral Testing: Less Stress for Students and Teachers, http://ettc.uwb.edu.pl/strony/ptt/apr95/polloc.html Clifford Walker, Large Scale Oral Testing, Applied Linguistics, http://applij.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/11/2/200 Comprehensive Literacy Plan Grades K-3, Idaho State Department of Education, https://www.sde.idaho.gov/ReadingIndicator/docs/Literacy%20Plan/Third.htm David B. Kent, A Method for Oral Testing in University English Programs at Korean Universities, http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Kent-Testing.html Functional Testing, http://www.missiontech.co.nz/info/InfoOnTesting/Top10Principles.html Janet Flewelling, Using Technology to Enhance Foreign Language Competency - Oral Testing of Foreign Language Students, http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summarydoi=10.1.1.22.4967 Jerry W. Larson, Testing Oral Language Skills via the Computer, September 2000, https://www.calico.org/a-500-Testing%20Oral%20Language%20Skills%20via%20the%20Computer.html Oral Skills, Lessius Hogeschool, http://lho.lessius.eu/relint/vt/ba1_english_oral_skills.htm Sari Luoma, Assessing Speaking, http://www-writing.berkeley.edu:16080/tesl-ej/ej35/r6.pdf Testing Oral Proficiency: Difficulties and Methods, http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/sarahalshubaily/Publications/Testing%20Speaking%20Skills%20term%20paper.doc The Assessment and Placement of Language Minority Students, http://www.apples4theteacher.com/resources/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=58 The Best Plus Oral English Proficiency Test, System for Adult Basic Education Support, http://www.sabes.org/assessment/bestplus.htm Tim Newfields, Oral Proficiency Testing: One Approach for College Classes, http://www.tnewfields.info/Articles/oral.htm Youngsters Play for Success, http://www.cu-fc.com/page/News/0,,104241625702,00.html Read More