Write an assignment of around 500 words explaining how you would prepare an IELTS candidate for the exam
Outline the process you would follow and identify some of the possible problems you might encounter and address cultural nuances with regard to the method of teaching using the teacher-student approach.
Preparation has to be important for any aspect of life and IELTS is no exception. The test is certainly a challenge. The greatest challenges are faced by candidates themselves who are having to adapt and adjust their learning styles to cope with a test that is making new demands on them. Candidates have to be honest with themselves and make sure that they are capable of doing the test. It is important for the teacher to grade candidates before they sit a preparation course. The teacher has to ascertain which candidates are at least at an intermediate level of English which means they can have a genuine chance of passing.
For an IELTS preparation course, I would set a timetable for the candidate to study. This could be in the region of 3 or 4 weeks before the test although their preparation should start earlier. Candidates may well be unfamiliar with IELTS test so I would expect 30 or more hours just to teach the ins and outs. This would mean each candidate gets at least 8 hours of training on each module. Candidates need a pre-preparation course IELTS test. This allows them to get a feel for the format and what they are faced with while highlighting difficulties. From the start, I would encourage candidates to read widely, e.g. newspapers, journals, magazines and books for pleasure, due to the fact that the reading module can be the most difficult. I would focus on developing their vocabulary in the topic areas to enable them to comprehend terms, expressions, and terminology they may encounter. I would advise the candidate to spend a minimum of 1 hour per day on individual self-directed study. I would advise writing every day and give the candidate enough writing test formats so they become instinctual. I would show the candidate that a lot of material can be found on the internet such as practice tests. I would also set regular homework including practice exams and individual tutorials where problems can be discussed.
My job as an IELTS teacher would be to set out to challenge, motivate, and build confidence. This would be done with task and communicative based activities, appropriate to the candidates’ needs. Group work and pair work would play an integral part. I would pay special attention to those questions that individuals get wrong. I would encourage the group to help others understand why they were wrong. I would be well prepared with the resources, especially when proving those wrong answers. I would be also wary of other problems that arise such as students being familiar with multiple-choice tests and tending to listen to every word in a test conversation without extracting main points. Moreover, cultural difference can also arise, for example, Asian students are not used to arguing a point and tend to give short answers in speaking. I would recognise that some candidates have grammar knowledge but their speaking is limited.
Furthermore, I would recognise where difficulties may arise. I would encourage peer checking. I would encourage students to underline keywords and phrases when they read, as well as paying attention to keywords in the questions. When writing about bar and line graphs, pie charts and tables, I would make sure candidates understand what the axis on the graph(s) or the percentages in the pie chart(s) represent. This includes writing within a specific time recognising that time pressure can worry candidates. I would focus also on grammar and spelling, highlighting that points can be lost in the test. I would expect the students to be conversant with each module a week before the test.
As a final thought, I would advise the candidate to make sure that the week before the test is not a time for intensive study. Stress and worry come with doing the test. The week before is a time to review skills and their test techniques. I would be their advisor if problems arose. I would say the candidate must be relaxed and ready for the test.
(669 Words)
Egalitarianism
(425 words)
Egalitarianism highlights equal rights, so everyone is equal which means all of us recognizing other people’s plights and other people’s extremes.
Firstly, you have only got to look at this picture above from the protests in Bangkok. The multicolored group, neither red nor yellow, were trying to highlight the plight of the rural protester. They expressed they are not educated enough to accept democracy and the new rule of the new government. In many ways, it could be true. However, why are others just poking fun at them? In Thai society, shouldn’t everyone have equal rights and a right to a proper education? Why is there Elitist thinking? And, why is there such a divide? Society can never come together if people do not trust or respect the other.
Furthermore, in Thailand where nearly half of the workforce are women, you can ask, do women have an equal role? Are there equal amounts of women and men in the Government? Although the Thai constitution specified that women and men have equal rights, the challenge is the gap between words and reality. We see that gender stereotypes usually prevail and traditional beliefs do not really change.
Secondly, look at the next picture below. What can you see? Who would you say is normally the abuser?
In our Utopian model, everyone would be seen as equal so the image as man the all-powerful being would hopefully weaken.
Finally, in all these examples, our egalitarian message here is to highlight the divide that many countries put themselves in that sees rich people in a country within which there are other citizens in abject poverty. Here, emphasizes a class divide that has no real hope of narrowing. Education failing and Governments are slow to make real change. This is why we think a Utopian idea, where Governments either by way of tax, salary rise for the poor, create a climate where pop stars, TV stars, and basically half talented nobodies are put on a pedestal as idols and real people whose value has far more worth to society made to be heroes. It means methods do not let the rich get richer and richer without bearing some of the weight of a nation’s poverty. We can all live on an equal basis.
We can start to appreciate the better values and morals in society. We can further recognize male superiority has been an undeniable trait of humanity.
Hopefully, all this would create a society that helps those at the lower strata of life and supports progressive changes for women.
Egalitarianism
I am not saying Egalitarianism is the best idea. We have got to have people who are better writers or sportsmen, for example. Thailand winning the world cup would be excellent. I would rather make you look at life, your country, and the world and put egalitarianism into context for its positive effects. Would you rather have a women pilot or a man? Why is it America still has never had a woman president? In an equal society, men are equal to women. So, there would be no violence against women. John Locke, the famous philosopher, held the view that each person should have equal basic moral rights and natural rights. When you buy a house both the buyer and seller agree on a price, why can’t we do this with other things? Salaries, in modern democratic societies, we are talking about the greater degree of income that people have and trying to make it more equal.
Using videos and film in class
I always use videos to make the classes a bit more interesting and vary the activities. I thought I should show you the websites that have videos to get some feedback if anyone tries them. I used one video called Mixtape where a kid gives a mixtape to a girl he likes who lives next door. At the end of the class, the students come up with a mixtape of their own. I actually found out a lot about the students’ music tastes. That week’s lessons I was teaching were about music, so it fitted in great and took up the ninety minutes of teaching I had. I have added the actual weblink for the lesson and added another video lesson site for you to have a look at.
Formative Assessment – Research Paper Review
My university research paper focused on classroom formative assessment. The research question was: which methods of formative assessment do trainee foreign language teachers find helps them best with their ongoing studies that consequently has a bearing on them using formative assessment as new teachers?
Intention(s)
My intention was to gather knowledge of the students’ learning, be it positive or negative, to further their studies and also help improve my teaching as a whole. I also sought to observe and study the students performing each formative assessment focusing on them working with pairs, groups, and individually. I was hoping that it would show me how the students collaborated and gave peer-to-peer knowledge and encouragement that would enhance each of their ongoing development. All this would have to be done in an environment that was conducive to asking questions, acquiring answers, and problem-solving. Students would be asked to contribute where honest answers were given (within pairs, groups, and the class), but not to the detriment of those students, but wholeheartedly to a mentality that all participants help create a better learning environment.
Conclusion
I feel this research and the methods I adopted for it proved that formative assessment is a viable and very important part of each of the students’ classroom sessions. The large proportion of positive feedback and data I retrieved showed that students were benefiting from the experience of each of the formative assessments. I feel this showed that the values of formative assessment far outweigh, for example, summative tests that just test what the students have learnt at the end of the term (and methods like this) that do not highlight where the students are going wrong or having trouble and how to rectify this. I believe the students showed they were aptly able to perform the formative tasks and marry their knowledge with other people thus encouraging dialogue that was better for all involved.
Recommendation(s)
The expectation of the research was to further my knowledge of the students’ learning and to further their progression in formative assessment and the session subject matter. The goal of the research was to gather vital feedback on methods used to aid the students in contributing to their advancement by formative measures that highlighted material that developed their studies; notwithstanding specific missing information in their ongoing studies. Various formative methods were used to help the students’ knowledge. The importance of formative assessment pushes the boundaries of the scope of the knowledge the teacher has of their students’ learning that reflects upon their ongoing development of their presentation of each lesson and the approach to the students’ learning. I firmly believe this additional impact of knowing so much more about all factors within a class adds so much value to the existing store of knowledge that the teacher has of their students and the teacher themselves. This deeper understanding has so many positive contributions to all.
