Random Quote
Technology will not replace teachers...teachers who use technology will
probably replace teachers who do not.
---- Ray Clifford
It is a paradoxical but profoundly true and important principle of life that the most likely way to reach a goal is to be aiming not at that goal itself but at some more ambitious goal beyond it.
---- Arnold Toynbee
Just because your voice reaches halfway around the world doesn't mean you are wiser than when it reached only to the end of the bar.
---- Edward R. Murrow
The least of learning is done in the classrooms
---- Thomas Merton
Sleep is a symptom of caffeine deprivation.
---- Author Unknown
The voodoo priest and all his powders were as nothing compared to espresso, cappuccino, and mocha, which are stronger than all the religions of the world combined, and perhaps stronger than the human soul itself.
---- Mark Helprin, Memoir from Antproof Case, 1995
This may be the most interesting blog theme I've ever seen. http://eflgeek.com/index.php Definitely in my top 5 at least.
---- Steve Dembo
Drink coffee! Do stupid things faster!
---- unknown
Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence.
---- Abigail Adams (1744 - 1818)
I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him.
---- Galileo Galilei
Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain.
---- Lily Tomlin
A university is what a college becomes when the faculty loses interest in students.
---- John Ciardi
To get something done, a committee should consist of no more than three men, two of whom are absent.
---- Robert Copeland
I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.
---- Albert Einstein
Any man whose errors take ten years to correct is quite a man.
---- J. Robert Oppenheimer
One man alone can be pretty dumb sometimes, but for real bona fide stupidity, there ain't nothin' can beat teamwork.
---- Edward Abbey
I'm sick of following my dreams. I'm just going to ask them where they're going and hook up with them later.
---- Mitch Hedberg
The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one's real and one's declared aims, one turns as it were instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish spurting out ink.
---- George Orwell
Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy.
---- Isaac Newton
A magician pulls rabbits out of hats. An experimental psychologist pulls habits out of rats.
---- anonymous
Isn't it interesting that the same people who laugh at science fiction listen to weather forecasts and economists?"
---- Kelvin Throop III
If the English language made any sense, a catastrophe would be an apostrophe with fur.
---- Doug Larson
The important thing is not to stop questioning.
---- Albert Einstein
I do not fear computers. I fear the lack of them.
---- Isaac Asimov
Always be wary of any helpful item that weighs less than its operating manual.
---- Terry Pratchett
Language Assessment
Last week in my Korean language classes we had mid-terms. For the most part I felt that the test was fair, accurate as well as valid and reliable. In the writing class we were given three questions and expected to respond with about a page of writing for each question. I did that and finished a few minutes early. I haven’t yet recieved my grade so I don’t know how I did. The questions were similar to ones covered in class so I felt they were fair.
In the listening/Reading class we listened to several texts and answered multiple choice questions or wrote down one word answers. This was very fair and consistent with what I have read on assessing listening skills. I blew a couple of questions as I could not discern the most important word in the text. The reading section was also fair and consistent, but I think I didn’t do as well as I should have.
Speaking class is a two hours out of the four hour day. Speaking is a misnomer as it is really a speaking/grammar class with the focus on speaking. Grammar is only explained in this class; in reading/listening and writing we are expected to know the grammar being focused on and used communicatively as it has been explained in speaking class. There are additionally grammar explanations in the textbook.
The first half of the test was focusing on grammar points/vocabulary in a classic toeic/toefl style. fill in the blank with the correct word, choose the correct phrase for the blank, fix the mistakes in the sentence etc. The final part of the test is where I have issues. This section consisted of three pages and one question per page. We were given a situation directly from the text book and told to write a conversation. Essentially we were expected to memorize the dialogues from the book and spit them back on the test.
Additionally this Friday we have an oral test with the teacher consisting of two parts. The first part we will be given three situations and expected to orally produce the dialogues from the book with a partner. The second part will be a discussion with the teacher on a yet to be determined topic for five minutes - rather short in my opinion.
I don’t believe in memorization as an effective study method so I was completely unprepared for the written test and left the last three pages blank. I did however write a protest note stating that I felt that memorizing dialogues was not a particularly effective assessment method. However since I have a partner for the dialogues I will put in my best effort in order to not negatively affect her grade. Most students seem to accept this memorization as a valid method and I guess that means it has at the very minimum face validity. However I still find it rather distasteful.
The classes however are great. They are taught very communicatively with a wide variety of activities and approaches. The only fault I have with the program is the assessment.
unrelated news
I’ve updated my blogroll. I removed a number of blogs and added some that I’ve been following via RSS for the last while. ESL Pundit, ESL SuperBlog (a meta blog integrating feeds from several blogs including yours truly, and TEFL Logue.
Sean. inscribed these words of wisdom on Tuesday Jan 23, 2007 at 07:02 AM
About_Language | general_linguistic_study | Teaching | useful_web_sites |
Jesse wrote 40 words on Tuesday Jan 23, 2007 at 08:12 AM
I am looking into taking some classes at a university. Any chance you could share (if you haven’t already) where you are currently going? Right now I am in a toss up between 서강 and the language institute at SNU.
Sean. wrote 40 words on Tuesday Jan 23, 2007 at 08:17 AM
Jesse,
I’m at 서강. I do recommend the classes despite the testing style. THe classes are engaging and have a diverse number of activities. I can safely guarantee that you’ll walk out of a sogang course with improved language skills.