toefl: under my prespective

References

Alderson, J.C. (1979). "The cloze procedure and proficiency in English as a second language." TESOL Quarterly, 13, 219-226. Bachman, L. (1990). Fundamental Considerations in Language Testing. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Bachman, L. (1982). "The trait structure of cloze test scores. TESOL Quarterly, 16, 61- 70.

Bowen, J.D., Madsen H, and Hilferty, A. (1985). TESOL: Techniques and Procedures. Rowley, MA: Newbury

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Brown, J.D. (1983). "A closer look at the cloze: Validity and reliability." In J.W. Oller, Jr. (Ed.) Issues in Language Testing Research. (p. 237-250). Rowley, MA: Newbury House.

Brown, J.D. (1993). Understanding Research in Second Language Learning. New York: Cambridge University Press.

ACTIVITY 1 Language Testing “Listening is the communication skill most of us use the most frequently.” Throughout all my fourteen years of teaching, I have fully read about the four skills for learning a language and listening has been the one with less availability for training even some studies stress the importance of listening as a communication skill. Accordingly to these, almost the half of communications activities we do, are based on listening. However, we appreciate better a good speaker rather than a good listener. One way or another, we need listening to develop the other skills, even when reading, the micro and macro skills are undoubtedly linked to listening, but in the whole world, all we do, when visiting other countries is ask: do you speak….? In addition, it is just for this reason we found, find, and will find more tests for speaking rather than for listening, because the ulterior goal of learning a language is

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to speak that language fluently and comprehensibly when sending a message with our words. We found that many of the teaching ways is done by speaking if a teacher, and listener if a learner. Another motive for reduced listening skills is that some people are able to think faster than someone else can speak. It is demonstrated that the majority of us speak at the rate of about 125 words per minute. Conversely, we got the mental gift to understand someone speaking at 400 words per minute in the case that this could be possible. Indeed, it is humanly necessary to make a real exertion to listen carefully and concentrate more of our mental capacity on the listening act. Moreover, as we learnt in this subject, we have to be careful when testing a skill: reliability, practicability, validity, authenticity, among other issues, and listening is difficult to match them easily. In most people, listening skills decay, as humans get older. All the above is for me the why we have more speaking rather than listening tests.

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ACTIVITY 2

CLOZE TASK It has an elevated potential for RELIABILITY, yet under less than desirable testing conditions. It may be even more reliable than tests which our learners are frequently exposed to. A conventional use of the” selective deletion cloze” may perhaps provide teachers with a time-saving method of testing their learners. Learners could be guaranteed that, despite the brevity of the test, their level of reading competence in the target language is being, to a certain degree, reliably measured. Both teacher and learners might then get free from the needless quantity of time in general spent on testing, and more time could be committed to studying the target language, in addition to the insertion of AUTHENTIC material to be worked with. To score a cloze test, every blank is considered an item. Along with many on hand techniques, two methods are quite PRACTICAL: exact word method (EWM) and acceptable word method (AWM).

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Under my perspective, I consider this type of test may have a beneficial WASHBACK due to the simplicity for both, learners and teachers, because the use of the target language is on the table when the test is taken, some time post evaluation can be used to discuss the “whys” for wrong or incomplete answers.. IMPROMPTU READING PLUS COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS Due to the fact reading is not a passive skill, as a result students require to be engaged with the reading object and tasks should focus on content, not just on language, in a text. This type of evaluation includes a wide set of features in just one test, making it reliable for being an assessing instrument, despite of being the oldest form to asses this skill. In the same way it is really practical and feasible when applying, the results convey to a true display of the progress learners got, and permits reinforce and feedback which areas are not strong enough in the process of language acquisition. The language used in the text can be

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adequate to the audience it is propose, its items can greatly have a context among them, and the tasks are related to what in further studies or real life pieces of information the learner is going to be exposed to. SHORT- ANSWER TASKS Following as possible it could be the same design and specifications the TOEFL TEST questions have, a test with this short answer tasks type must be built seriously, because you are able to difficultly they reach the intended criterion for the evaluation. This is why, it may be considered impractical in two ways, the learner’s response time and the evaluator’s correcting time, however it can be valid if students have the opportunity to create their own answers. Besides it can be authentic giving the actors a great opportunity to enjoy the reading process and also a chance to discuss the answers after the reading test gets scored and checked by the test takers. EDITING LONGER TESTS

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This kind of test assures authenticity due to the smooth way to keep on reading learners have in longer passages, making them move into harder mental processes to find errors or contextualized vocabulary; on the other hand, content validity as well as face validity is upon the contrived format of unconnected sentences provokes students willingness to invest their time working on it. Speechlessly the washback here takes place making students-teacher approach even much greater in the desirable context for learning the target language. Since it prevents learner s’ fatigue from reading several sittings, it contains a great portion of consistency, and gets a guaranteed score at the end of it, it has a considerable practicability for all the actors in the testing process. SCANNING This test type can be identified as reliable if the purpose of it conveys the test taker to a rapid and accurate answer, including the time consuming for learners as well as for evaluators. In fact, it contains a significant authenticity if a

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natural language is given as much as possible, including a sequence test taker may follow without confusion, and finally it is practical when the invested time by test takers is appropriate and according to the suggested time the evaluator has considered previously. Yet the washback cannot be put apart, the test results provide examiners a good asset to adequate or redirect language learner’s bearing. And at the end, it is valid due to the relevance of the questions if related to specific objectives clearly identified since the beginning. ORDERING TASKS It is clearly established that this procedure create difficulties in assigning scores due to the easiness a learner can work with them, their creativity is challenged and our perspective about them as well. For this reason the washback is evidently pointed at this procedure, not counting reliability, that in this case and for the above details, it may not be so due to the fact they leave a little debate about correctness of an answer. Authenticity on

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the other hand, has noticeably been stated due to the fact our life is full of sequences to be followed and sometimes adequate to our circumstances. Letting alone practicality, it is perfectly matched in the timing budget and the scoring is set before taking it, administrative details are not so stressful. INFORMATION TRANSFER As every person who has received some education must be able to interpret a symbol or a sign, this method has significantly a real meaningful application to develop productive performance. Even though the words used to express the idea about that graph are not exactly the same, the message is clearly identified. For this reason we can have a great opportunity to discuss the correctness of the answers provided. They are fully authentic and reliable due to the universality of reading nonverbal information. Administrative procedures and invested time are appropriate for the execution of the test using these materials.

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toefl: under my prespective