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1、Oral English Test in Middle School: Current Situation and Strategies Abstract: Oral English is becoming more and more important to both teaching and learning, which requires effective methods to assess and test oral English. This essay analyzes the current situation of oral testing in middle school
2、and focus on the eight strategies to solve the problems in oral testing. It aims at investigating students current study situation and work out the English language oral assessment for middle school students.Key words: oral English test current situation strategies Current situation about oral Engli
3、sh testUsually, English teachers pay more attention on testing their students ability of language comprehension than language production. They often use listening or writing test forms to classify the students level. Students communicating ability is frequently ignored. In fact, language production
4、is more difficult to study than language comprehension. Note that communicating is used in the sense of conveying information. Communicating ability really shows how well the students master the language. Oral tests can just be managed to test students language production as well as the communicatin
5、g ability. Nowadays, more and more teachers and students aware the importance of communication. Teachers use various teaching methods to encourage their students to speak English to have real communication. They also have the aware of arranging oral tests to judge the students communicative ability.
6、 However they are failure to obtain the accurate information of the students real English level because of many respects. The following situations commonly and obviously existed in the oral testing in middle school. 1 the unreasonable testing formatsUsually we adopt these three formats of oral Engli
7、sh test: achievement tests, diagnostic tests and placement tests. Teachers use diagnostic tests more often than achievement tests and placement tests in order to identify students strength and weakness, to provide information which will help to place students at the stage of the teaching programming
8、 most appropriate to their abilitiesthat is, to classify the students at different levels. Nevertheless, most students are afraid of this kind of the tests because of the psychological problems, and the test really cant measure students ability in English; cant establish how successful individual st
9、udents, groups of students have been in achieving study. In fact, our students really want to get the mental satisfactory and learning confidence by the tests. And the seldom using of placement tests in the certain grade which are really effective in checking the routine skills and improvisation ski
10、lls and micro-skills during the communication also helps nothing to identify the students actual English level before adopting teaching strategies. 2 the inappropriate testing contents In oral tests, the following language functions often involve: expressing thanks, requirements, opinions, comments,
11、 attitude, confirmation, apology, reasons, wantneed, and so on. Teachers often arrange a fair range of language related to the books but not related to the students daily life or their interesting topic, set only tasks and topics that would be expected to cause students difficulties in their own lan
12、guage (Chinese).The result is that he or she isnt able to express himself or herself without overtly having to search for words. And usually these tasks is quite long, and some evidence of ability to produce more complex utterances Because the limit of time, we are required to set different tasks to
13、 get students only to work individually, but not work in pairs or in groups, to make dialogues or multi-participant interactions. .3 the unsuitable plan of the testIn most cases, teachers or testers ignore the creation of a relaxing and free testing environment. The face to face tests bring the anxi
14、ety and nervous to students. Individual oral tests are always particularly stressful for students, especially the young students. The smiling faces of the teachers indeed give the students more encouragement than stress. On the other hand, the testing time , the seats and the distance between the te
15、achers and students are usually dissatisfied for students. Strategies to improve the current situationIn fact, oral tests are required to measure students ability in English; to establish how successful individual students, groups of students have been in achieving study; to identify students streng
16、th and weakness; to provide information which will help to place students at the stage of the teaching programming most appropriate to their abilitiesthat is, to classify the students at different levels. From the information (students performance) teachers obtained in the oral tests, teachers can m
17、ake or adjust rational educational decisions. For instance, teachers may put each student into different groups to ensure individuals participation and to cooperate with each other according to their own abilities or advantages. Some shy and quiet students are put into the group to stay with lively,
18、 enthusiastic, talkative students, so that everyone makes his contribution to class activities.Like all the tests, in oral tests, we should take both validity and reliability into consideration. A test is said to be valid if it measures accurately what it is intended to measure. The oral tests does
19、not only to test the students pronunciation, imitation, but also language production, the situation reaction and role play. In order to make the oral tests valid and reliable, we should focus on the following factors1 Choose the suitable format There are two general formats in oral tests.1) Intervie
20、w Interview is the most common and traditional format for the oral tests. From the very beginning of the tests, the testers often interview the candidates to warm up the environment. But Yes/No questions should generally be avoided. Try to get the students to speak as to a superior.2) Interaction wi
21、th peers Ask two or more students to discuss a topic, make plans, and so on. There is one problem in this format; the performance of one student is likely to be affected by his or her companion. For example, one assertive and talkative student may dominate the conversation; others cant show what the
22、y really can do. So, teachers must be very careful to match the students when they are working in peers.Choose the suitable format before you are arranging an oral test, if possible and appropriate, more than one format should be used.2 Plan the test carefully1) Arrange the feasible testing timeFor
23、middle school students, the testing time should be less than 5 minutes. 5 minutes is sufficient for the students to show and for the teachers to check the students language production. Too much testing time is easy for the students to make more errors. 2) Avoid divulging the testing informationTry t
24、o separate the testing students and the candidates. When one student or one group of students is having the oral test, the candidate should prepare in the candidates room. The students who have finished the test must leave the testing room immediately. So we need some more assistant testers to keep
25、the testing order to ensure the validity and reliability of the tests.3) Carry out the test in a quiet roomA quiet room helps the students keep calm, and draw all their attention on listening.3 Set the appropriate tasks Personal:In oral tests, the following language functions often involve : express
26、ing thanks, requirements, opinions, comments, attitude, confirmation, apology, reasons, wantneed, and so on. We should arrange a fair range of language for our students. Set only tasks and topics that would be expected to cause students no difficulties in their own language (Chinese). He or she is a
27、ble to express himself or herself without overtly having to search for words. And all these tasks should not be long, but some evidence of ability to produce more complex utterances and to develop these into discourse should be manifested. 6 Create a relaxing and free testing environment1) Put the s
28、tudents at ease Put the students at ease before they are having the oral test. This requires the teachers to be sympathetic and elastic. Individual oral tests will always be particularly stressful for students, especially the young students. It is important to put them at ease by being pleasant and
29、confident throughout. The smiling faces of the teachers will give the students more encouragement. On the other hand, teachers can also start with straightforward questions for personal details (like their age, birthday, family, hobby, etc), remarks about the weather, and so on. 2) Teachers dont tal
30、k too muchWhen the students are having the test, teachers should avoid constantly reminding or interrupting them. Give students enough time to talk within the test time. In particular, students should not be seen to make notes on their performance during the interview or other activities. We should
31、let student know that it is so great that they can accomplish the test. And leave the students who have finished the test a sense of comfort and pride.7 Select capable testersGood oral testing is not easy and not every English teacher has ability for it. Testers need to be kind, sympathetic and flex
32、ible characters, with a good command of the English language themselves. They should have the ability to give the students as many “fresh and confident starts” as possible. When the students failed to open their mouths for the first time, try to encourage them to make a second attempt to express wha
33、t they want to say. Be patient, and give the students enough testing time. Avoid the temptation to make long and repeated explanation of something that the students have misunderstood already. Even the most capable testers still need training. They must judge and assess the students abilities fairly
34、 and reliably, and then the scoring obtained is valid and reliable. After the test, let the students clearly feel comfortable, leaving him or her with a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.8 Make the scoring valid and reliable 1) Describe the criteria in detailsThe criteria in the oral En
35、glish test are very necessary. These detailed criteria are measurements for the testers, tell the testers how to judge and assess the students oral English level. Teachers should rate the students on a six-point scale for each of the following: accent, grammar, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension. Th
36、ese ratings are then weighted and totaled. The resultant score shows the same level as the one described in the criteria.2) Use of two scorers The coring of oral tests is generally highly subjective. A single scorer is unlikely to be as reliable as we wish. If two testers are involved in the intervi
37、ew, then they assess each student, calculate each result, the average of the two scores is more valid and reliable.ConclusionThe oral English tests should be set by our English teachers to establish how successful individual students, groups of students have been in achieving study; to identify stud
38、ents strength and weakness; to test the students current oral English ability, to check the students language production and the comprehensive abilities. From the backwash obtained in the oral tests, teachers can classify each student, adjust teaching strategies, and improve learning efficiency. The
39、 face to face communicative activities, the free testing style and the relaxing testing environment differ from other testing forms, giving the students a new start before testing and putting the students at ease throughout the test. Teachers can judge their students real comprehensive English level
40、s more accurately. However, the accurate measurement of oral ability is not easy. It takes considerable time and great effort to obtain valid and reliable results. Nevertheless, such time and effort are indeed necessary and valuable.Bibliography:1. Arthur Hughes, Testing for Language Teachers, 2000,
41、 102. Bachman, L. F and S. J Savignon, 1986. The evaluation of communicative Language proficiency: oral interview, Modern Language Journal 70:380-903. Davies, A. (Ed.) 1968.Communicative language testing: In Hughes 1988b.4. Hughes, A. 1981. Conversational cloze as a measure of oral ability, English
42、Language Teaching Journal 35:161-85. Morrow, K. 1979. Communicative language testing: The communicative approach to language teaching, Oxford.6. Underhill, N. 1987. Testing spoken language: a handbook of oral testing techniques. Cambridge.7高兰生. 英语测试与试题命制. 北京：人民教育出版社，2002，28.陈琳等英语课程标准解读.北京：北京师范大学出版社，
43、2002生命列车The Train Of Life1. 不久以前，我读了一本书。书中把人生比作一次旅行。2. 人生一世，就好比是一次搭车旅行，要经历无数次上车、下车; 时常有事故发生; 有时是意外惊喜，有时却是刻骨铭心的悲伤 3. 降生人世，我们就坐上了生命列车。我们以为我们最先见到的那两个人-我们的父母，会在人生旅途中一直陪伴着我们。 4. 很遗憾，事实并非如此。他们会在某个车站下车，留下我们，孤独无助。他们的爱、他们的情、他们不可替代的陪伴，再也无从寻找。 5. 尽管如此，还会有其他人上车。他们当中的一些人将对我们有着特殊的意义。 6. 他们之中有我们的兄弟姐妹, 有我们的亲朋好友。我们还
44、将会体验千古不朽的爱情故事。7. 坐同一班车的人当中，有的轻松旅行。8. 有的却带着深深的悲哀 还有的,在列车上四处奔忙，随时准备帮助有需要的人 9. 很多人下车后，其他旅客对他们的回忆历久弥新 但是，也有一些人，当他们离开座位时，却没有人察觉。10. 有时候，对你来说情深义重的旅伴却坐到了另一节车厢。你只得远离他，继续你的旅程。11. 当然，在旅途中，你也可以摇摇晃晃地穿过自己的车厢，去别的车厢找他 12. 可惜，你再也无法坐在他身旁，因为这个位置已经让别人给占了 .13. 没关系。旅途充满挑战、梦想、希望、离别 就是不能回头。因此，尽量使旅途愉快吧！14. 善待旅途上遇见的所有旅客，找出人
45、们身上的闪光点。15. 永远记住，在某一段旅程中，有人会犹豫彷徨，因为我们自己也会犹豫彷徨。16. 我们要理解他人，因为我们需要他人的理解。17. 生命之谜就是：我们在什么地方下车？坐在身旁的伴侣在什么地方下车？我们的朋友在什么地方下车？我们无从知晓 18. 我时常这样想：到我该下车的时候，我会留恋吗？我想我还是会的。和我的朋友分离，我会痛苦。让我的孩子孤独地前行，我会悲伤。 我执著地希望在我们大家都要到达的那个终点站，我们还会相聚 19. 我的孩子们上车时没有什么行李，如果我能在他们的行囊中留下美好的回忆，我会感到幸福。20. 我下车后，和我同行的旅客都还能记得我，想念我，我将感到快慰。21
46、. 献给你, 我生命列车上的同行者, 祝您旅途愉快!1. Not long ago, I read a book, in which a mans life was compared to a journey.2. The life of a man is just like a hitchhiking，during which many times we go up and down. Now and then things will happen accidently, some of which are to be unexpected excitement，while some hea
47、rt-breaking sorrows. 3. When first embraced the world，we are already on the train of life. We take it for granted that the first two persons, our parents, whom we are encountered with, will accompany us all the way.4. Sadly，things do not go on as we thought.Our parents will get off the train at a ce
48、rtain station，leaving us, bereft and helpless.Their love and emotion to us and their irreplaceable company can be found in nowhere.5. However，there will be somebody else who will get on the train. Some of them will have special meaning to us.6. Some of them may be our siblings , relatives and friend
49、s, and we will also expereince the imperishable love.7. Some of our travelling companions are quite light-hearted on the way.8. While some may bear immense sorrow.Still some ,back and forth, are ready to hold out their hands for others who need help.9. Some people alight off the train, yet they are still kept in