1. How would your assessment of a student affect him/her socially? Of course you are not send this person to be killed, but you may affect their raise, promotion, etc.2. The Ephraimites did not have to pay for the test. We all pay for TOEFL or a local placement test. The rich have easy access to these, and they even have access to tutors or preparatory courses. Is this fair?
Origin
The term originates from the Hebrew word "shibbólet" (שִׁבֹּלֶת), which literally means the part of a plant containing grains, such as an ear of corn or a stalk of grain[3] or, in different contexts, "stream, torrent".[4][5] It derives from an account in the Hebrew Bible, in which pronunciation of this word was used to distinguish members of a group (the Ephraimites), whose dialect lacked a /ʃ/ sound (as in shoe), from members of a group (theGileadites) whose dialect did include such a sound.
In the Book of Judges, chapter 12, after the inhabitants of Gilead inflicted a military defeat upon the tribe of Ephraim (around 1370–1070 BC), the surviving Ephraimites tried to cross the Jordan River back into their home territory and the Gileadites secured the river's fords to stop them. In order to identify and kill these disguised refugees, the Gileadites put each refugee to a simple test:
Gilead then cut Ephraim off from the fords of the Jordan, and whenever Ephraimite fugitives said, 'Let me cross,' the men of Gilead would ask, 'Are you an Ephraimite?' If he said, 'No,' they then said, 'Very well, say Shibboleth.' If anyone said, 'Sibboleth', because he could not pronounce it, then they would seize him and kill him by the fords of the Jordan. Forty-two thousand Ephraimites fell on this occasion.
I think that if we assess our students in every careless way they might have some deficiencies when using the L2. One of the areas in which we as teacher have to work the most with our students is pronunciation. If we don’t assess our students in an appropriate way they might face some embarrassing situation when miss pronounced a word. For example one of my students of 6th grade asked to his classmates “How doesn’t have a shit of paper?” Instead of saying how doesn’t have a sheet paper? Of course, he was really embarrassed because most of the classes laugh because of his mistake. It was hard for me made him participate again in the class. Thus, I think is very important to assess our students in the most accurate way as possible. Also, I think that one of our purposes as second language teachers is to teach our students standard English. So they might have a successful performance in different situations.
ReplyDeleteFátima Crespín.
About the second question I think that access to education or a test is not about fairness or unfairness. It is just the way things are all over the world. Some people have more economical resources than others. And everybody face that reality. People with economical resources will have more access to education than people who do not have economical facilities.
ReplyDeleteFátima Crespín.
most students, kids, teenagers, even adults always concerned about test. because test have impact in students life, depending the grade they got, students will feel happy or frustrated. they will continue studying hard or they will give up. for example in the TOEFL have an enormous responsability not only in a academic way but also economally. there is a big pressure in that test, because if we pass it we can graduated and it show and measured our english skills. i think that test pressure will vary for everybody. some will care and some of they will even don't care. i must say that test are important not only academically but also personally, because it will achieve our expectations and objectives.
ReplyDeletesilvia padilla
as a teachers we have a big responsability of our students learning process. we must have to help them in all the possible ways and sharper their abilities in the second language. although sometimes will be easy and some it wont be like that. of course that will be hard for us help a single student. that why test are designed for help teachers to know the areas where our students are having problems, by later provide them feedback. some students will be stubborns in the learning process, even they will got frustrated, but our mission is not only teach and thats all, because our teaching learning process is involved, it can be not only the student but also the teacher. so teachers must be careful.
ReplyDeletesilvia
about the second let me tell you that most of test show profiency. testing have been present in all the times. humans being always have evaluted others, in all single aspects. i think that is not fair that the rischest people have more benefits and advantages than another person. only because they have money they think they will buy the TOEFL or will pass it, or they will have personalized TOEFL preparation. if they wont pass it they will spend a lot of money.
ReplyDeletesilvia
for some of us that we give our best effort for studying and pass the TOEFL there are some that paid for pass the test. is not fair, beacuse besides the money the effort and study are neccesary to take that important test. i think that all people that take the TOEFL must take in a clean way. what i mean by that' that even we dont have the economical sources we are able to pass it with our own knowledge and by our own efforts,without financial help
ReplyDeletesilvia
Most of the time students have problems at the moment of speaking. When I'm evaluating Oral Presentations the most common problem is pronunciation. The students are lacking of the speaking ability. This could happen because in El Salvador the emphasis in an English class is grammar. Now that our classes are focus on communicative skills, students have more problems. They like to laugh when they make a mistake in pronunciation. So, when I assess my students in pronunciation (oral presentations or in class) first I take notes while my students are speaking, and then I ask them to repeat all the words at the same time (as a group). Something that I ask my students is not to laugh when someone makes a mistake because they have to respect to each other. When we as teachers assess our students we have the opportunity to identify students who do not have too muich problems and students who has more problems and need to improve the ability.
ReplyDeleteAna Maria
Sorry! Students who have more problems and need to improve speaking ability.
ReplyDeleteAna Maria
According to question two, I think that in all countries around the world, people should have the opportunity to be educated and evaluated not only rich people. However in El Salvador is difficult. It is not fair or unfair, it is just that we need to adapt to our economical situation. If I am not rich I need to work hard and pay for it.
ReplyDeleteAna Maria
I think that we as teachers must guide our students in the proper way. When assessing our students we have to identify their weaknesses and their strengths. In the case that a student fails in the speaking ability, which is in some cases the most difficult task for them, we are not going to tell them that they fail, in a “rude”way. If we do it there’s no doubt that this student is not going to try to do it better anymore. He will feel frustrated, and is not going to participate anymore. So, we have to give the most accurate feedback in order to make them overcome their weaknesses. So, in order to avoid affecting our students negatively, we should use the most appropriate way to correct them in any difficult situation they are facing.
ReplyDeleteMagdalena!!!
Intended and unintended consequences on assessment can affect positively or negatively the student learning process. If a student is not interested in what is being taught, means that there is no confidence and motivation to learn and
ReplyDeletefinds the content difficult to understand. As teachers, we need to have in mind to desing assessments with learning consequences in mind. In other words, to link assessments to learning by making teaching to the test a valid activity. Raquel
At the moment of dessigning a test the test developer should take into account the consequences that the test will have, the consequential validity...
ReplyDeletemagdalena
According to question two, I think that when people have the facilities to be well prepared for any test, they should do it. But in most cases rich people do not spend money in something important. When they do it we can say that is not fair because there are people who really want and need to spend money in important things. But, that's reality, everyone has what deserves to have, if we have to pay to do a test, anyway... We do not have any choice..
ReplyDeleteMagdalena!!!
Of course, our assessement on a student affects him/her in a potencial way. I teach children and I have to do it frequently. I have many students who have a poor performance and bad grades. In the classroom they are seen as the fool ones but what can do. Personally, I try to help them and see what I or they are doing wrong. However, when this happens, I am helping my students not affecting them becuase in that way they can look for "personal teachers" to help them improve.
ReplyDeleteJulio
To begin with, education should be free to everyone, however, it is not like that. Nowadays people who have certain economical status can have access to specific educational courses (english, technical and other courses). The question is not too difficult to answer becuase if "rich people" want to have success, it is fair, who does not what to be successful?. I do not see the problem if they go to courses to prepare themselves for admission tests. On the other hand, the are people whose economical status is humble potencially smart and they get scholarships of free opportunities to do those kind of test.
ReplyDeleteJulio
The example of the word "shibboleth" has a lot of logic. I do not mean logic by the fact that they killed many people which was cruel then and now. But if we compare it to an english class it fits perfectly in a pronunciation assessment. Sometimes a students might be asked to do an oral presentation or repeat some words and they might do wrong by changing the pronuntiation of words. An easy example: is not the same to say "tree" and "three". they differ in meaning and pronuntiation. As a suggestion dear friends we must train our students very well before they have an oral presentation.
ReplyDeleteJulio
Watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmOTpIVxji8
ReplyDelete