Click here to access the Session Notes as well!
Jeff is preparing for the Cambridge Delta.
In this (slightly improvised… :D) session we talked about the following topics, among others:
-item writing standards in ELT
-fairness, validity
-L1 interference (e.g. Konglish)
-teacher-induced errors
-imitating/accidentally accepting or even reinforcing incorrect language use ‘to fit in’ in a cultural context
-mercy, kindness, generosity, giving (item writers) the benefit of the doubt while still noticing issues in a piece of material/exam
-Table of Contents in course books:
• redundant phrasing of core content
• lack of (language) exemplification
• lack of clarity/specificity of themes
• lack of specific sub-skills
• overuse of fancy meta-language to describe grammar areas
• issues with layout affecting accessibility
-the hegemony of grammar items (over e.g. skills ones)
-the hegemony of form items (over e.g. CLT, i.e. focusing on meaning)
-the hegemony of MCQs (multiple-choice questions) and the practical reasons behind this
-how to write items that actually test meaning
-the importance of only including lexis that is on level in an item
-the importance of only including lexis that is coming from the original material
-the importance of modeling correct language use when writing an item (stem AND distractors)
-the importance of writing answer keys that are unambiguous
-the importance of bearing in mind pragmatics in materials writing (not just semantics)
-writing open-ended questions and why they are challenging
-prescriptive rubrics (e.g. ‘You must use the passive voice’) and what’s wrong with them
-items that don’t test the TL that they intended to (construct validity)
-the problem with overlapping TL areas within the same item
-how broad the scope of an item’s topic should be (e.g. ‘your hometown’ vs ‘one thing you hate about your hometown’)
-the importance of writing clear instructions
-the importance of writing instructions in English only
-the problem with obviously wrong distractors
-accidentally fossilizing wrong (e.g. L1 interference, e.g. Konglish) use by ‘demanding low’
-issues with distractors:
• surreal (obviously wrong) options
• not of the same grammatical category/form/word count
• not of the same lexical set
-misuse/ambiguous use of terms in an item or instructions (e.g. ‘appropriate’ –?!)
-noticing multiple layers (and issues) in the same material/test
-being receptive to feedback/feedback as a ‘love language’
-institutional constraints, rigid policies
-ranting means reflecting!
P.s. Gozo also makes a guest appearance! 😉 <3
Any comments? Let us know here, or on LinkedIn!
— —
Hi. I’m Fatime. I’m an IELTS Teacher Trainer, helping CELTA-qualified English language teachers become better at teaching SKILLS, as opposed to just testing them.
Check out my courses here:
How to Teach IELTS Listening:
How to Teach IELTS Reading:
How to Teach IELTS Writing:
How to Teach IELTS Speaking:
