Tests
What
and why?
Tests
can form a useful and important role in language learning. They
can give both the students and the teacher a clear picture of how
much the students have learnt. They can also give the students a
focus on something to work towards, and thus motivation for learning.
However, tests can also have many negative consequences. Some students
can become very anxious about tests and this can prevent them from
effective learning. Students may become so focused on the test that
they lose sight of the wider goal Š learning English. Learning can
also become 'defensive', in that they learn something because of
the fear of the test but rapidly forget it once the test has passed.
For these reasons, tests need to be handled carefully and made more
'friendly' to the students.
Practical
ideas
- Before
a test, give the students a clear list of what they will be tested
on. They can then be asked to rate themselves on each area of
the test and compare with the marks after the test.
- Try
to view a test not so much as an indication of how much the students
know/donÕt know but as an indication of how effective classroom
language teaching is. If students perform badly, this may say
more about what is happening/not happening in the classroom than
it does about the students.
- In
all levels of CEWw, students can be involved in devising
their own tests (see STUDENT
TEST-WRITING). Students can learn from the process of writing
the test and seeing their own corrected version. The test is then
also 'theirs' rather than 'yours', and so less threatening.
- Students
can be given practice tests to do at home. These give the students
the opportunity to test themselves without anxiety.
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