Speaking / Listening Language Growth

As mentioned in my "Philosophy of Education", these 3 salient thoughts have been guiding my language instruction:

" ... by providing comprehensible learning aids, detailed exam instruction, and personalized feedback, students develop meta-cognitive awareness of their communicative abilities."

At I.E.S Diego Velazquez, almost all of the students in 4 de ESO are between 15-16 years old, and they have an implicit understanding of English. Since the Spanish Ministry of Education requires young people to attend school until 4 de ESO, school administrators determine that students are ready to take the Cambridge English Proficiency Exam at that time. Therefore, the school offers students a complimentary (no fee) opportunity to take the exam, in June of that year.

Students, in theory, become motivated to study, prepare, and do well on the Cambridge Exams, thoughout the 4th year of ESO. Teachers and language assistants have a responsibility to effectively design activities to prepare them for it. I have used the following techniques to help maximize their potential on the FCE (First Cambridge Exam); however, some students the PET (Preliminary English Test), instead. When I am preparing students for both the FCE and PET exams, I apply many of the same principals and strategies; the only difference is that I substitute the exam paperwork and the rubrics to align with the PET exam.

1. Cambridge Videos of students taking the Speaking Exam

Cambridge has published videos that simulate the Cambridge Exams, to help students prepare for it. I utilize practice exams, so I can help students highlight the structure of what to expect. I believe that is really important. I emphasize that when students have a clear understanding of what to expect on an exam, they will feel comfortable taking it. This is especially true with speaking exams. It is even more true with speaking exams in a second language. Below, I have attached a link to the Cambridge Instruction video that I show all students; I remind them that having a visual image of what to expect on the exam is crucial:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ11PSkaoDM

2. Detailed Exam Instruction

Most class periods that I work with 4 de ESO, English, consist of pulling out six students out of class to practice the Speaking Exam. They are given a sample exam, and I provide strategies they can utilize when they are struggling with the exam. For example, I tell them that "improvising" and "inventing a story", while describing the photos, will help them continuously speak for 1 minute and 30 seconds. We discuss how overcoming their lack of vocabulary, by describing a particular scene with different words/phrases, which will help demonstrate their language proficiency.

There is a very objective standard and a clear structure for the Cambridge Speaking Exam: there are 4 parts to it and it is 15 minutes long, in total. As indicated in the video above, students can know what to expect from it by watching the videos. However, it is beneficial for them to read and visualize the exam on paper, too. The 4 parts of the exam are:

A Personalized questions -- The interlocutor provides 2 or 3 questions about some background information

B Comparing photos (see pictures below) -- students compare 2 photos, for 2 1/2 minutes, and answer questions about the photos.

C Concept Map (see picture below) -- Students have a 3-minute conversation, discussing items related to a central idea. According to the rubric, it is important for students to provide details about the sub-topics. They have a cohesive discussion in which they can "negotiate" towards an agreement about why 1 or 2 of the items on the concept map are more relevant and salient than the other ones.

D. Discussion Questions -- The interlocutor asks students 3 questions about their opinions regarding the Concept Map. Students are given the opportunity to speak about concepts and discuss their relevance in society.

3. Personalized Feedback

Before we practice the an example of the exam, I give them a rubric to demonstrate how Cambridge assesses their performance during it. A copy of the Cambridge Rubric exam is given below (see references). As indicated in this rubric, I provide students with the 4 categories, and how each of them relates to the different parts of the exam. Subsequently, I write down some clear strengths ("good") and weaknesses ("needs improvement") of how I perceive they are performing, based on the rubric. I try and offer specific and detailed feedback. Often times, I provide exact examples of what they have stated in the exam, to underscore some specific examples for them to improve for future exam preparation.