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      TeachingEnglish
      Teaching & Testing
      Submitted by Ridha Abdellaoui on 8 January, 2011 - 19:54

      I would like to raise the following issue for discussion:

      Should teachers teach what they will test or test what they have taught?

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      TeachEd's picture
      TeachEd
      What's the school policy?
      Submitted on 9 January, 2011 - 20:40

      I would tend to go with the second option. However, it may depend on how flexible the institution is regarding testing. I am lucky enough to work for a school where the teacher has a certain degree of freedom to make decisions and adapt tests if their learners's needs do not coincide with what is planned in the syllabus for the term. I think it is a good idea to have a syllabus so the teacher knows where they're heading, but if ready-made tests are used indiscriminately with a "one size fits all" mentality, turning a blind eye to the learners' needs and abilities, then the test will do more harm than good. Again, it depends on your insrtitution. Other teachers may not have the power to adapt tests and the teacher must plough through to the end of the syllabus "come what may" and prepare their students for the term or end of course test, which is the sole means of assessment. In Britain, more and more attention is being given to continuous assessment, which places the learner's abilities in performing certain tasks in the foreground, and assessing skills and sub-skills, not just grammar or vocabulary.

      Virtual_Linguist's picture
      Virtual_Linguist
      Teaching and testing
      Submitted on 10 January, 2011 - 21:01

      I think it is unfair to test what you haven't taught -- if you write the tests yourself, that is. However, that doesn't mean to say that every word in the test should be one that cropped up in your lessons. If I had been teaching simple past tense, say, and included the verbs stand and understand in the lessons, then I would think it legitimate to include the verb withstand in a test I gave on the grammar point. I will have drawn attention to patterns in my lesson and the test therefore will check whether students are able to apply the rules rather than learn parrot-fashion.

       

      Having said that, if your students are working towards an important national exam, on which their future depends, then you owe it to them to teach the syllabus or what will be in the test.

      achilles's picture
      achilles
      Testing
      Submitted on 12 January, 2011 - 18:59

      I think that teachers should test what they have taught

      annFor's picture
      annFor
      TE Team
      Interesting question
      Submitted on 17 January, 2011 - 10:09

      I often find this a dilemma. I'd like to test what I've taught but sometimes find that the exams I'm supposed to give my students bear little relation. However, I don't want my classes to become exam based. Thanks for raising the question. I've added a link to our TeachingEnglish facebook page so that readers there can join in the discussion.

      Best,

       

      Ann

      weblearneng's picture
      weblearneng
      School policy
      Submitted on 18 January, 2011 - 07:32

      Hello TeachEd,

      Well said! This is what I feel about any school policy. I had spent years trying to do it the other way -- trying to test the students what they learn, but to no avail. Almost all the schools I worked at based their policy on 'teaching students to test'.  Finally, tired of fighting a losing battle, I gave up teaching a couple of years ago!

      weblearneng's picture
      weblearneng
      School policy
      Submitted on 18 January, 2011 - 07:42

      Hi Achilles

      That's true, but the question is 'test only that is taught' or as Virtual-Linguist has put it 'test the students to see if they are able to apply what they have learned'!