And I am not pleased.
No. If I had reservations about high-stakes tests before, I have them even more now. How nerve-wracking. How undignified. Previously friendly teachers suddenly have this monstrous power. They know. We don't. They're out to get us, to find our weak spots, now to judge us rather than teach us -even though they already know all that because they are with us for 20 hours every week.
I'm pondering ways for a more humane kind of evaluation, where students have more say, more chances...
Of course, if I pass, I'll feel better. Tomorrow is my worst one - listening!!
Of course if you pass, you'll feel better....Isn't that always the case? If students pass, the teacher is considered a good judge of their skills, but if they fail, then the teacher is a monster who is just out to get them. I suspect that this would be the case no matter what method of evaluation you use. Perhaps I'm just feeling sympathy for teachers today because I gave my students at WVC their midterm grades today, and several of them were shocked at their scores....and of course, it was all my fault--their missing homework assignments, absences, and insistence on speaking Farsi in the classroom had nothing to do with it. :-)
ReplyDeleteOkay, so to play the devil's advocate (or the poor suffering student advocate, which I am becoming quite good at!):
ReplyDeleteWhy were the students shocked? In THEIR minds, they had been doing fine. How did they get that misconception? Why did they have to wait until the midterm to find out how they were doing? Is there something amiss in the evaluation process? Just wondering...
One more thing (can't stop now!): numerical scores. On my midterm, after each question, there was a number value given - this answer is worth 2.5 points, that answer worth 4 points, etc. If I accumulate enough numbers, I pass. But I know those numbers are arbitrary. They're just made up (as I have made up so many of those numbers over the years.) I know they don't measure my knowledge. They are numbers in the teacher's head but have nothing to do with what is in my head. Just looking at those numbers during the test is distracting, nervewracking. It makes it seem like test-taking is a game, a sport, teacher against student. Will the student be able to get past the teacher's arbitrary cut-off point?
And if I don't believe the test actually can measure my learning, then why do I need to worry about learning - about homework and speaking only English, etc.? All I have to do is pass the test.
Tomorrow I will find out my results. If I pass - let's see if I change my tune. Great test! Maybe....
Well, it is all over with at this point...How did you do?? Hope you got yourself a drink afterwards...:-) I am VERY sure you deserve it!:-) Need more chocolate?;-)
ReplyDeleteYour candid commentary is wonderful! I'm sorry you are having such a stressful exam week. I, too, HATE high-stakes testing.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts upon reading your comments and from my position as someone not in the middle of a difficult exam week nor a student for the time being:
"It makes it seem like test-taking is a game, a sport" ... "if I don't believe the test actually can measure my learning, then why do I need to worry about learning"
Maybe I'm wrong but test-taking REALLY IS a game, a sport, isn't it?! In the big picture, your Korean knowledge is independent of any test you take. Neither a good nor a poor test score on a fair or unfair test can take away from you what you know. So as for why you need to worry about learning...that's for your own reasons, for fun, for communication, for travel, to meet Koreans in their own language, to read Korean literature, to enjoy your year abroad, or for whatever your own personal reasons are.
But of course I know that doesn't mean that the tests you have to take don't have an effect on you, personally, emotionally, professionally or otherwise. And I know it's easy for me to say when I'm not the one taking all the exams =)
Good luck with the rest of your midterms. And treat yourself well no matter what the results. You deserve it!
Well, your tests are over now...How do you say "relief" in Korean? :-)
ReplyDeleteMargaret, I just read your entire blog: fascinating, inspiring, thought-provoking!! Go, girl! Whether you passed these tests or not, you have clearly passed the larger tests of courage and good will.
ReplyDeleteI feel very sympathetic to your angst about the test scores, however. If the instructors had used Classroom Assessment Techniques on a daily basis (sorry, I may be retired, but I still have my soapbox), and if they assessed the skills to be tested, then the test would be on anticipated material = much less stressful.
Of course the important thing is that you are learning the Korean language and culture at the pace that suits you. These tests are just snapshots of tiny elements of your learning. I wonder if they should be called "progress measures" instead of "tests."
This is my first time commenting on your blog and I'm clueless about protocol. My home email is esl@highlandpublishing.com.
Thanks for all these comments! I really enjoy reading them, and you encourage me to keep posting! Marty, your comment has been published, as you can see. That's all that happens (so be aware any comment you make is "public.")
ReplyDeleteActually, we did basically have daily Classroom Assessment. There were no surprises on the test. We had had practice sessions for each section of the test. There was really no need to study that much because we had been forced to keep up with the learning all along, and it was very accumulative, so if we could do the later lessons we were pretty much okay. And that part was indeed wonderful. The sequencing, the daily assessment, the consistency, all that I have been pleased with. It really wasn't the content of the test that was disquieting but all the rigamarole about passing and numerical scores and waiting nervously for our interview turn and having to sit in assigned seats and putting all our books on the floor and all that stuff.
And of course, I'm really milking my feelings of being a student because that's why I'm here. What helps learning? What blocks it? Those are my questions. My conclusion as of today:
-consistent daily assessment encourages learning
-high-stakes one-shot testing blocks learning
Anyway, I passed. :)
Congratulations on passing your test, Margaret! I never doubted that you would. :-)
ReplyDeleteYou ask a good question re: why some of my students were shocked at their midterm grades. I often wonder about this because I grade and return homework assignments and tests on a regular basis. If they keep track of their scores, it seems to me that they should know what their grade is. The course greensheet clearly states the percentages for participation, homework, and tests. In fact, I'm always surprised that they're surprised... So, now you've made me wonder what would prevent their being surprised?
This whole issue of testing and grades always brings up the question of why we give grades at all. Why can't students just take a class for the intellectual pursuit? Unfortunately, most humans need some kind of motivation to make them apply themselves to a task--even a task that they have an interest in. And in school, tests and grades have traditionally been the main sources of motivation. So, how do we change both the system and human nature?