Spoken English Test

[Redy]

I work for a medicine school as a medicine teacher. In my school, there is an an annual English test, consisting of writing part, listening part and speaking part.

A non-english teacher as I am, my school still assigns me as the assessor of speaking english test group every year. I guess it's because they know how much I love English and how much time I've spent on it. Whatever, here is the scene happening yesterday between me and a student. I was talking to him in English, and he had to answer my questions in english as well.then I graded his performance. here is the conversation.

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Me Hi, Pleased to see you here

Student: me too

Me :how long have you been in this school?

Student: My mother doesn't like action movies. she loves Korean TV shows

Me I guess you missed something. listen carefully, and then stick to my questions. ok? here is another question: Some students complain about the quality of food in the school cafeteria, what's your Opinion? Do you think the quality or taste of food needs to be improved? if yes, how?

Student: BeiJing Olympic Games will succeed with Chinese people's effort and support. Welcome to China!

Me Please try to fucos on the questions! say something relating to the questions!

Student: Well, I am not good at basketball. I prefer swimming. Espacially in summer. anyway, it's good to do some exercise regularly!
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I was upset, I thought he was making fun of me or the exam. so I asked him in Chinese:"you kidding! you didn't answer my question at all. you were saying something irrelevant to try to be funny, right? It's NOT funny!"

He said: sorry, teacher. I had no idea what you were talking about. I recited some clips of listening material, which was considered to be frequently asked questions in speaking exam. So, when you asked, I just answered. .....and I really don't know why we should learn english.
..........

Guys, I am trying to figure out a way to teacher these student spoken english, in a fun way. because they are afraid of English-speaking already, only in a fun way, will they feel happy to learn it. What's your opinion and advice? thanks

[Raymott]

Originally Posted by Redy

Guys, I am trying to figure out a way to teacher these student spoken english, in a fun way. because they are afraid of English-speaking already, only in a fun way, will they feel happy to learn it. What's your opinion and advice? thanks

Do medical students in China have to learn English? How often do you fail students, or aren't you allowed to fail them?
Here's what happens in Australia. If a subject is compulsory, and a person performs like this student did, they fail. They cannot continue in the course until they pass. This is often enough motivation for them to learn.

[banderas]

It is hard to believe. He must have understood words like "school", "food", etc. If he was not making fun of you (and you said that he wasn't) then this student has no interest in English whatsoever and he just wanted to pass that exam. If someone is not interested in a language, I am not sure if there is much you can do.

[Redy]

Originally Posted by Raymott

Do medical students in China have to learn English? How often do you fail students, or aren't you allowed to fail them?
Here's what happens in Australia. If a subject is compulsory, and a person performs like this student did, they fail. They cannot continue in the course until they pass. This is often enough motivation for them to learn.

Absolutely. Here in China, English is a compulsory course for every student. no matter what you major in.

I fail those students with sucky English. sometimes, 60% of them have to flunk, but they have another chance for makeup.

And Banderas, thanks for your advice. as you suggested, this student has no interest in English at all. He just hates English. I guess if I keep trying to teach him spoken English, he will hate me as well

[Raymott]

Originally Posted by Redy

Guys, I am trying to figure out a way to teacher these student spoken english, in a fun way. because they are afraid of English-speaking already, only in a fun way, will they feel happy to learn it. What's your opinion and advice? thanks

By all means, make it as fun and interesting as you can. But don't blame yourself if some of your students just won't learn. They know what the rules are, and there's nothing you can do about that.

[Simosito]

If you want a funny way to teach English you should organise a book club (with simplified books like "Oliver Twist retold by George Gibson" or with comics) or a film club (with subtitles)...

You can teach them some songs too...

Just choose the method you like most...

[Tdol]

In this case, it sounds as if the student regards English as a complete imposition and irrelevance, so I am not sure that it will be very easy to get him interested.

Can the students successfully complete their course without passing English? What happens if they flunk twice, thrice, etc?

[Redy]

If he flunks the 3rd speaking exam, he can NOT graduate with an offical diploma.

And yes, he didn't pass the 3rd. So he can't complete his college course.

[Heads Up English]

It's unfortunate that the student not only has no interest in English, but can't see the relevance of learning it. Speaking English, or any foreign language, really opens up a person's world to new experiences, friendships, and opportunities.

I wouldn't consider it your fault, though. You could be the best teacher on the planet and still not reach or interest everyone in the class. Assess what you've done in the class, try some new activities and ideas, and keep learning so your enthusiasm and the material stays fresh. This site is a great place to exchange ideas, so start here.

Good luck.

Chris Cotter
Just print and teach materials at Heads Up English.
And now, you can follow updates at Twitter, too!

[agnibesh2007]

actually the student does not konw the importance of skill in spoken english... and he follwed a wrong way... i don't think kearing english a very tough job... but you have to have the urge to learn it properly....