SPLIS Newsletter - Volume 8 Number 1 (Plain Text Version)

Return to Graphical Version

In this issue:
Leadership Updates
• LETTER FROM THE CHAIR
• LETTER FROM THE EDITORS
Articles
• THE CAT HAS MY TONGUE: A FEAR OF PUBLIC SPEAKING IN NORWEGIAN HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH STUDENTS AND ACTIVITIES TO HELP THEM OVERCOME THAT FEAR
• FROM DEMAND TO DELIGHT: USING DIALOGUE QUIZZES IN THE LISTENING/SPEAKING CLASSROOM
Books
• BOOK REVIEW: MEDICALLY SPEAKING IDIOMS: IDIOMS AND AMERICAN SLANG
• BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT: TEACHING LISTENING: VOICES FROM THE FIELD
ABOUT THIS COMMUNITY
• WHAT IS SPLIS-L?
• CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

FROM DEMAND TO DELIGHT: USING DIALOGUE QUIZZES IN THE LISTENING/SPEAKING CLASSROOM

Cheng-hao Weng, Foreign Language Substitute Civilian Serviceman, Kaohsiung City Marine Bureau, Taiwan

When I first learned about using oral quizzes as a form of assessment using authentic communication, it sounded so promising and exciting. “What a wonderful and great way to evaluate students!” I told myself―until I tried implementing it in my listening/speaking class.

First of all, there is the time factor. When a teacher uses one-on-one oral quizzes, the total time required could be summarized by a simple formula:

Time allotted for each student x Number of students = Total time required

If each student is given 3 minutes for the oral quiz and there are 20 students, the quiz will take at least 60 minutes. In reality, however, all teachers know that the assessment will take more than 60 minutes and it is a rarity to have a class of merely 20 students. Depending on what is being assessed, 3 minutes may not even be enough. Also, the longer the one-on-one oral quiz, the more time it takes for the entire class to be assessed.

Second, teachers who have tried one-on-one oral assessments have probably asked the question, “So what do I do with the students who are not being assessed?” If the teacher doesn’t have anything planned for the rest of the class, the class may go wild. If the teacher gives students assignments to do, he or she creates undesirable additional work and grading for him- or herself. If the teacher assigns work for students that is not graded, such as “please read the story on pages 25 to 30” or “study the new vocabulary in this chapter,” then the students probably will not take it seriously enough, failing to achieve the intended results. If the teacher asks the class to be a good audience and watch the student(s) assessed, it is likely that the students will not pay attention and use that time to prepare for their own oral assessments instead.

When I was teaching a listening/speaking class at a private school in China, even though I had great intentions of evaluating my students with assessments using authentic communication, sometimes the amount of work required and the issues mentioned above made me settle for a more traditional form of assessment. As an alternative to the one-on-one oral quiz, my former colleague Kit Houseman developed a great method of assessing students that he called a “dialogue quiz.” We used these quizzes to assess our students’ oral skills.

First, the topic of the dialogue quiz is announced to the class and students are divided into pairs or small groups. The small groups can be formed by the teacher or students depending on the needs or situations of the particular class. Here is an example of a dialogue quiz topic:

With a partner, write a dialogue about what you used to do, or did, when you were younger. You should include at least the following: memories, where you used to live, what you used to like to do, and what you didn’t like to do. Make sure that you ask your partner what he/she did in the past as well.

Second, remind the class of these rules:

Your group must write your own dialogue. You are encouraged to use your book to help you.
Besides the dialogue, your group must also come up with three comprehension questions for your classmates after the dialogue.
The dialogue must be on the proper theme as the teacher requests.
You must use appropriate language in your dialogues.
You must speak loudly enough to be heard by the teacher and your classmates.
You must respect your classmates by being quiet and listening to the students who are talking.
If you do not follow any of the rules, you will be given a score of zero.

In addition to the rules, the teacher is also encouraged to go over the following tips to help the students:

1. Write a good script.

Write the script in English. If you write in Chinese and attempt to translate it, you will find it difficult. There will be many problems with idioms, verb tenses, vocabulary, and pronunciation. Try using simpler sentences in English instead of translating difficult Chinese sentences into English.
(If the teacher is asking the students to memorize the script, then skip this.) Give every group member a script; this leads to less rattling of paper and peering over other people to see the script, and there is no problem if the group member is absent on the day of the performance.

2. Keep your audience in mind.

Talk loudly enough.
Use vocabulary and phrases your audience understands.
Remember you’re performing on a stage to an audience, not just to the teacher.
Identify characters with signs on desks or hung around necks, mustaches, rattles, or other props.

3. Act big. Act well. Make it funny if you can.

Teachers are recommended to go over the rubric with the class so that the students have a clear understanding and expectation of how they will be graded. For instance, a variation of the following rubric can be used:

Oral Quiz 1 Rubric : Student Names: ________________________________

	1	2	3	4
Content	Dialogue includes only some or little of the required content.	Dialogue includes most but not all of the required content.	Dialogue includes all the required content but seems unnatural. Dialogue could be improved with more work.	Dialogue includes all the required content and seems natural.
Comprehensibility	Students stand in front of the room with no movements or simply read from the script.	Students stand in front of the room with little movements, but do nothing to give the audience a feeling of the setting.	Students generally speak in loud, clear voices, with understandable rapidity.	Students consistently speak in loud, clear voices, with understandable rapidity.
Staging	Students do not stand in front of the room.	Students stand in front of the room but do nothing to give the audience a feeling of the setting.	Students align themselves in a well-thought-out manner.	Students use props and the stage to convey the meaning of their dialogue.
Language	English is not used or is used in a consistently inaccurate manner. Extremely difficult to understand due to pronunciation and/or grammar errors.	English is used but is often difficult to understand due to pronunciation or grammar errors.	Students generally use English effectively. Some difficulty in understanding occurs due to pronunciation or grammar errors.	Students effectively use English to convey the meaning of the dialogue.
Participation	Dialogue is dominated by one group member; other members do little or nothing or act as props.	Dialogue is dominated by one or two group members; other members do little or nothing or act as props.	Most members make valuable contributions to the dialogue but one member has an obviously lesser role.	All group members make equal and valuable contributions to the dialogue.
Total Points:

If the class needs more assistance, the teacher can choose a couple good students to do a sample dialogue for the class.

Ace:	Hey Jack, where were you born?
Jack:	I was born in Australia.
Ace:	Australia. That must have been interesting.
Jack:	Yes. One time a crocodile bit me. That’s why I have an artificial leg. How about you, Ace? Where did you grow up?
Ace:	I grew up on the moon.
Jack:	On the moon! How was that?
Ace:	It was kind of boring most of the time. But I remember one time I saw Chang’e [i]. What did you use to like to do in Australia?
Jack:	I used to like crocodile wrestling. But I didn’t like riding kangaroos. All that hopping made my artificial leg fall off. What did you use to like to do on the moon?
Ace:	I used to like to throw rocks. You could throw them really far on the moon. But I didn’t use to like to eat soup. With no gravity, the soup would float away.
Jack:	You're funny, Ace!

On the day of the assessment, the teacher reminds the class that after each dialogue, there will be three comprehension questions so they must be quiet and pay attention. The teacher can have students grade their classmates if they are capable of doing so. I also tend to record the students’ performances and grade them later on a separate occasion because I find it challenging to grade the performance, manage the classroom, and enjoy the show all at the same time.

Kit and I have found many advantages to this method. This type of assessment requires students to integrate their writing, speaking, and listening skills and put them to use. It also provides an opportunity for a more authentic way of assessing students’ oral skills. Most of the time, it is more enjoyable for both the teacher and the students than the traditional paper-and-pen quiz. Some students really enjoy the freedom to express themselves and are capable of coming up with really hilarious and creative scripts. Moreover, if the class is capable and mature enough, the teacher can further incorporate self- and peer evaluations into the assessment. Perhaps the best part about this type of assessment is that with the suggested rubric, grading can be less of a burden for the teacher!

Cheng-hao Weng, tesol.cheng@gmail.com, received his MA TESOL from Biola University in 2007. He has taught ESL/EFL in the United States and China for 3 years and is currently fulfilling his military duty in Taiwan serving a civilian post at Kaohsiung City Marine Bureau.

[i] According to Chinese mythologies, Chang’e is a woman who lives on the moon whom some believe to be goddess of the moon.