Teaching exam classes

Teaching exam classes Teaching exam classes Getting students to participate in writing activities in class can be an arduous task. However, our best efforts as teachers to make the prospect of writing a fun and collaborative activity, it is often met with groans of reluctance. Often, students have had negative experiences of writing in the language classroom in the past, perhaps they see it as a waste of class-time, which could be better spent practicing their oral skills, or perhaps they simply find writing a difficult and laborious task even in their first language. Whatever the reason, getting adult students motivated to write in class can be tough. However, for teachers it can be very useful to monitor students writing in class. They are at hand to answer any language difficulties, give advice on how to structure sentences in a more natural way, provide vocabulary that students are lacking and generally be available to deal with individual needs as well as noting common problem areas. This is of great benefit to students too of course, much more so than receiving a marked piece of written homework covered in red pen. Exam writing Students who are studying for exams do tend to be slightly more motivated when it comes to writing in class but still often prefer to do the actual task for homework. The following activity ideas are ways in which we can teach the nuts and bolts of academic writing in an analytical way, illustrating a step-by-step approach that will hopefully show students the value of writing in the classroom without the pressure of simply being told to put pen to paper. Each of the seven activities focuses on specific areas of writing, such as planning, layout, content, etc. However, the activities are fairly general and could be easily adapted to suit most task types that exam candidates are required to do, such as writing a formal letter or an article. In this activity students get a good idea of what examiners are looking for and learn how to avoid making common mistakes while also picking up tips on good examples of language. Students look at 2-4 model texts ranging in level from a fail to a strong pass. Real candidate answers are ideal if you get them. Students note the good and bad points about each answer and write comments under headings such as layout, organization, content, style and accuracy. Students share their comments with each other before looking at the real examiners comments if you have them. Here, students are made aware of differences in register and appropriacy of language, while building up a stock of suitable phrases they can use in formal letters. Students receive a formal letter which has several phrases written in the wrong register, i.e. informal/slang. Students identify which phrases they think are unsuitable for a formal letter and underline them. Then, they try and rewrite the phrases using a more formal style of language. Finally, students choose the correct answers from a list provided. You can make this activity more communicative by dividing the class into two groups and giving each group a different letter to work on. When they have rewritten their phrases they pair up with a student from the other group who has the answers for their letter and compare answers. How to teach an FCE class The First Certificate in English (FCE), administered by UCLES, is a general English examination for upper intermediate learners. Teaching an exam class for the first time can be daunting but experienced teachers tend to agree on the following advice. The first task will be getting to grips with the exam specifications. I need to be familiar with each of the five papers, which are Reading, Writing, Use of English, Listening and Speaking, ideally before student begin in first class. The Exams Officer in my school should have a copy of the FCE Handbook, which explains exactly what skills and language knowledge my students need to have before they take the exam, as well as providing a sample paper. Be aware of issues like learner motivation and classroom morale. Learners in exam classes tend to be more goal oriented that those in a general English class. Remember that students will have to pay a fee to sit the FCE as well as for the preparation course, the advantage of which is that having invested in an exam course then the average FCE student tends to be highly motivated to succeed. However, motivation and high morale can be very fragile things. If my students need to be familiar with the exam conditions and requirements, and regular timed practice under exam conditions will help them get used to exam rubrics, different question formats, time restraints, doing tasks efficiently and filling in the answer sheets correctly. Dont be afraid to share information with your students by explaining, for example, the marking criteria for assessing their writing tasks. Be explicit about the value of classroom activities. As well as having high expectations , I may find that my students have quite definite ideas about what an exam class should be like. A student may try to undermine by saying that discussion activities, for example, are a waste of time in an exam preparation class and that time should be spent doing grammar exercises or practice tests. However, this situation is less likely to happen if I explain at the outset that pair and group work activities are invaluable for the Speaking paper, in which candidates are examined in pairs and their ability to interact with a partner is assessed. Try to instill good study habits from the start. What my students do outside the exam classroom is just as vital in preparing for the exam. Use tutorial time to help individuals identify their strengths and weaknesses in each paper and to structure their homework/self-directed learning accordingly. Often, the most successful learners are those who keep good records of their learning. Encourage learners to keep a vocabulary notebook, organized in a way that is meaningful to them. Types of exams and exam questions There are many types of exam questions used at university and need to prepare for different types of questions in different ways. To prepare well for exams should enquire about the nature, length and value of each exam so that can allow adequate time and effort for preparation. Check assessment details in course materials and with teaching staff. May find it useful to record for each exam so that clear about what the exam will cover and when and where it will be held. This information will help guide preparation for the exam. Some different types of exams questions, with a brief description, are listed below. For each type, use the link to additional suggestions relating to this type of question, how can best prepare for it and practical strategies for answering the question: Multiple choice questions offer a range of choices from which select the most appropriate response. Short answer questions require answers of up to a paragraph. The nature of the questions may vary. Some questions may test you recall of information, others may test ability to apply concepts to new situations. Essay question require you to write an essay type response to a topic. Essay questions may be arranged in sections in the exam paper which reflect different sections of the course. Open book questions allow to bring and use reference materials in the exam room. Take home questions are questions that are given to take away and complete and then return within a specified time e.g. 24 hours. Oral questions are used to test oral language skills. Typically they are taken individually. Practical questions test practical skills and techniquesusually in laboratory, clinical or field settings. There are differences in the learning need to do for different types of questions. I previous experience of exams may mean that I have developed very good approaches for some types of questions but not for others. If I tackling new types of questions, find out about my student lecturers expectations as well as the exam requirements. The timing and duration of my preparation will be determined by a number of factors. For example, if my exam is worth a high proportion of the overall grade, I would be wise to prepare throughout the semester. If its worth a small percentage of the grade I may decide to study intensely in last few weeks, but Ill need to lay the groundwork for that study in the way I take notes and file my work throughout the semester. Exam Materials Responsible for what you leave outside the exam venue. There will be no bag drop at exam venue. Bags left outside the exam venue are left at the owners risk and are not the responsibility of the University. Responsible for what you bring into an exam. Bring only what you need for the exam, especially your student card. Cheating includes introducing into an exam venue any book, note, document, or instrument which is not authorized by the examiner or the examinations officer. The consequences are severe. About on-line learning We believe that distance learning works best when it captures, as far as possible, the dynamics of face to face learning, even when that means less flexibility (see below). A sense of isolation can cause people to drop out of distance learning courses. Our Distance/On-line Teaching Exam Classes Courses have the following key features, which ensure motivation remains high. Variety of ways of learning Through our virtual learning environment you will use the internet to communicate with tutors and fellow course members, access materials and complete learning tasks. Interaction Our virtual learning environment (VLE) allows you to communicate individually and collectively with tutors and other course members, both for social and study purposes. You will be assigned individual, group and pair tasks, as in a real classroom with the difference that, instead of all working at the same time you can log on and off and contribute at times which are convenient to you. You may, on a few occasions, be required to log on at the same time as other course members for lessons, conferences or chats in the virtual classroom. A real class of fellow students In many distance courses, learners start and finish courses at any time of the year and join an infinite number of other distance learners at various stages of their course. Our courses have start and finish dates and a defined group of participants, just like our face-to-face courses. You will have tasks and deadlines to keep and be expected to maintain an appropriate rhythm. In other words, flexibility is limited in order to maintain motivation. Learning how to learn on-line As well as learning about teaching and language you will have the opportunity to experience and reflect on the nature of on-line learning itself. Ease of use You will find it easy to use the virtual learning environment, even if you are relatively unfamiliar with this kind of learning and there will be plenty of support and guidance from tutors to deal with any queries and make sure you are on track. upload and download course information and material access materials on and off-line participate in live and non-synchronised discussions send work to tutors and receive feedback communicate with tutors and other members of the class individually and as a group. interact in ways similar to a real classroom with the advantage of being able to access it at times convenient to you. We use style/messenger or telephone for personal tutorials. You will need to have regular access to a computer with internet connection, but wont need to spend huge amounts of time actually on line. We recommend you install style if you dont have it already to take advantage of cost free calls to tutors. Conclusion All of the activities are intended to facilitate each stage of the writing process, from planning a first draft to editing the final answer. By analysis both good and bad model texts, students are made aware of what examiners are looking for and can learn to avoid common errors. Overall, this very guided approach to exam writing should make students feel more confident about attempting writing tasks.

Can leaders be flexible Essay

Yes, I do believe that leaders can be flexible in the way they interact with others, or change their behaviors or personalities so to suit the situation. Also, they might need to focus on followers needs/behaviors or their level of readiness by changing or shifting behavioral their leadership style. One theory might describe and support this concept is the situational leadership theory which requires leaders to center their leadership style or behaviors according to their followers level. This theory was initially created by Hersey and Blanchard (1969) and has approaches that concern for people productions as well as shows that there is no one best style of behavior for a leader (Norris, 1992). Most importantly, the situational theory require leader to adjust his behavior and leadership style to features of followers and situation. Therefore, it might be important to look at the four styles described by Hersey and Blanchard to identify the situations that any leader might have to change his style or behavior. There are situations where leader might have to be flexible with his followers by giving them less responsibly and delegation of tasks due to their lack of knowledge/experience, or if they are newly hired etc. the leader in this case might need to utilize the †telling style† whereby there is more of directing and controlling of leader to his followers. In this behavioral style, leader’s role involves telling his follower on what and how to perform their tasks step by step. In my working experience, for example, I tend to use this style when training people whom are newly hired or inexperienced and require a lot of assistance or hints when in doubt. I might sometimes need to †spill out the responsibilities† or duties for perform to make sure that they are still on focus. Knowing that differences between tasks and relationships behaviors as described in Hughes et al (1996), I agree that the telling style does have high task and low relationship with followers because followers in this stage are unable to perform any delegated tasks and that means should be giving detailed instructions. Another situational and behavioral style is the selling style whereby the leader is acting both as a director and supporter toward his followers. This style might be more effective if followers are delegated toward some responsibility and have an adequate knowledge of performing their tasks. The leader in this case is only giving directions and guideline when any deviation is observed. In term of skills and ability, the leader is also to promote his followers’ skills throughout. Because of that, it ca be said that in this behavioral style, the leader is †coaching† i.e. there is higher tasks delegation and higher relationship with followers. In the participating style, the leader exercises low tasks delegations but high relationship with followers. This is because in this style the main role of leader is to facilitate the delegated tasks to his followers by showing his knowledge or skills on †how best can this be done†. Bearing in mind the level of communication is high in this style which enables follower to share in the decision making process as applicable. This behavioral style might best be used is when followers are starting or completing a job (Hughes et al, 2006). The last situational style is the †delegating style† whereby there is little two side communication between the leader and his followers (low-task- low relationship). This style might be implemented when leader is aware of his followers’ knowledge, ability, confidence, experience and most importantly taking higher responsibilities. To this extend, followers are able to direct them selves with no control from their leader. Although, leaders in this style are like an observers whereby they have less influence on their followers’ and less control. However, leader might also need to consider followers development level/their readiness level and competence. Followers’ competence might include their knowledge, skills and ability to assess the work outcome. Therefore, leader might have to respond or change his behavior in such way that fits the situation. He can classify his people to stages such as: · People are able and willing to take tasks (competent).  · People are unable and unwilling to take tasks (incompetents) · People are unable but willing to take tasks (unskilled).  · People are able but unwilling tasks (unmotivated). So to summarize, it can be seen that the situational leadership theory presented by Hersey and Blanchard focuses on the followers behaviors and define what style is best to suit any situation. Also, it highlights the level of responsibilities delegated as well as the degree of relationship between leaders and followers. Put into practice, situation leadership theory is basically effective with any situation. Moreover, it seems that the situational theory answer the question that leader might need to change their behavior and be flexible with followers as that depends on situation and circumstances. In other words, leaders might need to adjust them selves all the time depending on the working environment and follower level of readiness (Norris, 1992). And as the Hersey and Blanchard theory, they should always change their personality or be able to identify clues in their environment and adapt their leader behavior to meet the needs of their followers in any particular situation (). Vecchio and Norris agrees that ,even with good diagnostic skills, leader might need to be flexible in changing their behavior and adapt their leadership styles that meet that demand of both the followers and environment. Reference: Norris, R., & Vecchio, R 1992 Situational leadership theory. Group & Organization Management. Hughes, R.L., Ginnet, R.C., & Curphy, G.J. (2006). Leadership: Enhancing the lessons of experience. 5th ed. New York. McGraw-Hill

One of the Major Causes of Obesity Essay

Mark Bittman’s article â€Å"Coke Blinks† discusses how the famous soda company, Coca-Cola, recently released a video where it addresses the growing problem in our nation of obesity. In the video Coca-Cola attempts to claim that it is not their fault people are obese; it’s the consumers fault because the company offers low calorie beverages and now has smaller proportioned drinks. They are basically saying that every calorie counts and not just the ones in their products. Bittman describes this video as, â€Å"Sheer manipulation, calculated to confuse, obscure and deny.† Bittman beliefs sugar, â€Å"Especially in liquid form† is extremely harmful and not just because it leads to obesity. He thinks Coca-Cola is more focused on making money than it is trying to help the nation deal with obesity. He goes on to compare soda to nicotine saying, â€Å"Soda is a fructose delivery system as tobacco is a nicotine delivery system.† He is stating that Coca-Cola is doing the same thing tobacco companies once did, ignore the fact that their product was extremely harmful and they didn’t want the consumers to know because it would lead to a loss in product sales. This article focuses on the negative effects that sugar based beverages have on the body. Bittman states, â€Å"There is virtual consensus that drinking too much soda is bad for you, and it’s not hard to understand the evidence.† In the end Coca-Cola is simply trying to lessen its bad reputation for causing health problems such as diabetes and chubbiness by releasing a video which talks about obesity. Bittman is implicating the irony in Coca-Cola’s video and he simply trying to warm people not to drink soda because it’s not healthy.

The Different Places Jane Lived in Jane Eyre by Charlotte...

In the novel Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Bronte, Jane lives in Three different places which greatly affect her life. The first place Jane stays is Gateshead Hall. She then goes to live at Lowood School. From Lowood Jane proceeds on to Thornfield Hall. The first place Jane stays is Gateshead Hall. While at Gateshead, Jane is treated unfairly and is punished for things she did not do. After the death of Janes parents, her uncle, Mr. Reed brought Jane into his house. On her uncles deathbed Mrs. Reed promises to treat Jane like one of her own children. Janes aunt, Mrs. Reed, does not like Jane and has a very hard time doing this. She feels Jane was forced upon her family after the death of her parents. Against her husbands†¦show more content†¦Mrs. Reed then punished Jane by sending her into the red room, the room her uncle died in, for the entire night. While in the red room Jane became terrified and thought she saw or heard the flapping of wings. The treatment Jane received caused her to become bitter and to truly dislike Mrs. Reed. I am not deceitful: if I were, I should say I loved you, but I declare I do not love you: I dislike you the worst of anybody in the world except John Reed, and this book about the liar, you may give to your girl, Georgiana, for it is she who tells lies and not I. Jane then goes on to live at Lowood School. While at Lowood Jane meets a young girl named Helen Burns. Helen taught Jane many things about life and religion. Jane recalls a time when Helen was scolded for not cleaning her nails or washing her face. Mrs. Scatherd, throwing out the fact that the water was frozen proceeded to punish Helen by smacking her on the back of the neck with a bundle of twigs. Jane is amazed at Helens ability to accept the punishment, even though it was not Helens fault. Jane then asked Helen if she wanted to leave Lowood. 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