New test for English teachers, students | Bangkok Post: news
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To me it appears quite obvious this test is not designed to get better teachers but rather to discourage most foreign teachers from bothering to seek these jobs at all.
Anyone native with a Bachelor's Degree in any subject does not need to have his or her English proficiency tested, it's totally pointless.
As for having a degree in Education, for what most schools pay they're lucky if they can get foreign applicants with a degree in any subject.
I think the true intent of this so called testing is to assure that only the children of the elite in high paying private schools learn English, and the hisos would prefer that the serfs not be able to communicate with the World.
This will be fun I am sure. From reading, the CEFR is merely a framework within which the test must be designed. Given that the Thais will develop the test, the potential for f*cking it up is enormous.Quote:
Originally Posted by birding
Unless they can put their ego aside, and engage real professional language experts (i.e. NOT THAI) to design the test they will end up (again) with a test that is so poor it cannot be used to judge anything.
Point is however, there must be a good dozen well establish, creditable and professional tests of English language ability - why not just pick one of those, and say a teacher must have above a certain score to teach?
It's probably intended to weed out the "native speakers" from Cameroon and other such countries.
As for the part below ...
That might be something very different. Will it include questions about the culture of Thailand? (i.e., not an English ability language question at all)Quote:
CEFR-T will be divided into 10 levels ranging from 1 for beginners to 10 for those who are language experts as it is an adaptation of the original CEFR for English-language teaching specifically in the context of Thailand.
I note that there is no mention of Thai English teachers being tested.
How is an English language test going to assess teaching ability?Quote:
"Foreign teachers will have to acquire at least level 7 which is equal to the B2 level of CEFR to become a schoolteacher. We need to make sure they are qualified teachers who can really teach, ...
I suppose many foreigners teaching in Thailand will be pleased if the quote below means exactly what it says.
Quote:
Mr Teerakiat said his next plan is to allow foreigners to submit their scores in the CEFR-T assessment for a teaching licence recognised by the Teachers' Council of Thailand so they will not have to apply for a waiver to teach without a licence every two years.
It's not but being at least B2 level in a language which you are teaching is a necessary precondition for being a good teacher - it's really hard to see what good you would do at a level lower than that.Quote:
How is an English language test going to assess teaching ability?
Quite. At the Rajabhat were I live, none of the most recent graduating cohort of BEd students was above A2, and quite a few were only A1 so on the new Thai scale, 1-3. However, they are all qualified (in a strictly legal sense, if not in any other) to teach English. Indeed, I would say that of the 20+ Thai teachers here, none of those in the BEd program and only two in BA program are C1 or C2 (which you really have to be to teach students majoring in a foreign language).Quote:
I note that there is no mention of Thai English teachers being tested.
Yes, it is. Countries work out what the framework means for their national language(s) in terms of structures, lexis, functions, etc. This obviously exists already for English as do a number of very good English tests which are calibrated to the CEFR levels. However, as you say, the Thai authorities have already decided to fuck with the levels (why split it into 10?) and it is an absolute nailed-on certainty that their exam will be utter shit. It will consist of reading (and perhaps listening) only and every question will be four-way multiple choice and as such it will totally useless for assessing on the CEFR scales. I guarantee it.Quote:
From reading, the CEFR is merely a framework within which the test must be designed.
No, I think that's wrong. Most of these things are just the natural activities of unrestrained government bureaucracy. Sometimes there may be an element of meeting some genuine need but often it's just an exercise in justifying or enlarging budgets, local fiefdoms, elevated place in the social hierarchy, etc. etc.Quote:
To me it appears quite obvious this test is not designed to get better teachers but rather to discourage most foreign teachers from bothering to seek these jobs at all.
There will in addition be accelerated learning for those with little time , but great life skills,via the brown envelope in the great tradition of the European framework of tea money.
They are trying
Perhaps it does mention them.Quote:
Originally Posted by birding
Perhaps the "teachers" mentioned in the first paragraph above are Thai teachers, as the next paragraph states that the test will also be used for foreign teachers.Quote:
The test, which will first be used among students and teachers to gauge their levels of proficiency, will eventually be accessible to Thais who wish to know their English-language proficiency for professional purposes.
Mr Teerakiat said the CEFR-T will also be used as a criteria to screen foreign English-language teachers.
There's something on the MOE website about this which says that CEFR-T has two purposes: (i) to be used for developing curricula and for evaluating students learning English and (ii) for evaluating foreigners teaching English.
From what I have seen, from my neighbours children's English grammar text books, wholesale editing might be in order. To illustrate Thai English text books with "native speaking" countries spelling, culture, situations and environmental aspects is somewhat odd.Quote:
Originally Posted by Neverna
But then the local Thai book producers would be out of work I suppose.
The French have a similar system in place but theirs is used to determine the teaching abilities of language schools by setting standards at specific stages of a child's education.. For my own purposes I have printed out this list of words in French and English with a view to expanding my French vocabulary. Others may find it useful.
Ressources- Echelle orthographique Dubois Buyse
It is quite extraordinary that a very young child is expected to be familiar with the word "pipe" as well as "mam" and "dad". :)
It's for the Catholics. It's found in collocations of 'smoke the priest's...'Quote:
It is quite extraordinary that a very young child is expected to be familiar with the word "pipe" as well as "mam" and "dad"
Sounds like a positive step forward. Many falang hab poor Engrish. Better leave to Thai teacher.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILkAY58If9Q