Re: Hello from Bangkok
 

Hello Eric,

I love your site...it's very ressourceful!
I teach ESL to adults through agencies but would like to teach on my own. Can you give me ideas on how I can evaluate them?

Thank you very much!

Natalie

Re: Hello from Bangkok
 

Thanks, and welcome to the site!

Well, what have been your goals for the class? Has it been to improve their comfort level speaking? Has it been to improve pronunciation? Has it been to write better? Or do you teach everything in class (ie. listening reading, writing, speaking)?

After you know the goals of your class, then you will be able to grade them on those criteria:

Pronunciation: 1 - 10
Confidence: 1 - 10
etc...

It can also be helpful for you and confident booster for them if you test them at the beginning of the term and then halfway through and then at the end. Therefore they will see improvement, you will see areas that need improvement and in the end they will actually feel like they were successful.

I hope that helps,
Eric

Re: Hello from Bangkok
 

Actually, I would like to know how I can evaluate a client before the client starts a class in order to place him/her at a certain level. I have never evaluated the level of a client before. Is there a standard test that I can give the client?

Thank you,

Natalie

Re: Hello from Bangkok
 

Natalie

I'm not sure if there is a standard test available and even if there is, it still might not work for your curriculum.

So, here is what i have done to level test adult and young adult students.

First you need to evaluate the levels of the classes you offer. Let's say you offer a beginner, intermediate and an advanced level English class. Look what the core structures you are teaching in those classes.

For example, you might be teaching simple past and future in your beginner class, past continuous and present continuous in intermediate and so on...

Then, write 15 questions down to interview the student. These questions should go from easy questions to hard questions(easy simple past, easy simple future, hard simple past, hard simple future, easy past continuous, easy present continuous, hard...).

So questions 1 through 5 would be beginner level questions, 6 through 10 would be intermediate level and 11 - 15 would be advanced. If a student aces the first 5 questions but then starts to have troubles with the second set of 5 and can't even answer any of the last 5, you'll know they are an intermediate level student.

Additionally, if you are not testing them orally (i think you should test them orally if speaking/listening are the main components of the class), you could also make a similar written test.

The test doesn't have to be long, it just needs to be relevant to what you are teaching. I'm sure you could write one in about 30 minutes.

i hope that helps,
eric

Re: Hello from Bangkok
 

Hi Eric,

Thank you very much for the help!!! I really appreciate it!

Natalie