Marco and I met during the lunch break today so that I could help him with his reading practice for he TOEFL. It was actually a very interesting hour. Other than knowing what the test is and being familiar with the rubrics we have looked at in our TEFL class, I didn't have much prior knowledge about the contents of the test. Today I observed how he read for comprehension in order to answer the questions in the book.
Instead of reading the passage as a whole, Marco was trying to find the answers as if on a treasure hunt. After finding out from him what "test day" looks like (he told me the passage will be projected, that they will have the questions, and that they should only spend 1 minute and 20 seconds per question), I discussed with him a better test taking strategy than his treasure hunt approach. Each section we dealt with had a maximum of 3 multiple choice questions. I suggested that he read one or two of the questions (just the questions, not the choices) for focused reading, and then read the passage as a whole for the gist and for a general outline (key points and their supporting details). Then answer the questions.
While it was still difficult, he seemed to have a better sense of needing to remember the gist of the whole passage so that the questions and choices could read with context in mind. Before, he was reading the questions and choices without the context of the passage already circulating in his brain. I could see the light bulbs turning on with some of the questions. He was able to eliminate certain choices without a second thought, and then struggle to sort through the remaining possible (and kind of tricky) options until choosing the right one most of the time. I also had to get him not to skip the instructions for each passage, showing him that sometimes they asked for him to choose one answer, and at other times to choose all correct answers (some had two correct answers).
Marco seems to stay in the bottom up, intensive mode in all he decodes (listening and reading). He definitely needs to be pushed towards extensive listening and reading, as well as more conversation for fluency rather than accuracy (he tries to pronounce everything correctly, self-correcting every few words). I am afraid that, as our book mentions, he is one of the students who, though eager, will be a slow learner due to his "intensive" tendencies. He feels the pressure to take the exam and get into grad school. I am afraid it will be an uphill climb that may take longer than he expects. I hope I am wrong. He is a really nice guy. I want him to win.
No comments:
Post a Comment