Background and Goals - part 11

Test 11 does not have a counterpart in the previous unit of testing. It is a test of how well the children have learnt colours, one of the themes of unit 2. The questions were asked in a group situation. Teachers found this easy to apply and felt the children liked it too. It is not clear if this is because of the situation of asking in the group or because of the subject of colours, which is always popular. It is probably a mixture of both factors. The test received an assessment of 3.4 for ease of giving it and 3.4 for how the children received it.

Test 12 is modeled on test 6. However it received a far higher assessment than its counterpart. This was felt to be that it is less "childish" in its demands: here the child is given a word from the parts of the body, e.g. nose; he/she must say I have one nose. If he hears eye, he/she must say I have two eyes. So the child is showing his /her understanding verbally instead of making "babyish" animal noises. This team game / test received an assessment of 3.5 for ease of giving it and 3.2 for how the children received it.

How were the test received and perceived by the children?

In general all the activities were enjoyed per se by the children. The activities often filled much of the lesson and the children found them fun and interesting. Teachers noted, however, that the drawing tests (tests 1, 2 and 7) were problematic as the children were worried about the quality of their drawing despite the teacher trying to assure them that it would be OK. Also test 6 was perceived as childish, especially from grade 3 upward. Test 12 was OK with the older children, but the younger ones had difficulty understanding what to do.

All teachers reported no anxiety from their children from 3rd grade upward. This is a major point. It indicates that the children feel confident with the teacher and with the program. Two out of the twelve teachers who filled in the questionnaires mentioned that 2nd graders were anxious about the tests, whereas 3rd and 4th graders were not. Also two teachers mentioned that 1st graders were often slow in the tests.

• English for Children - Background and Goals - Part 1
• English for Children - Background and Goals - Part 2
• English for Children - Background and Goals - Part 3
• English for Children - Background and Goals - Part 4
• English for Children - Background and Goals - Part 5
• English for Children - Background and Goals - Part 6
• English for Children - Background and Goals - Part 7
• English for Children - Background and Goals - Part 8
• English for Children - Background and Goals - Part 9
• English for Children - Background and Goals - Part 10
• English for Children - Background and Goals - Part 11
• English for Children - Background and Goals - Part 12
• English for Children - Background and Goals - Part 13
• English for Children - Background and Goals - Part 14
• English for Children - Background and Goals - Part 15