Reflect about a topic of study you have been considering for a long time and formulate 3-5 questions that might help you thoughtfully explore your topic. What types of literacies (i.e., sign systems) might you use to conduct your inquiry? What multiple communication forms might prove most helpful to your inquiry? In two to three paragraphs, consider how concentrating thoughtfully on central concepts and issues related to a theme differs considerably from problematic activity-based learning where teachers try to include all subject areas and students engage in shallow, superficial activities.
I prepare students for IELTS, SAT and USE (Unified State Examination in Russia). To do this, I completed a certified programme to prepare students for IELTS in 2015, a certified programme to prepare students for USE in 2019, and a certified programme to prepare students for SAT in 2021. Each of the exams has a different structure, time slots for assignments, and specifics in preparation strategies. One of my students is preparing for IELTS and SAT at once, while the other student is preparing for IELTS and USE. When I was asked to explain what I do with my students in my classes, I wrote
My IELTS preparation programme
1 Setting the ultimate goal of preparing for the IELTS exam, i.e. what the certificate is for and what the passing score there should be.
2 Familiarising yourself with the main parts of the exam (listening, interview, written and reading tasks), their content and duration.
3 Determining the strengths and weaknesses of the student's preparation for the exam (mock tests, level tests, interviews, etc.)
4 Working through each part of the exam in the order that best suits the student, e.g. listening first, then reading, writing and interviewing.
5 Preparation for each section of the exam according to the system: content of the section, assessment criteria, number of tasks or parts, examples of tasks, development of necessary skills for effective results.
6 Using modern interactive technologies to study vocabulary and grammar
7 Development of communication and research skills for quick adaptation to exam conditions
8 Ongoing support and feedback from the tutor
9 Understandable homework assignments to help develop skills and enjoy the learning process
10 Learning techniques to develop stress tolerance and concentration.
However, I cannot yet answer exactly what I am doing when I am preparing for the SAT and USE.
Therefore, the main questions of my research are:
1 What is my SAT preparation programme?
a What techniques and study aids work best for practice sessions?
b How to train the student as efficiently as possible in a short time,
2 What is my USE preparation programme?
a How much time does a high school student need to prepare for the exam?
b Do I need to explain the theoretical basis of the exam, e.g. types and criteria for grading tasks, so that students do better on practical tasks?
For example, when I started preparing my first student for the SAT using the lesson plans of my American colleagues, I encountered a complete lack of understanding on the part of the student not only of the terms, but also of how to find the correct answer in the tasks. He ended up passing his exam with a score of 630 out of 800 for reading and writing. In the case of the second student, I already took into account my mistakes in the methodology and the Belarusian student's lack of American school experience. So we started with Reading & language arts at Khan Academy (ELA Practice (Beta) | 2nd - 9th Grades, n.d.) from 2nd to 10th grade to fill the gaps in education. And it provides a more tangible result and understanding of the assignments. The difference between the first and second student's preparation is that in the first case the focus was on completing the assignments, without in-depth study of the syllabus that ends with the exam, while in the second case the preparation started from the very basics and understanding of the terms. In-depth study of a topic is often time-consuming, but is justified by the quality of the result.
References
ELA practice (beta) | 2nd - 9th grades. (n.d.). Khan Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/ela
