[etni] Fw: more on the oral Bagrut

----- Original Message ----- 
From: laurie ornstein - laurenmadeline@xxxxxxxxx
Subject: more on the oral Bagrut

Hi All,

I'd like to address the issue of the Oral Bagrut which is now on our plate. 
I do not believe we should do away with this exam module despite the clear 
difficulties that have been described both humorously and not.

I agree that to an extent, the test is subjective and not all testers stick 
tightly to the rubrics. I've felt this mostly as a tester who does grade 
according to the guidelines; more than once, I've had to justify and hold my 
stand on grades given to pupils which I believed were fair and accurate to 
the dismay of the teachers.

Sadly, there are still EFL teachers out there teaching in their mother 
tongue. As a counselor, I've been working hard to bring about a change in 
this situation. I think I've made a big dent in my schools; there's still a 
long way to go.

However, these are not reasons to get rid of the oral exam; oral proficiency 
is very high on my list.

How do we solve the problems raised? We need more counselors (and hours) to 
get out into the field and work with those teachers who lack EFL 
self-confidence, one of the main reasons for teaching in the mother tongue. 
We need more teacher mentors who could help with this, too. And we need more 
good teachers in the classroom! There's no need for me to explain "why" we 
lack top EFL teachers!

I do not spend much Oral Bagrut preparation time with my pupils; my 
classroom is an English-speaking environment. We speak almost only English 
all the time. Therefore, before the exam, we just spend some time getting 
organized to present our projects. The rest is easy.

Last, let me say that I do see some sunshine in this bleak picture. I've 
recently had the chance to do folk song and songwriting workshops at both 
Kaye College in Beersheva and the Academic Arab College for Education in the 
Haifa; these wonderful colleges are training top-notch students who will be 
fabulous teachers. I'm working with a Kaye College student teacher now in 
one of my schools and am very impressed. Keep up the good work!

Shabbat shalom,
Laurie



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