English tests

One of the best speakers I've listened to recently spoke in almost flawless English and he was only in his early twenties. Fresh from college he went on to work as a language training officer conducting seminars to those who aim to improve their command of the English language. What amazed me was the fact that his field of study was not even English. He finished a BA in political science but was tapped to be an English language trainer because of the excellence he exhibited in using the English language.

In that seminar among English teachers of the country my theory that giving oral exams is the best method of improving the language facility of students was affirmed. "We were never given any written exam in English in that school where I studied from Kindergarten and we all are doing great in the field of communication," said the young trainer.

This is not to undermine written tests, but they are not the only measurement to a student's capability. The best way to find out how much a student has learned about the language is to make her use it in actual setting.

The written type of tests still have their own function but they do not accomplish much. Tests in English should be centered on the student's capability to use the language with ease and spontaneity.

I'm a non-native speaker of English

How can a non-native speaker of English expect other non-native speakers to speak or write in perfect or flawless English? I don't. I am not a purist and I always believe that nobody is perfect, not even native speakers can claim perfect knowledge of the international language. We know that language is alive and it evolves everyday, so.

English, as is true with other fellow Filipinos, is only second language to me. I learned the language when I first went to school but it was so easy to learn it because by nature English is so built that it comes out handy like a laptop that you can carry or use anywhere.

Later in Grade V I discovered the beauty of reading and that was when my interest in the language reached its peak. I read voraciously and English became my favorite subject back then. It was so easy to get good grades in the subject and so I thought maybe this was where my future career lay. Pursuing a degree leading to the further study of my favorite subject became a matter of course.

As an English teacher now I know it is next to impossible to expect perfection from students. Minor problems in grammar and pronunciation may be overlooked in favor of communication which is the end-all of language learning. Developing the students' interest and confidence in using the language is one agendum that English teachers need to accomplish first and foremost.

Let our students speak and use the language naturally without being bogged down by technical difficulties. As soon as they have acquired this good habit of using it wherever they are inside the campus, then you can move higher. But first, help them get started.