Lower Main Suite exams - Nagoya

I had an early start on Saturday morning, driving down to Nagoya at dawn. It was a beautiful crisp morning, and not too much traffic. Unfortunately, because of an unannounced room change I could not find the exams - not a promising start.

My mission today was to monitor the performance of the oral examiners - despite the large number of candidates I still had to scurry from room to room so I could catch all of our OEs in action. I'm glad I filled in as much as I could on the checklists before I left - was very hectic! Lunch didn't exist, as the supervisors were not too clever with their packing drill - an annoying situation as there was plenty of potential for a mistake/lost scripts.

The afternoon session was more of the same; I was hoping to check on invigilating as well, but the speaking tests took a bit longer than planned, and the written papers were all done by the time we were done with the speaking tests. I am glad I managed to see all of our OEs in action - some more than others - as it is very important that quality is maintained and that examiners are kept up to par. It is very easy to let bad habits slip into our performance; it is just as important that examiners who are doing a good job are told as much.

OE Team bonding in Nagoya

OE Team bonding
Originally uploaded by ijiwaru jimbo

Over the weekend I was asked to train a new group of Oral Examiners at Mejio University in Nagoya....and I was delighted to do so.

I think it is clear that everyone had a good time, and got on very well together, even though many were meeting each other for the first time on Saturday morning. By Sunday afternoon, organiser Naoki was confident that the ladies would catch him!

Training follows a fairly standard procedure, which I'll not bore you with again. I will say that I always enjoy listening to professional teachers applying their unique classroom experiences to the materials & videos. There is always something new to consider and to use positively, and generally of benefit to all present (not just for examining, but in terms of professional development).

These workshops are also very good settings for teachers to make new professional contacts. It is pretty easy after two days to figure out whose opinion you would like to have on certain issues, whose advice you trust etc. It is unusual for teachers to have this opportunity without having to make a presentation, and then the dynamic is quite different. Here, a sense of 'all in this together' is reassuring non-threatening, as everyone is learning something new and having to reappraise their own performances quickly.

I had a good weekend, then. Busy, hard-work, but very enjoyable. Well done attendees and thanks very much indeed for your patience and professional attitude. Look forward to seeing you in action in March.

Examiners in action

Saturday saw eight of our recently trained oral examiners get the chance to examine 'real' candidates as Luna International conducted the first session of KET & PET exams at Meijo University in Nagoya.

It was an early start for Yuki & Jim, leaving the office at 4am in order to avoid traffic problems. Another early start is becoming a bit of a routine. Supervisor Jun managed things calmly all day, and I am pleased to say that with an abundance of invigilators and ushers, everything went very smoothly. The amount of paperwork and sorting, checking, securing can be stressful, so it was important that everyone was shown what was expected of them nad how to handle 'what ifs?'

Thank you Yuki for being on the ball all day, and to Jun for 'being the boss'. Thank you and well done OEs, invigilators and ushers, and fingers-crossed for all the candidates that they did as well as they hoped. Results will be available to them in about six weeks, online.

Next KET & PET session will be on June 6th at various venues - enter now!

Nagoya - OE training

Last weekend Luna was invited to train a large group of teachers and staff from Meijo University in Nagoya. This was a big honour for us and one we were delighted to accept. Jim spent Saturday and Sunday at Meijo High School in downtown Nagoya, demonstrating how examiners should deliver the speaking tests of KET & PET; how they should manage time, materials, and unexpected situations, and how of course they should assess candidates' performances.

Easily said, but quite a task to bring a room full of teachers together to pool all their experiences and do something 'new'. On Saturday we focused particularly on making sure everyone understood what they were supposed to be doing and how, changing partners regularly and encouraging a free exchange of ideas and opinions (and there were plenty to be expressed!).

On Sunday, we changed things around a bit, to think about the impact the examiner's demeanor and physical performance have on the candidates, not just their spoken delivery of the script. We also thought about the exams from the candidates' perspective, and how the examiner should respond (or not) to manifestations of eg nerves, panic, stage-fright. Examiners were also shown how the new online resource for oral examiners will really make a big difference to their professional development as teachers and as examiners; we practiced using the site and explored the facilities that are now available 24 hours a day, every day of the year - and not just when Jim comes to town!

By the end of two, very intense days of study, a very tired but satisfied (and qualified) group of fresh oral examiners joined our ranks. Most will be examining at KET & PET levels next month, as the university initiates its adoption of Cambridge ESOL examinations. This is a really exciting step, with Luna very much at the forefront.

Jim wants to say well done to all the teachers who attended over the weekend, and to thank the staff at the school for looking after him so nicely. He is looking forward to meeting the next group of new OEs in April.