Cross-posting from LinkedIn - Speaking Examiner training

It's taken a few days to get my voice back!March 28th - training for Cambridge Assessment English speaking examiners (SEs) at A2 & B1 levels in Tokyo was such a popular ticket that Kawaijuku JP026 doubled the registration and were STILL over-subscribed.

Participants rubbed shoulders with colleagues from JHS & HS settings, ALTs as well as homeroom teachers; language school & Eikaiwa teachers; university teachers/lecturers/assistant professors from across the Greater Tokyo area + a journeyman from Osaka. PhDs, Masters, DELTAs & CELTAs in abundance + a blizzard of different passports & previous teaching experiences...all of which went into the mix so that we can deliver these speaking tests to globally recognised standards & assess with analytical confidence.

Great to see some SEs getting back into the team after being sidelined by work elsewhere, and others joining us from Centres overseas &/or stepping up to add new levels having proven their own "Can Do". And the newbies realising they were in the right place, just stuff was a lot harder than imagined?

March 29th - Certification - is 'prove it' day. Many learnings to take in during training, a chance to fine tune interlocution chops & table management/non-verbal skills...and thoroughly apply detailed assessment criteria to two individual performances in a paired format, quickly.

As usual, I learned a lot. Inevitable, in a room of 32 teachers, each of whom has 3,000+ classroom hours under his/her belt - that's a LOT of experience :)
Frequently bailed out by my TL colleague Damian Gowland, and corrected by our superb SE Personnal Manager Keiko Ohashi & big TY to all participants for staying the course & coming out smiling!

Can't wait to start processing applications for B1 & B2 training, Tokyo, July 11-12. Find all the details (and apply soon - this session is bound to be much sought after!) https://lnkd.in/g-i8U6MW

A busy weekend - ESOL

Yukari & I were not looking forward to driving half way across the country with our little children last Friday; the fact that it snowed all that day and into the night as we prepared to leave didn't help us relax. However, despite the dangerous conditions and heavy Friday night truck traffic around Nagoya, we needn't have worried - kids fast asleep as the miles swept by.

Yukari attended a meeting of Centre Exams Managers - the people responsible for the administration of Cambridge Centres (remember, Luna is one?) and all the exams we offer. This is a lot of work, with a lot of important little details that have to be done accurately and be well planned out. Eg our 2012 exam dates have already been set & venues set up; new software has been installed and new materials sourced. It was a good opportunity for CEMs from across the country to be briefed on new developments, security issues, announcements etc - and to meet each other.

Jim attended a meeting with QC line managers from Korea & Taiwan, and peer Team Leaders (TLs) based in Hyogo & Kyushu. This was an excellent opportunity for two-way discussion of examiner performance, monitoring, and statistical analysis. It also meant we were put on the spot to submit marks as all our speaking examiners are in training & certification meetings. I was wrong, and I know why. All part of the learning curve.

Our children slept at odd angles in the car as we drove home on Sunday night, Yukari & I chatted about our experiences. She is new to the CEM job, clearly, after Yuki's ten-year occupancy. She is reassured to have met the rest (mostly) of ESOL in Japan. It is an enormous job which in other countries is a job on its own.

We hope in future we can all reduce the travel, time, cost & family burdens if such meetings - of course face to face meetings are irreplaceable...but we both feel a monthly Skype or webinar much more useful long-term. So, the weekend a regular step in the right direction; let's hope my kids won't have to cope with another 10 hours/2 nights in the car when tech can do the job.