dictionaries on beginning level Russian tests?

[Andrew Jameson]

The English and Welsh school exam system (so-called GCSE exams, taken at age
16) for its modern language exams prepared for years to go over to a system
of language exams with dictionaries. Careful assessments were made as to
when and where dictionaries would be useful, dictionary skills were formally
taught so as to avoid dictionary howlers, rules were made about which
editions could be allowed, dictionaries were to be inspected before entry to
see nothing else was taken in inside them, everything was ready. Then
Baroness Tessa Blackstone became Education Minister, declared it was all
nonsense and stopped everything.
Somewhere on the internet you can probably find how it would have worked,
and it would have been a sensible reform which reflected real life.
(Language testing is as big a subject as language teaching, ask any TEFL
specialist:)
Andrew Jameson
Malvern UK.
 
  _____  

From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list
[mailto:SEELANGS at LISTSERV.UA.EDU] On Behalf Of Tchastnykh Valery
Sent: Wednesday, November 06, 2013 10:02 PM
To: SEELANGS at LISTSERV.UA.EDU
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] dictionaries on beginning level Russian tests?
 
Elena, no problm with using dictionaries. What's wrong about it?
Using a dictionary just gives a necessary aid to a learner. you use
dictionary if you don't know a word don't you?
Valeriy Chastnykh,
Russian course director,
Institute of Russian Language and Culture,
Moscow State University


Вторник, 5 ноября 2013, 13:45 -06:00 от Elena Nelson <elena.nelson at HTS.EDU>:
Hello Everyone,

I have one Beginning Russian student from Argentina who insists that it is
normal for students to use dictionaries when taking beginner-level tests. I
have told him why I do not permit dictionaries (one reason being that he
needs to memorize new vocabulary), but I am hoping to also get some input
from you as to whether you allow dictionaries on beginning level language
tests, and why/why not. This question had never occurred to me in the past,
because it just seems obvious to me that they are not used. Thank you!

Elena

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С уважением, 


Частных Валерий 

Best regards, 

Tchastnykh Valery
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