Mp3 players bring new life to speaking assessments
Mp3 technology has radically transformed the process of recording pupils’ speaking and listening assessments in the languages classroom. Maureen Gilchrist, Principal Teacher of Modern Languages at Holyrood Secondary School in Glasgow, explains how she records and saves a substantial collection of files for assessment.
We do not like to admit that our pupils often lead the way in the classroom. However, when it comes to digital music files, we most definitely do not have their expertise!
For far too long, modern languages teachers have had to record pupils and play listening materials using machinery that was by no means ideal. Cassette players mysteriously broke down in the middle of a listening or speaking test. Tapes snarled up in machines. Pupil voices were often virtually inaudible amidst the buzz of static.
Recording the speaking assessments
Recording the speaking assessments, whether for internal and external examinations, or for practice purposes, has always been challenging. Pupils have to be recorded by their own teacher on a one-to-one basis for examination purposes. Not only does the teacher have to find a quiet environment, but he or she also has to fit this in with a timetable of classes running as normal.
We have therefore turned to new technology in an effort to manage and improve this situation. With the help of one of our technicians, we have converted most of our listening materials to sound files which are stored on our local school server. They can be played on our classroom computers with speakers. This has allowed us to provide quality listening experiences without scrambling around for a particular CD.
Managing the assessments
In our school we present three languages (French, Spanish and Italian) at most levels. To achieve this, we have 15 teaching staff plus four language assistants. It is necessary to keep an enormous number of tapes and CDs for teaching and assessing on a day-to-day basis. We have approximately 600 tests to be recorded, mostly during a narrow timeframe (to give candidates the best preparation possible), including time for staff to complete the assessments. This does not take account of other difficulties, especially the 'nervous' pupil!
Choosing an mp3 player
The purchase of an mp3 player with 20 GB internal storage and voice recording facilities has been an amazingly good investment. The cost of these recorders does not even approach the cost of cassettes, which had to be new and were used only once. In addition, young people are much more comfortable and au fait with small digital appliances. Internal or tiny discreet microphones remove much of the anxiety associated with recording speaking tests with headsets and bulky machines.
Choosing a suitable mp3 player is crucial. There are many models on the market at very attractive prices, some of which would do a passable job but do not have the attributes necessary to fulfil our requirements. With our large numbers, we need the ability to catalogue immediately the names of those candidates being tested. Some players have an on-board file-naming facility, which allows the candidate’s name to be easily entered and saved, before or after the test, even in a particular folder (much like entering data in a mobile phone).
The longer-term storage of these sound files also requires careful planning. Memory capacity on school servers is very limited, and sound files are memory-rich. We purchased an external hard drive where we can upload files for storage and, if required, ‘burn’ individual candidate performances to CD for moderation purposes. A flash drive or memory card for each teacher also allows storage and access to the performances for marking via any computer. I would also advise duplication onto a separate hard drive or CDs, since small items can be mislaid or can malfunction.
Improving listening experiences
We have also used mp3 technology to improve our pupils' listening experiences. As the market expands, new gadgetry seems to appear by the month. Our latest acquisition has allowed us to film video clips of our foreign language assistants speaking on topics relevant to curricular areas. First of all we script the conversations with the assistants, ensuring the content is appropriate for at least two levels of National Qualifications. The files are then uploaded and stored on the mp3 player or hard drive. We can play the clip directly onto an interactive whiteboard via a USB connection, or we can 'burn' video clips onto a DVD to play on a television screen.
Our plan is to use commercial software to manipulate the text of these recordings so that it will:
- appear on screen (if desired)
- appear as gap-filling exercises
- appear as language practice exercises for pupils working in an ICT suite.
In all cases pupils can see the speaker, hear the language, and (if appropriate) have the text available on screen at the same time. This means that the same recording can be used by pupils with differing levels of capability if the task set (the outcome) is different. This minimises the amount of recording needed and teaches pupils to 'scan' the text or 'actively' listen, essential techniques in preparation for exams.
Management of the system should not be underestimated, but it is certainly a massive improvement on language labs or the PALE system, for those of us old enough to remember! We are convinced that it will enhance pupils' listening prowess and provide a better listening experience. This will in turn create a richer and more fruitful learning environment for both pupils and teachers.
Contact
Maureen Gilchrist
Holyrood Secondary School
100 Dixon Road
Crosshill
Glasgow
G42 8AU
Tel: 0141 582 0120
E-mail: MGILCHRIST@holyrood-sec.glasgow.sch.uk
Date posted: September 2005