For this tutoring session, Anibal and I used another timed speaking practice. I had been thinking back to some of our other practice while looking at the TOEFL speaking rubric and realized that even though Anibal’s answers are getting better in terms of grammar and structure, he doesn’t always answer the questions on the topic. I explained to him that the TOEFL grading also focuses on content and I read over the rubric with him. I think this was important because he was able to see what was expected of him when he goes to take the exam. This time, I was also able to utilize some of the handouts that I have from observing Mr. Ryan’s speaking class. I demonstrated to Anibal that for the advice questions, he should write down his plan in order to stay on topic. I think that this also helped him answer the questions better.
My next tutoring session was with Turki. We met at the Starbucks on Tennessee Street, the usual spot, and started the session with a causal conversation about life and his short term English goals. Turki decided he didn't want to continue with the second session of CIES classes, and that he wanted to rather focus solely on passing the IELTS exam. He said he found the CIES classes to be helpful, but also distracting. He said he thinks he's gotten the most out of his classes and that it would be more productive for him to study on his own. Where I don't completely agree with his logic, it is his life and I trust his decision making. For this session he brought his own material that he wanted to focus on. This time it was a reading passage that I even found to be quite difficult, and I was once again impressed by his far reach in practice and ability. The reading passage was accompanied by a set of numerous comprehension questions that we reviewed and answered together. The qu...
Comments
Post a Comment