So here is the scenario:

I teach both grade 1 and 3 in high school this year. I taught grade 3 last year, but grade 1 is new to me this year.

On day two of the semester I gave out their midterm speaking test scenarios (only 3 of them). 1st grade also found their speaking test partners that day as well.

3rd grade found out last week (They are third grade, have had me before, and should be able to have these conversations already)


Regardless of the fact that I have given their speaking test questions to them almost 2 months in advance, have given specialized lessons with at least 1 day spend on a game or video set that covered key word phrases used in each of the speaking test, and spending and entire class on script writing their conversation answers, I am still getting messages from students saying that "this is hard."

me:

you have had your questions for almost two months now
1st grade has known their speaking test partner since day 2
3rd grade has had speaking tests proctored by me before
I have covered each scenario in depth with their own lessons
I have given you an entire class to write your answers with two teachers in the class to ask for help if needed
I have opened up my facebook or Kakao to anyone who needs help to message me and ask
This is a conversation test between two students
The test is to have a conversation of at least 2 minutes
This means each student just has to talk for 1 minute


Them: Teacher, even though the test is in three days, I just started yesterday.... This is so hard


Me: idgaf at this point- I have done my job



Has anyone else put this much effort in a conversation class towards a speaking test and encountered students still doing work at the last minute and complaining?

Only one student bothered to ask me for help with a script through social media (yes I helped them with it)

But seriously, after all this time, there is little I could have done to make the test easier than it already is.

Well my coteacher also knows I gave them the answers on day two. I also went over in detail the type of conversation each is and what each conversation should include.

Since 27 students is my highest class, that is only 14 groups aka 28 minutes. I am even giving them about 10 minutes to study before the test in class after going through what the test will look like, how it will be given, and the guidelines for losing points again.

My coteacher even told me

"They will have trouble. Of course they deserve it."


me: awesome coteacher who understands for the win

Kudos for putting in all the effort, but I think to expect them to begin studying 2 months ahead of time, even if you give the material to them way early is not realistic. That's so far off that they have a lot of things competing for their time before that. 

I understand your frustration but also look at it from the students' point of view. Your speaking test (I presume) is worth 10% of their overall English score. On top of that, they have lots of other subjects and such to study for so yes, a lot of them will leave it to the last minute. 

I don't give my students any speaking test material until 1-2 weeks before the actual test because I know they won't study it until just a few days before the actual test. I know as a student myself, I typically did the same when I was in high school and uni. There's nothing wrong with putting all that effort in, and you should commended for it. But I would set more realistic expectations because you are setting yourself up for disappointment.

This isn't a Korean thing in the least. Where I am in the States, give kids several days to build something, tell them which materials they have to bring, and find that they start on the day before it's due and complain that you didn't give them the things you told them to bring themselves.

my experience teaching HS students: if it's not on the suneung, they won't give a crap. your speaking tests might be worth some small percentage of their coursework mark, but in the grand scheme of things that's such a small percentage that it's completely meaningless to them. instead they're too busy focused on studying some obscure english grammar point that no-one has used since 1912. and this starts even from 1st grade HS.

that might sound negative, but i mean it in a good way. if you adjust your expectations accordingly, you won't be quite so disappointed. expect no-one to do the work, and be surprised and give a lot of praise to the students who do. they will appreciate it and really remember it.

i've sure we all had subjects at school and/or university we didn't care about, and put minimal effort into. for a lot of these HS students, that subject is english conversation class. sucks since that's what we teach, but yeah.

I've done these speaking tests before.

As was mentioned before: Have the students create something the week before. They present their creation the next class period. Collect their work sense some will lose it.

The day of the speaking test: Give the students their material back. Give them 10 minutes to practice. Ask for volunteers. If no one volunteers, have the group that went previous select the next group.

**Important note: Give the students general feedback the same class period. And send their grades to their main teacher the same day.