Paper short abstract:

In 2016 in Brussels the OJAE Team as an AJE-SIG co-hosted a teachers' seminar with the Belgian NK on the project Good Dialogue Testers, supported by the JF Cologne. This part exemplifies how such seminars in various EU regions can contribute to the sharing of a fair, transparent assessment method.

Paper long abstract:

The 3rd speaker presents the recent activities of the OJAE-Team as the AJE-SIG, inviting the JFL people to join the endeavor of OJAE, which in turn would contribute to the upskilling in assessing of the oral competence of JFL-users:

1. The OJAE Team conducted a teachers´ seminar in March 2016 in Brussels on its "Project: Good Dialogue Testers" (co-hosted with the Belgian NK; supported by the JF Cologne). The seminar with 4 groups (11 participants in 3 Groups +1 OJAE G with 4 members) proceeded as follows:

Step I:

(1) The presentation of the OJAE´s R&D

(2) Confirming speaking competence of B2 according to the CEFR-Table 3 "Common Reference Levels: qualitative aspects of spoken language use" (Jpn Translation, Yoshijima/Ōhashi 2004: 30-31)*

(3) OJAE-B2 test, conducted in Berlin in 2016, Testees N & S, 18-min. Film;

(4) Assessment Nr.1: individually > Common counting.

Step II:

(5) (brand-new) OJAE-Standard**

(6) OJAE-Test live on two testees, prior to the seminar recruited, B&A-S, students of the Univ. B;

(7) Assessment Nr.2: individually > common counting;

(8) Discussion → Results, being often conform, though with some "overt" differentiation.

2. Results and reflections:

a. OJAE-test with rather high validity, though exact analysis is still to come.

b. The gaps in assessment appear to be caused by the difference in the individual/inner scales as well as in the institutional benchmarking -> Efforts in standardization are needed definitely.

3. Towards the vitalization of the OJAE-SIG; Adaptation to each JFL-front lines

a. Planning and conducting of the similar seminars in other regions in EU with various languages & cultures in the background.

b. Improvement of the assessment (Creative Test/Task production; Prompt selection; hands-on workshops for Assessment-sheet, Feedback paper etc.)

*"Old Scale" in terms of the OJAE study

** "Brand-new" OJAE Table, incrementally-stratified