Date: Sunday, March 4, 1:30 - 4:00 p.m.
Place: Hokkai Gakuen University (6th Floor International Conference Room in Library Building)
Cost: Free for everyone :-)

The New TOEIC Test:
Understanding and Overcoming the Challenges

Presenter: Grant Trew, Oxford University Press

Abstract: The TOEIC Test is the primary tool for assessing English proficiency in Japan and a good score has become a common prerequisite for job and academic placement and advancement. Because of its importance, TOEIC test preparation courses have become a standard part of both College/University and private language teaching curriculums.

The change to the test format in May 2006 has significant implications both for students and educators, who will need both an understanding of the changes and appropriate preparation to deal with them.

This workshop aims to clarify the changes to the test, highlight the impact and implications for both test takers and teachers and present some approaches to overcoming the problems Japanese learners are likely to face.

During this workshop the presenter will give examples of the new format and use interactive tasks to highlight some of the key challenges test takers will face. Participants will then be introduced to activities that can be used to prepare students to improve their scores. It is intended that participants will leave the workshop with a better understanding of the changes and how these are likely to affect their students and programs, and also with a stock of techniques to better deal with these changes. All participants will receive a free copy during the presentation written in the language of their choice.

Bio: Grant Trew, an expert in testing and a long-time instructor of exam technique, has recently authored the Official Oxford University Press Japan Teacher's Guide to the TOEIC Test.

Report: On Sunday, March 4, 2007 we had a presentation by Grant Trew speaking about the new TOEIC test. Grant has been an item writer for ELT, the company that developed the TOEIC test and has written a book called, Oxford Tactics for the TOEIC test. Grant's presentation consisted of going over each part of the test and discussing the strategies that would best suit a student trying to do well on the test. Grant is a great speaker and using personal experience and professional knowledge he was able to break down the test to allow us to see how it works and how best to teach our students for this test. He discussed what he called the perfect TOEIC course and pointed out that teachers need to construct their lessons to cover both test taking skills and test taking strategies. Although he did his best not to sound like he was pushing his own writing on this topic it was easy to see that he has a firm understanding of TOEIC and that his book might be a good place to find valuable resources for the teacher.

--Reported by Bricklin Zeff

新ＴＯＥＩＣテスト：理解とチャレンジすべき箇所の対策

ＴＯＥＩＣテストは日本における英語力評価の第一基準であり、仕事や学校での配置や昇進においては、ＴＯＥＩＣで高得点を得ることが前提条件となっています。その重要性から、ＴＯＥＩＣテストの準備コースは短大や大学および英語学校における標準的なカリキュラムになっています。

２００６年５月からテスト形式がリニューアされました。これにより、指導者および生徒が変更を理解し、適切な準備が必要となり、両者へ大きな影響を及ぼすことになりました。 今回のワークショップでは、リニューアルしたテストを明らかにし、受験生および指導者両者への影響を取り上げ、日本人学習者が直面しがちな問題の対策について説明いたします。

ワークショップでは、プレゼンターが新形式の例をあげ、受験者が直面するチャレンジすべき重要箇所を理解していただくために、指導者および受験者両者からのアプローチをご説明いたします。その後、スコアアップのために使用することができるアクティビティを紹介いたします。 今回のワークショップに参加することでリニューアルについてより良く理解していただき、生徒や先生方のプログラムにどのように影響するかを知り、このような変更に対するテクニックを学んでいただけたらと考えております。

受験指導の第一人者であるグラント・トゥルーにより、オックスフォード大学出版局株式会社からＴＯＥＩＣテスト指導の手引が発行されます。説明会に参加した皆様に日本語版および英語版からご希望のものを無料でお配りさせていただきます.