Methodology for Preparing Undergraduate Students for the TOEFL Preparation Course

Abstract Book of the 8th World Conference on Teaching and Education

Year: 2025

[PDF]

Methodology for Preparing Undergraduate Students for the TOEFL Preparation Course

Dr. Sylvia Rossi

ABSTRACT:

Preparation for the TOEFL Test requires learners to study five skills of English: listening, structure, reading, writing, and speaking (Phillips, 2003; Barron´s, 2015). Normally, these different skills are taught separately, focusing on the particular structure points of each skill. This results in an overwhelming amount of content for students to manage independently, which may lead to feeling demotivated to accomplish the task of preparing for the exam. Thus, it is of utmost importance to prepare an organized and thorough methodology that sparks the learners’ interest, and makes them feel committed and motivated to learn the content. The methodology consists of creating instructor-created tasks that enhance the noticing of important concepts leading to a successful outcome of the student’s assessment. Each set of skills is introduced with appropriate visual content, explanations, and a variety of practice exercises in the form of both group work and individual assessment. Active class participation is essential in challenging the students, where activities in the form of presentations take place. A few different approaches to teaching are considered, depending on whether the courses were face-to-face or online. Furthermore, it is found that transitioning from simpler skills to more challenging ones is key for guiding learners toward a successful learning outcome. Finally, it is explained how alternating different types of exercises is important in the student´s learning process to maintain prolonged interest. Specific examples involving the methodology of teaching diverse skills are provided.

Keywords: assessment, exercises, english, skills, teaching