at what price victory?

The South Korean news (Chosun Ilbo) recently reported on a cheating scandal perpetrated by a Korean company called (appropriately enough) Hackers. The company teaches English conversation and test prep courses.

Staff of Hackers Group, one of the best-known English test preparation services in Korea, have been indicted on charges of illegally recording questions from official English language proficiency tests. Prosecutors said Hackers Group mobilized around 50 staff to record test questions over a four-year period.

"Through organized efforts to leak test questions, Hackers Group was able to achieve W100 billion (US$1=W1,122) in annual sales and W36 billion in net profit just eight years after its establishment," a prosecution spokesman said. Lax attitudes to copyrights that pervade Korean society and the belief that any means are justified to achieve high standardized test scores are the reasons such abuses continue, he added.

The Seoul Central Prosecutors Office on Monday said the 50-year-old chairman of Hackers Group identified only by his surname Cho instructed staff to sit 49 Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) and 57 Test of English Proficiency (TEPS) tests in order to steal the copyright-protected questions between 2007 and early this year.

Prosecutors said staff memorized the test questions or used special devices to record the questions and then posted them on the company's website almost in real time and deleted them the following morning in order to avoid detection. The company then had its native English teachers review and touch them up for use as materials.

The article goes on to note that Hackers "vehemently denies the charges," but my own experience while living in South Korea tells me that the charges are probably true. TOEFL is, for example, key for those wishing to study in the US; Korean students comprise the bulk of TOEFL test-takers, and most US universities require a TOEFL score as part of the applicant's dossier. As a result, teaching mastery of TOEFL is big business in South Korea, and with so much money at stake, unsavory elements in the business world smell profits. This critique is not meant to discredit the sincere efforts of Korean students who only want to follow their dreams: I'm merely pointing out that certain cynical businessmen are willing to forgo ethics in their rush to capitalize on a trend.

So much of the Korean test-prep business is a racket based on poorly conceived pedagogy. Ideally, Korean students need to learn how to think through a test, not how to memorize "the 100 most likely TOEFL writing topics" or any of that nonsense. Many Koreans study English for years without achieving more than mediocre competence. This has less to do with student aptitude than with poor teaching methodology, I think. Of course, with something as nebulous as language teaching, there's no single method that works for everyone, which is why there will always be a plethora of "new" teaching methods-- most of which are ineffective-- promoted by people with no real notion of language curriculum design.

The problem with stealing actual test questions is that the stolen questions, when taught, prepare students only for those particular testing situations and do nothing to improve general fluency. Such teaching also hurts the students in the long run: they use the purloined questions to achieve artificially high scores, then come to the US (essentially on false pretenses) with an over-inflated sense of their own linguistic competence. Once it becomes obvious that they cannot keep up with other classmates in courses involving, say, rapidfire lecture or discussion-- not to mention lengthy research papers-- they realize they've been hoodwinked. Or hacked, in this instance.*

Personal note: I once applied to work for Hackers, way back in 2002 or 2003. I ended up teaching at Sookmyung Women's University instead, and I've never regretted that decision.

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*Of course, some students realize what's going on and simply don't care: all they want is the Ivy League name on their résumé so, as the article notes, they're in it only for the high score. When prestige matters more than integrity, something is dreadfully wrong.


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endurance

Whether you're taking the SAT, the GRE, or the TOEFL, the harsh fact of the matter is that you'll be undergoing an endurance test. Such standardized exams aren't merely a measure of your verbal and mathematical ability; they're also a test of your stamina and willpower.

All of these tests are somewhere in the neighborhood of four hours long. If you're tired during the first hour, it's hard to imagine how well you'll do during the final three. If you're pumped up with nervous energy at the beginning, but feel yourself crashing by the halfway point, you're toast.

Takers of the computer-based GRE are allowed a ten-minute break after the first couple hours; it's the only official break (other breaks may be possible by special request, but I don't think they stop the clock for you). High schoolers taking the SAT I will normally get several short breaks (about five minutes) and one long break (about 30 minutes). For TOEFL takers, ETS gives one sanctioned break and allows testers to take additional breaks without stopping the clock.

Obviously, most testers will prefer to tough it out and stay at their desk except during the mandatory breaks. This means that, before the test, testers should get themselves mentally and physically ready for the ordeal ahead.

The most common and long-standing piece of advice is to sleep well the night before the test. Another bit of practical wisdom is to work on practice problems just before going to sleep so as to be in the proper frame of mind on test day. Manhattan Prep's GRE blog also recommends watching one's nutrition: a tester should eat well and go for complex carbs and natural sugars on the morning of the test: oatmeal, wheat bread, fruit, etc. will break down slowly, releasing energy in a steady stream, thus reducing the chance of a high-and-crash, such as when one eats processed sweets (think: candy, Pop Tarts, etc.).

What you do before the day of the test will affect your performance on the test. If you cram the day before, sleep fitfully the night before, wake up tired and anxious the morning of the test, and feel yourself drowsing (or becoming generally unfocused) during the test, you aren't doing yourself any favors, and you shouldn't be surprised at your low score when test results are sent out.

Keep in mind that knowledge isn't enough for these standardized tests: endurance matters.


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sharpening your TOEFL listening skills

For students looking to improve their TOEFL listening skills, the TED Talks website is a wonderful tool:



TED Talks ("TED" stands for "Technology, Entertainment, and Design") are brief, entertaining lectures under 20 minutes in length, given by innovative thinkers from a variety of fields-- lab science, information technology, the arts, and business among them. Some of the lecturers speak at a blazingly fast rate; others lecture a bit more slowly and naturally.

Because the TOEFL exam involves a large, academically-themed listening component (even the Integrated Writing section involves listening), the importance of developing good listening skills cannot be stressed enough. The short TED Talks offer TOEFL students a marvelous opportunity to watch and listen to-- repeatedly if necessary-- the sorts of lectures that would occur on the TOEFL as a way of developing their note-taking and listening comprehension skills. But how? you ask. How can I use TED Talks to help me on the TOEFL? Here are several suggestions.

Method A: Note-taking

1. Watch a video. TED Talk videos are almost always less than 20 minutes long.

2. Wait a couple hours, then re-play the video, this time taking notes, BUT DO NOT WATCH: merely listen to the video (cover your monitor with something). On the TOEFL, as you know, you will hear extended lectures with no video; you should simulate those conditions at home.

3. From your notes, try to distill three or four main ideas from the presentation.

4. Write a paragraph that succinctly summarizes the talk you just heard.

Method B: Transcription

View the video once without doing anything else. Wait a few hours, then view it again, using one or both of the following tactics:

1. Try transcribing the first two minutes of the video you've selected. As accurately as possible, write down every word the speaker utters, adding appropriate punctuation. Ignore any stammering or random utterances (such as "uh..."). The result of your efforts should be a script. Or, alternatively:

2. If you feel you've caught a lot of information from your first viewing, find the most interesting part of the video, and try transcribing two minutes from that section. Check with me to verify the accuracy of your transcription. (Tutoring rates apply!)

The TOEFL exam's primary focus is on academic speaking and writing. TED Talks-- even the more artistic ones-- are all academic in nature, which makes the TED website a marvelous resource for TOEFL students. But keep in mind that the Net is large: TED is not the only website with material. YouTube is a perfectly good source as well; type a topic into YouTube's search window, and you'll find plenty of professorial lectures there, too.

There's no way to improve language skills except by using language. Practice speaking, reading, and writing, and be clever in finding ways to practice listening. Ask yourself the "Five W" questions as you listen: who, what, when, where, and why? Who is the lecturer?* Who is his/her audience? About whom is the lecturer speaking? What is the speaker lecturing about? What are three major points the lecturer makes in his/her presentation? As for when: is the lecturer talking about the present? The future? A moment in history that is somehow relevant to our present and/or future? As for where: what parts of the world does the lecturer reference? Does geography or environment play a role in the speaker's presentation? Does the speaker's talk have local or global or cosmic or even metaphysical implications? Why is this talk important? In what way is it relevant to the audience and/or humanity in general?

Listening is not merely a passive activity; you need to be engaged and questioning while you're listening, not merely nodding your head. Be proactive so that you can succeed on the TOEFL, and consider using TED Talks (or other online resources) as a way to study.

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*You may have to do some outside research to figure this out.


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on tackling some aspects of the TOEFL

Excerpted from an email to a friend who will soon be taking the TOEFL:

The TOEFL rating scale for Integrated and Independent Writing is roughly:

5 = nearly perfect English (very good, natural flow, almost no errors, almost native-quality, excellent organization/coherence)
4 = very good English, with several grammar/spelling/mechanics mistakes and some weakness in essay structure; good coherence
3 = moderate English; many frequent mistakes, unnatural-sounding English, but ideas and content are fairly clear; some coherence
2 = below-average English; the frequency of mistakes impedes comprehension; little coherence
1 = nearly-incomprehensible English; no coherence at all
0 = wrote in a foreign language, or merely re-copied the prompt, or wrote nothing

The key to getting through the Integrated Writing section is to remember that the reading section covers three main points, and the listening section covers those same three points, but the person speaking is REBUTTING the points made in the reading. To write the essay correctly, you have to understand both the three points in the reading and the three points in the audio lecture. Otherwise, it's impossible to get a 5.

Hypothetical Integrated Writing Example:

Let's assume the reading passage covers these three points:

We know global warming is problematic because (a) the rise in global temperatures is directly correlated to the rise in industrial waste heat; (b) according to many scientists, the accumulation of carbon dioxide is trapping the sun's heat in our atmosphere; and (c) cold regions that used to enjoy low average temperatures are now experiencing dangerous melts.

The speaker might respond this way:

It is not obvious that global warming is problematic because (a) first, correlation is not causation, so it is illogical to assume that industrial waste heat is the direct cause of any warming trend; (b) second, there is good scientific evidence that solar activity is the cause of the periodic release of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, and that this effect is far more powerful than anything humankind has produced; and (c) finally, it is not obvious that a warming-up of colder regions is necessarily a bad thing for humanity or for other forms of life.

Your job will be to write a quick essay that summarizes all six points from the reading and the audio lecture.

The two best essay formats for this are

[Format 1]
1st Paragraph: Point A (reading passage), Rebuttal A (lecture)
2nd Paragraph: Point B (reading passage), Rebuttal B (lecture)
3rd Paragraph: Point C (reading passage), Rebuttal C (lecture)

(or)

[Format 2]
1st Paragraph: Points A, B, and C (reading)
2nd Paragraph: Rebuttals A, B, and C (lecture)

Example of a good 5-level essay:

In the reading passage, the author notes that global warming is problematic. He gives three reasons for this. First, he claims that the rising of worldwide temperatures corresponds to a rise in industrial waste heat, which is produced by people. Second, he argues that there is scientific evidence that carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere is retaining the sun's heat, thereby increasing global temperatures. Third, he contends that cold regions of the planet are becoming warmer, resulting in dangerous melting.

The lecturer, however, disagrees with the author of the reading passage. She first counters that "correlation is not causation," which means that it is not logical to assume that two rising trends, global temperature and industrial waste heat, are necessarily associated with each other. Second, she refutes the scientific arguments of the author by saying that other scientists believe the sun itself is responsible for the release of more carbon dioxide than human activity can produce. Third, the lecturer does not feel that the warming-up of previously cold regions is necessarily a bad thing for people, plants, or animals.

Kevin's comment: The above essay covers all six points-- the three points in the reading and the three rebuttals-- clearly and effectively, with no errors in grammar, usage, or mechanics. The summary is logically structured using Format 2; the English is flowing and natural.

Example of a 2- or 3-level essay:

In passage author is argue that global warming is cause the problem. First problem is rising world temperture and undustry heat temperture (people). But lectuer says this is not true because two events together is not causing, is not logical to think so. Second problem is CO2 is rising and causing suns heat to stay in atmosfere. But speaker deny this, and say the sun is first cause of CO2 release. Writter says third problem is danger because cold parts of earth are getting hot, but speak er says why is this problem?

Kevin's comment: The errors in the above essay are so frequent and so severe that a 3 would be a generous score. But a 3 is possible, because the essay writer was able to catch most of the crucial points from the lecture using a Format 1 structure. The quality of the English is what drags this down to a 2 or 3; lack of clarity is what might make this more of a 2.

The point of the Integrated Writing task is to prove that you have fully understood both the reading and audio portions, as well as how those portions relate to each other. The audio lecture will always be a rebuttal of the reading, and will always include three clear points.

For the Independent Writing task, you will have to write briefly on a given topic. Be logical and clear; use a good variety of words, a good variety of sentence structures and locutions (don't be repetitive-- this is death on the TOEFL!), and arguments that don't rely too much on statistics and surveys. Use logic instead. Too many Asian writers on the TOEFL will write things like "A recent survey found that 75% of adult males prefer... (etc., etc.)" TOEFL essay raters don't like this. Keeps stats to a bare minimum; use wide-ranging examples: personal examples, examples from history or literature or film, etc.

To practice your listening skills, I highly recommend you visit the TED Talks website. The TED project is a public forum that invites inspiring people (technological innovators, successful entrepreneurs, etc.) to give short lectures (under 20 minutes) about a topic relevant to human progress and/or enrichment. Subject matter is extremely varied, but most of the speakers are fascinating people. Try this method:

1. Go to the TED website ( http://www.ted.com/talks ).

2. Select and watch a video lecture.

3. Wait a couple hours, then listen to the video lecture again, without watching the screen. Take notes while you listen. Force yourself to recognize important points. Learn to take notes quickly; this will be an important skill in US grad school.

Looking to master the TOEFL? Why not hire me as a tutor? See the test prep page here for more information, then visit the rate charts and the rates/registration page (scroll to the bottom for registration procedure).


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