To ask any foreign language teachers How you decide on the students level?

[hellokittymania]

A bit of background here. I have been studying Greek, mostly on my own, and had a few hours with the teacher for the past 11 months. I can read practically everything that a Greek primary school student can read as I have been using the primary school Books that children use in Greece. I can also read regular books, the equivalent of harry potter and things in Greek. I can read the books on various sub various subjects from the higher grades, including literature, although I don't understand every single word. I do have a very good idea of the subject material though. Any idea of what level this would be as far as Greek as a foreign language?

I should also add, I can read a lot of the newspaper articles fairly easily. I'm missing some vocabulary, but overall I understand the topics well enough to be able to explain them to somebody. I also have been listening to seminars on various topics, law, politics, economics, business, medicine and other things on YouTube.

The only thing I have not used really are books to learn Greek as a foreign language. I speak eight other languages, six of them are fluent. My Vietnamese teacher in Vietnam that I had also talked students from the school of oriental and African studies in London, students who were in their 30s year, and my Vietnamese is at a higher level than the students. I also have taken The Italian Maturita, studied at a German high school, and at a Puerto Rican university. I feel no need to use the Greek as a foreign language books once I have a grasp of the language. The other issue is, I'm visually impaired, so I like doing things that work for me and finding other resources.

I am taking the Greek exam in May and I think I can pass the C2 level. As I mentioned, I have learned all my Creek in 11 months and it is my ninth language. I have met with someone here, who has not seen any of my work And she was only concerned that I didn't have the text books to learn Greek. I asked her what materials were being used to teach Greek in the UK other than the textbooks, because a lot of the material Comes from other sources. I remember in high school, we also watched stand and deliver in Spanish class, read children's books and other things. I also pointed out to her that I was using the same books that Greek school children use, which have plenty of grammar and vocabulary in them. I think her views were quite negative, and again most of the hour that I met with her with Spence focused solely on the fact that I'm visually impaired and how was I going to take The exam, etc. And the fact that I didn't have Greek language textbooks.

I think I should just call it a day with her. I have the practice papers for the exams in May, and I have friends from Greece who have degrees in philology and to prepare students to take the Greek national high school exams. I already registered to take the exam, and nobody is going to deter me from taking it. I'm very determined, and I think I can pull it off. I just want to know from a foreign language teacher if the way I have been doing things can bring me to the same level as a Greek foreign language textbook. I'm doubting myself now because she was so negative.

By the way, I wanted to add that I wanted to have some extra lessons before the exam. But I think working with somebody who doubts me won't be very helpful. I know what I can do more than anyone.

It’s about how you use the language.

It is about how you use the language. Do you understand me? Do I understand you? Are you able to communicate on new and different subjects? If so, how easily?

Assessments are usually conducted based on the four communication skills - reading, writing, listening, speaking. I can usually make an accurate guess of a student’s level (which is quite a wide band) based on their speaking ability alone however it is normal for some people to have one (occassionally two) bands difference in their skills.

Knowing which books you have used can be a short cut to knowing your abilities because the exercises in the book are mini assessments.

It is easier to learn with a teacher you like and respect. She may be a very good teacher for other people but it doesn’t sound like she is meeting your needs. Don’t feel bad about finding someone else.

Apple, during the whole entire hour the main discussion was how I couldn't read, when actually I can read as I have two different magnifiers, I have a lot of books downloaded onto my iPad in Greek so I can also use them, but she didn't even look at that . Nor did she see a writing sample. I have loads. I mentioned that writing was difficult, which is due to my visual impairment and I am also very likely dyslexic. But I work very hard on writing because of this .

I was too nervous to do my best the other day. When people are so negative, it really affects me. I can't learn it was a teacher who doesn't believe in what I can do. I even have high school textbooks in Greek that are used in Greece for native speakers on my iPad, she saw none of that. I understood everything she said, and she understood everything I said. But her main focus was my disability.

OP, I've only skimmed your post but as a very experienced language teacher I can tell someone's level within 5 minutes of speaking to them. I would consider C2 very nearly bilingual which means you can use that language practically as well as your mother tongue.

You mention lots of reading but are you able to speak Greek to a similar level to your native tongue? As PP mentioned, to have that level you need to meet the criteria for reading, listening, speaking and writing.

I recommend looking at the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages - there are some great tables that show what skills you need to be able to consider yourself that level.

I have had students that have got all of their foreign language skills from watching very old TV series or just watching political debates, for example. The problem is that they have learnt a certain type of the language which is too old-fashioned/academic and they lack knowledge of modern expressions and would have trouble interacting in certain situations. That may be why the teacher wanted you to also focus on textbooks which will teach you an array of registers.

Good luck with the exam! You sound extremely committed

Je sais pas, i've spent an extensive amount of time in Greece and plan to attend university there full-time in September. I really enjoy it and my education here was very poor as I didn't have much help. I only live with Greek housemates when I am in greece so it's the only language I speak all day long. The problem is, when I meet people who make me nervous, I start stumbling all over the place. When I spoke with the education department on the embassy to register for the exam They ask me if I was doing see one, and that was from the education department. So I have the level. I have only but learning Greek for 11 months, and when I am in Greece, the teachers I have had are the teachers to prepare students for the Greek national high school exam and teachers who teach great children. Sorry, I'm using dictation Greek children. I don't even have Wi-Fi in the place where I stay in Greece, so I have had to rely entirely on Greek material since I can't access the Internet. The dictionary I have on my iPod is the monolingual Greek dictionary. I think I might have to ask a second teacher on this.

Et merci, ma mere. Est francaise donc je parle ca aussi!

I think you need to find someone who will see what you can do and not what you can’t.

I’m not a language teacher, but I have taught many pupils with different difficulties and disabilities. It sounds to me like yours won’t stop you and you already have the practical adjustments in place like magnified text.

Look for a different teacher.

I do think it may be worth looking at the textbooks she mentioned, not for learning as much as for the exam question preparation.

Learning something is one thing, passing an exam is another.

I agree with notevil, I have got wrong multiple choice exam questions in my native language (when helping students prepare) because most of these exams need a certain type of preparation which they teach you in the text books and they want you to answer in a particular way. As much as I diagreed with their answer, I would have failed! That's why I no longer teach exam preparation - I don't find it practical for language learning and find that it's more based on practising with text books rather than knowing the language.

I also agree that you should find a teacher who focuses on your abilities not disabilities.

Other poster have mentioned the importance of exam prep classes - I absolutely agree.

However, if she didn’t hear you out when you explained how you work with and around your disabilities then I would look for another teacher. There are lots around. Life is too short to deal with people who don’t believe in you. A good teacher should know your limits but also be your cheerleader and help you break through them.

I would look for another teacher but as mentioned...I would also think about the exam prep. Many native speakers would fail them because they don't know the type of questions they are asking. I would look at the books the teacher is suggesting purely for exam prep.

Wow you are so talented, I am agog at how you store all these languages in your memory. It's one thing that I am absolutely hopeless at

Are you saying that you’ve had a few hours over eleven months with this teacher? If so, what are your expectations from your interactions? Essentially you are self taught and at the end of the day it doesn’t matter what your sources have been, it’s what your capabilities are and if you are sufficiently prepared to pass the exams in whatever format they come in. You appear to be focussing a lot on your source materials as an indicator of your level but in the exam that won’t count for nothing. Your disabilities won’t necessarily effect your ability to learn Greek but they will have a significant effect on your ability to pass the exams if you haven’t sought out specific support for them during the process.

My reading and Dutch comprehension are relatively good but my grammar and spoken Dutch is dodgy, however I’ve recently passed my state exams with not too much difficulty because I focussed on what the examinations expected of me rather than what I feel I need to be comfortable with in my everyday. Conversely, I have met many a Dutch person who claims to be fluent but it’s very clear within a a few minutes that they aren’t.

If you are due to start a course in September what were the language requirements?

I am partially sighted but fortunately my level of disability wasn’t a hindrance during my exams but the examination centre was aware of my disability beforehand and it turns out the adjustments that were made weren’t necessary. I totally understand that your disabilities make you self conscious and you feel that this particular teacher was too focused on them but I feel she would have done you a disservice in your goal of passing the exams, if she had of totally ignored them.

The next time you meet with a teacher it would be best if you discussed expectations beforehand, so that both parties are on the same page.

Good luck

Isetan, The exam I will be taking is in braille. I am still trying to locate a Brailer, I have braille paper, and I am pretty good with the slate and stylus, although it takes longer to use. But if need be, I can use that to write. I can write regular writing as well if I need to. It's the first time they've ever dealt with the visually impaired student, so they're not sure what to do either.

I have copies of the past exams here, both in print, and on the iPad so I can access the PDF. There is also a website with past papers, and the oral exam. So I have been using those.

And Howells, it's practice practice practice. I think I must've worked on my Greek eight hours every day for the past 11 months, at least. When I brush my teeth, you guessed it, I'm listening to Greek radio, or Greek YouTube, or whatever I can. Whenever I have a moment, I work on it.