10th Oman International ELT Conference

This blog is intended to supplement a workshop for English language teachers about preparing students for the iBT. It's a collection of links to make a few resources easier to find later. The Internet-based TOEFL is a challenging test that measures English language proficiency and is a gateway for students who would like to study in many countries abroad, especially required for admission to US universities.

April 21, 2010 at Sultan Qaboos University
Presented by Russell Barczyk

Useful links

AMIDEAST/Oman – Services available in English language training, TOEFL and other test prep and administration and educational advising.

Oman International ELT Conference – 10th Annual!

Information about the Internet-based TOEFL

ETS iBT TOEFL Overview – learn the basics

Free ETS iBT TOEFL Sample Test Download – Take a sample of the test and become familiar with the format and platform. Also, listen to ETS-graded samples of spoken responses and see graded written responses. See how students measure.

iBT TOEFL Speaking Rubrics – Criteria for evaluation of independent and integrated tasks

iBT TOEFL Writing Rubrics – Criteria for evaluation of independent and integrated tasks

Tips for preparing for the iBT

TOEFL TV on YouTube – some ETS productions and some independent teacher contributions

Listening Practice

ESLPod.com’s Guide to the TOEFL Test Podcast – mp3s and scripts!

ESLPod.com – 100’s of mp3s and scripts!

Ideas to develop writing skills with blogs

EFL Jalisco – One example of a class blog. Getting students to keep blogs develops both writing and computer skills (and speaking and acting if they add video!) and gives them an interactive audience for feedback much larger than only their teacher.

Daniel’s Blog – An example of a student’s blog who participated in the class blog above. Teacher posted assignments on the class blog and students posted answers on their own blogs.

More about using blogs and podcasts

Fun Web Tasks for English Learners – More resources for all skills and detailed instructions for creating a blog of your own.

Typing practice made fun

BBC Schools Dance Mat Typing – For children, but fun and useful nonetheless.

Typing Practice – More typing games

Speaking topics and self-checks online

Speaking Practice Topic Cards – 200+ TOEFL-style speaking or writing cards that can be printed

iBT Speaking Practice – Record yourself online responding to an iBT question.

I hope you’ve found this workshop useful and enjoyable. If you have comments or questions, or you’d like to share other valuable ELT- or iBT-related online resources with fellow teachers who attended, please post a comment on this blog by clicking the link below.
Thanks and hope to see you at AMIDEAST or another ELT event soon!