The perils of being too honest...
I think I really upset one of my students today.
She asked me to help her prepare for an English Proficiency Test, so we looked at a few exercises in the library. However, it quickly became clear that she really didn't know enough English to even be attempting the test: I had to explain the first two questions and most of their answers to her.
At this point, I felt that doing the test practice exercises probably wouldn't help her, and told her as much. Unfortunately, with the test just a week and a half away, I'm almost at a loss as to what advice to give her. Reading books and watching tv would work in the longer run, but atm, based on advice I received two years ago, I was thinking that she needs a book with all the grammar needed and exercises/examples listed along with it.
I did also tell her that if she wants to try the exercises, I can help her with the ones she didn't get - but she has to try them first (I just felt that her trying them with me there had her not thinking and trying to understand, because I was always there to explain.)
I don't think that's what she wanted to hear at this point.
Now the question is...what do I do about it...?
She asked me to help her prepare for an English Proficiency Test, so we looked at a few exercises in the library. However, it quickly became clear that she really didn't know enough English to even be attempting the test: I had to explain the first two questions and most of their answers to her.
At this point, I felt that doing the test practice exercises probably wouldn't help her, and told her as much. Unfortunately, with the test just a week and a half away, I'm almost at a loss as to what advice to give her. Reading books and watching tv would work in the longer run, but atm, based on advice I received two years ago, I was thinking that she needs a book with all the grammar needed and exercises/examples listed along with it.
I did also tell her that if she wants to try the exercises, I can help her with the ones she didn't get - but she has to try them first (I just felt that her trying them with me there had her not thinking and trying to understand, because I was always there to explain.)
I don't think that's what she wanted to hear at this point.
Now the question is...what do I do about it...?