SPEAK Appeals Procedures
Basic Information About the SPEAK Appeals
The SPEAK Appeals process requires a prospective ITA to do the following activities in front of the Speak
Appeals panel (each component lasts a few minutes):
- Answer a few informal conversational questions.
- Present a five-minute lesson in his/her field of study.
- Answer questions related to the lesson.
Prospective ITAs are evaluated on pronunciation, coherence, and interaction ability. Scores on
SPEAK Appeals are either pass or fail.
What Prospective ITAs Should Do to Prepare for the SPEAK Appeals
With the assistance of a faculty representative, select a lesson appropriate to an introductory course
in your department. For example, define and discuss a term as if you were explaining it to a group of
100-level undergraduate students. In this example, you might do some combination of the following:
- Introduce and define the term.
- State its characteristics or classify it into a category.
- Use an analogy or comparison to explain it.
- Give some examples to support the definition.
- Explain its application.
Be prepared to complete your lesson within the five-minute time frame and to answer questions related
to the presentation. Although there is a white board and pen available for use during the lesson, do
NOT rely on the board to the exclusion of demonstrating your English speaking ability.
Basic Information About Participating Representatives
A departmental representative must accompany each prospective ITA to the SPEAK Appeals. The presence
of a representative helps validate the process, but a representative does NOT vote during the SPEAK Appeals.
Representatives may provide social support to prospective ITAs by their presence, but representatives may
not speak or ask questions once the appeals have begun.
Prospective ITAs are evaluated solely on the basis of the above criteria. Departmental representatives or
faculty members should NOT bring letters of reference or other supplemental materials attesting to a
prospective ITA's English speaking ability.
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Last updated June 8, 2006 |
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