"tapping" during exam Options

[GMc]

Just got a slip via teacher from AMEB saying that "examiners may choose to type during exams so teachers shuld prepare their students that there might be quiet tapping in the background and to ignore it like other extraneous noises. This is a response to teacher requests for faster return of reports."

My child is good at big disruptions - plenty of crying kid disruptions in concerts. She usually gets right into the mood and is pretty unshakeable. But I took my lap top in and typed while she played (modern Sony Vaio so new keyboards) and it is really quite noisy especially if you use all your fingers to type fast. She didnt like it. It ruins dramatic pauses and quiet passages. I am unimpressed - didn't say anything to child but I would take a long wait and a silent pen/paper any day. AMEB dont actually give marks - it's letter grades A, B etc so more an overall impression than numbers. You can not rescue dodgy aurals, scales or sightreading by great pieces or vice versa.


Anyone encountered this before? Clearly going to have to suck it up this time round and keep rehearsing with tapping but tempted to put in a complaint and say that all typing should be between pieces not during if they really want to go to computer based system.

[owainsutton]

Anyone encountered this before? Clearly going to have to suck it up this time round and keep rehearsing with tapping but tempted to put in a complaint and say that all typing should be between pieces not during if they really want to go to computer based system.

I'd put in the complaint right away. It's a performance, not a press conference, and the examiner should behave appropriately.

[Alicia Ocean]

Vote with your feet.

[Hotair]

My (ex) piano teacher tapped away on his computer during one of my lessons. It was very off-putting!

I was speaking to a Trinity examiner recently, apparently they are all going to be issued with laptops - I wouldn't be surprised if typing the report during the exam is on the cards.

[Alicia Ocean]

I changed exam centres for all my pupils due to a ticking clock in the room (it's very ancient - no, it can't be stopped). I hope typing doesn't catch on.

[Halka]

I think the more parents and teachers moan about the illegibility of examiner's handwriting and delay in receiving results the more likely it is to catch on here. Be careful what you wish for...

I love the hand-written reports my daughter receives. Trying to decipher the writing is part of the whole exam experience!

[Martin.Walters]

As long as their typing on an Ipad.. I dont mind, ~ I dont want the sound of noisy keys crashing down... It wouldnt be fair to have me playing keys.. and then the examiner typing on keys... imagine how the lower grades who have just learnt to keep time.. and then some examiner comes along.. and is typing, messing up the whole timing for the student.

[owainsutton]

I wonder if they've taken the typical typing speed of non-typists into account? I can just imagine being sat there after every grade 1 piece waiting for the hunt-and-pecking to cease.

[maggiemay]

I do think Martin.Walters has a good point about the likelihood of de-railing the pulse of a lower-grade candidate.
Quite apart from the general distraction of someone tapping away.

I can imagine all kinds of guidelines as to distance from candidate / noise level of equipment / skill of operator - the mind boggles.

And they can not possibly take into account to extent to which performers are able to 'shut out' extraneous sounds. People's ability varies to a huge degree on this. I can't shut anything out. Those who can have not a clue ......!

[Louise H]

I do think Martin.Walters has a good point about the likelihood of de-railing the pulse of a lower-grade candidate.
Quite apart from the general distraction of someone tapping away.

I can imagine all kinds of guidelines as to distance from candidate / noise level of equipment / skill of operator - the mind boggles.

And they can not possibly take into account to extent to which performers are able to 'shut out' extraneous sounds. People's ability varies to a huge degree on this. I can't shut anything out. Those who can have not a clue ......!

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

An examiner tapping away on a laptop would drive me mad!

[GMc]

I made a phone call to the state office where the missive came from. Unable to ascertain from the office who made this decision and whether it was a state or federal one.

So will write to State and Federal Managers.

There was no mention of silent ipad BTW - they specified laptops. And I hate i pad typing on screen. its not great for those of us who touchtype with all fingers.

[Susie]

I wonder how many of the boffins at the top of the AB and Trinity foodchains have children of their own undergoing instrumental examinations and whether they would like to trial it with some guinea pigs before considering rolling it out? (I realise that AB and Trinity haven't given indications of doing this, but it's probably just a matter of time) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) We need to be Aware! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif)

[anacrusis]

Maybe they'll end up with the sort of drop-down menu report styling that our kids' school reports have now got (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif), which manage to make markedly disparate kids look depressingly uniform, and then people can complain about that instead.....

There have been reports which have been exceedingly difficult to read, over the years, and computer generated reports would certainly get round this problem - distractable kids would be distracted even by a pen scratching over the page (I know I did). My guess is that there'll be a bit of a transition, through which the board will try out various possible solutions to the problem, and eventually will come up with some sort of compromise. Over time of course people will be coming into the system with ever better keyboard skills and the hunt-and-peck typists will be no more (and examiners, all of whom have to have another sort of keyboard skill anyway, are ideally placed to learn to type well (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)). Maybe they'll put the laptop into a little booth which keeps emergent noise to a minimum, whilst letting the examiner still look over the top to see the proceedings, and quite possibly quieter and quieter keyboards will come on line.

But: there is a problem with the system as it stands, and surely it's better if the board actually tries to address it?

[GMc]

Well, I have to say that in my experience touch typing is not taught to any one. Have a look round the next internet cafe you are in and its all hunt and peck from those under a certain age.

Hunk and peck can get fast - it's what all my colleagues use since the secretaries got downgraded in health service cuts to ones that cant do shorthand and there isn't a working dictaphone around. I used to race my brother who is a hunk and pecker whilst I was a properly taught at school with a course during the gap between o levels and end of term and got past 40wpm. He can go pretty fast but he cant read his mistakes as he goes. Spell check is his friend whereas I am my own spell checker. They will be reading their last comments whilst next piece is being played and not listening I reckon even if they are banned from typing during playing.

I can read all my hand written ABRSM exam reports - 1965-1978 - just found 12 of them. One is a bit old fashioned with the old r's but still easy to read. Almost all are in fountain pen which always slows you down to be more legible. I suggest fountain pens to people coming up to post grad exams whose writing is so useless as to be a stumbling block and it always helps. Maybe they should trial that instead?!

[owainsutton]

Well, I have to say that in my experience touch typing is not taught to any one. Have a look round the next internet cafe you are in and its all hunt and peck from those under a certain age.

This is a good point. I forced myself to learn while at university, when I realised just how much typing I was going to be doing in my final year!