Think Before You Speak: Extended Planning’s Impact on TOEFL Speaking

Discover how strategic planning influences TOEFL Speaking success in this insightful episode of the TOEFL Speaking Prep Podcast. We explore groundbreaking ETS research revealing surprising findings about planning time and its impact on speaking scores. Learn why more time doesn't always mean better performance and how high-proficiency students optimize planning for better fluency and accuracy.

We also dive into how AI tools like MySpeakingScore empower learners worldwide with personalized feedback and strategic practice. Whether you’re building a strong foundation in English or fine-tuning your speaking skills, this episode offers actionable insights to help you succeed on the TOEFL and beyond.

Highlights:

• The surprising truth about extended planning and speaking scores.
• Differences in planning approaches between high and low proficiency students.
• How AI tools like MySpeakingScore make test prep accessible and effective.
• Tips for building foundational English skills and mastering TOEFL tasks.
• The transformative potential of AI in personalized education.

Empower your TOEFL journey with smarter strategies and cutting-edge tools. Listen now to level up your speaking game!

Source

Free TOEFL Speaking practice:

• My Speaking Score

Free resources:

• TOEFL Speaking Course
• SpeechRater Blog
• SpeechRater Knowledge Base

Social:

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• Subscribe on YouTube

My Speaking Score serves 000s of users across the globe by helping them data-power their TOEFL Speaking prep.

Transcript

Okay, so get this, today we're looking at how AI is shaking things up for TOEFL Speaking Prep. Yeah, especially for students who, you know, maybe don't have the best access to resources. It's a global challenge for sure. 

For sure. And when we think about the TOEFL, it's like, it's a major stepping stone for students all over the world who want to study abroad, you know. It is. 

But for students in certain places, finding good quality test prep resources. It can be tough. It can be a huge obstacle. 

Yeah, absolutely. That's why I'm so fascinated by this research from ETS on TOEFL Speaking Prep. Yeah, yeah.

(1:08 - 1:25)
It really gets into like the nitty-gritty of how students use their planning time. The results are kind of surprising. Yeah, yeah. 

So let's break it down, right? We're talking about the time students get before they have to record their spoken answers. Exactly. Yeah, so they looked at what happens when you only have a tiny bit of time to plan, like 20 seconds.

(1:25 - 1:58)
Okay. Versus way more time, like 90 seconds. Gotcha. 

So did they find that more time equals better scores? You'd think so, right? But actually, more planning time didn't lead to much better scores at all. Really? So all that extra time, like stressing out about what to say. Right. 

Doesn't actually help. It doesn't seem to make much of a difference. It seems counterintuitive. 

It does. But the research suggests that it's not about having more time, it's how you use it. And that's where it gets really interesting, because they looked at what students were actually doing during their planning time.

(1:58 - 2:46)
Okay, I'm all ears. What were they doing? Well, they saw some really interesting things between lower proficiency and higher proficiency students. Okay. 

The lower proficiency students, they often got stuck in the weeds, like trying to understand every single word, writing down everything. Oh, so they're not strategizing, they're not focused on the big picture. Exactly. 

And it turns out that initial comprehension gap is tough to overcome. Makes sense. Even with more time. 

But the higher proficiency students were more selective. Oh, interesting. They focused on the main ideas. 

They thought about how to structure their response. So even with that limited planning time, they had a sort of roadmap in their head. Yeah, that's a great way to put it. 

They were much better at prioritizing and organizing their thoughts. Okay, so this is where I think the connection to AI comes in. Yeah.

(2:47 - 3:00)
And tools like MySpeakingScore, especially for those students who we talked about who might not have access to a lot of resources. Exactly. So MySpeakingScore, it's powered by SpeechRater AI.

(3:00 - 3:04)
Right. It gives students personalized feedback and practice. Wow.

(3:04 - 3:18)
That used to only be available if you had a lot of money and could hire a tutor or something. Right, that kind of one-on-one. Yeah, exactly. 

So it's like having a virtual coach. I like that. To guide you and help you improve those speaking skills.

(3:18 - 3:21)
Right. It's not just about getting a score. It's about breaking down your performance.

(3:22 - 3:32)
Yeah. And really figuring out like where are your weaknesses? Is it pronunciation? Is it fluency? Is it grammar? Is it how you're actually getting your ideas across? Exactly. Yeah, all those things.

(3:33 - 3:43)
So it helps students understand like, okay, what am I good at? What do I need to work on? And then gives them the tools to improve. Exactly. And AI can do this for a lot of people at the same time.

(3:43 - 3:47)
Right. And so that's the beauty of it. It's available to students all over the world.

(3:47 - 3:54)
It doesn't matter where they live or how much money they have. I mean, that is huge. When you think about the impact that could have on education.

(3:54 - 4:00)
Yeah. On a global scale and on like equal access to opportunity. Totally.

(4:00 - 4:11)
This research, I think it really highlights that preparing for the TOEFL, especially the speaking section. Yeah. It's not just about cramming vocabulary or memorizing grammar rules.

(4:11 - 4:22)
No. It's about developing higher level thinking skills, like critical thinking, communication, things you need to succeed in like any setting, whether it's academic or professional. Absolutely.

(4:22 - 4:27)
And AI is a really important part to play in that. Yeah. Because it can make those skills accessible to everyone.

(4:27 - 4:38)
Yeah. And that's why it's so important to be talking about this. We need to stop thinking about just getting a good score and start thinking about developing the skills that will help students succeed.

(4:38 - 4:39)
Long term. Yeah. Exactly.

(4:40 - 4:45)
It's about empowering them to communicate confidently in English. Yeah. And that opens up so many doors.

(4:45 - 4:52)
Exactly. It's not just about a test. It's about unlocking their potential, helping them achieve their dreams.

(4:52 - 5:01)
Now, before we get too caught up in all the amazing things AI can do. Yeah. Let's go back to some of the specific things that the lower proficiency students were struggling with.

(5:01 - 5:07)
Okay. In this research, we saw that they often had a tough time with basic comprehension. Yeah.

(5:07 - 5:24)
They got hung up on words they didn't know and they missed key information. So they weren't really able to pull out the main idea from the lecture, which made it hard to create a good response. Right. 

Exactly. And this shows how important it is to have a really strong foundation in English. Gotcha.

(5:24 - 5:37)
Before you even start thinking about test taking strategies. It's like trying to build a house on a shaky foundation. Right. 

Exactly. It's not going to be very stable. You need that strong base of vocabulary, grammar, listening skills.

(5:38 - 5:43)
Yeah. To support those higher level thinking skills. So it's like a two pronged approach, build the foundation first.

(5:44 - 5:57)
Yeah. And then you can layer on those test taking techniques. Exactly. 

And that's where AI tools like my speaking score can be really helpful. Okay. So how so? Well, they can help students figure out what they're good at and what they need to work on.

(5:57 - 6:00)
Okay. And then recommend specific exercises. Okay.

(6:00 - 6:06)
And give them feedback on their progress. So it's like having a custom made curriculum just for you. Exactly.

(6:06 - 6:13)
I love it. And then as students get better, they can start working on those specific speaking tasks they'll see on the TOEFL. Right.

(6:13 - 6:29)
And use tools like my speaking score to really fine tune their skills. I'm really curious to hear more about how my speaking score can specifically help with those comprehension challenges. Yeah. 

That's a great question. That we were just talking about. And we'll definitely dig into that more in the next part of our deep dive.

(6:29 - 6:42)
All right. So listeners stay tuned, because we are going to take this to a whole new level after the break. So before the break, we were talking about how lower proficiency students, they really struggle with like understanding the lecture and the TOEFL speaking section.

(6:42 - 6:49)
You know, just grasping the content. Yeah. And then how that makes it tough to answer the questions well, even when they get extra time to plan.

(6:49 - 7:02)
Exactly. So let's talk more about my speaking score and how it can help students with this. You mentioned personalized feedback. 

What does that actually look like? OK. So one thing that makes my speaking score really stand out. OK.

(7:03 - 7:07)
Is that it doesn't just look at what you're saying. OK. It looks at how you're saying it too.

(7:07 - 7:17)
OK. It uses this AI speech reader to look at things like pronunciation, fluency and grammar. So it's not just about getting the right answer.

(7:17 - 7:32)
It's about those more subtle parts of spoken English. Exactly. Yeah. 

And that's so important for the TOEFL speaking section. Right. It's not enough to just get the information across. 

You have to do it well. Right. Like you could have the right content, but if you're not clear, your pronunciation is off.

(7:32 - 7:40)
Yeah. It's going to hurt your score. Absolutely. 

And that's where the personalized feedback comes in. OK. My speaking score will tell you exactly what you need to work on.

(7:41 - 7:48)
OK. Whether it's the sound you're mispronouncing or a grammar mistake. It's like having a pronunciation coach and a grammar tutor all in one.

(7:48 - 7:54)
Yeah, it is. And the best part is the feedback is tailored to you. Right.

(7:55 - 8:03)
Based on what you specifically need to work on. So it's not just saying your pronunciation needs work. It's like you need to practice this specific sound.

(8:03 - 8:06)
Exactly. You know exactly what to focus on. That's awesome.

(8:07 - 8:17)
And you mentioned my speaking score can also help with like developing ideas. Yeah. How does that work? So one of the big things on the TOEFL speaking section.

(8:17 - 8:26)
Yeah. Is being able to take information and explain it clearly and in a way that makes sense. I mean, like listen to a lecture, take in all that information and then summarize it.

(8:26 - 8:31)
Yeah, exactly. And my speaking score actually gives you feedback on how well you're doing that. Oh, wow.

(8:32 - 8:40)
It looks at how you organize your response, how clear your ideas are. And if you're staying on topic. So it's helping students build those critical thinking skills we talked about earlier.

(8:40 - 8:49)
Exactly. It's not just memorizing facts. It's about understanding them, connecting them to other ideas and explaining them in a way that makes sense.

(8:49 - 8:57)
This all ties back to those idea units we were talking about, right? Like how well students were able to repeat the main points from the lecture. Yeah, for sure. Yeah.

(8:58 - 9:09)
My speaking score helps students get better at that by giving them specific feedback on their content and organization. So it's like having a personal editor for your spoken answers. Yeah, that's a great way to think about it.

(9:09 - 9:16)
It helps you refine your ideas and make sure you're hitting those key points. I love that. And again, the AI makes this possible for every student.

(9:17 - 9:41)
Right. No matter who they are or where they are. Exactly. 

It's really making high quality test prep available to everyone. This whole conversation is making me think about the bigger picture, like what AI could mean for education all over the world. We've talked about accessibility, personalized learning, but what else do you see happening? I think one of the most exciting things is that AI could make personalized learning available to everyone.

(9:41 - 9:48)
Wow. Imagine a world where every student has a learning plan that's made just for them. It's like having a personal tutor for every student.

(9:48 - 9:57)
Exactly. And AI can do this in a way that just isn't possible with the way we teach now. It can look at tons of data, see patterns.

(9:58 - 10:01)
Yeah. And make recommendations that are incredibly specific. That's amazing.

(10:02 - 10:08)
Yeah. This could totally change education, especially for students who haven't always had the best opportunities. Yeah, absolutely.

(10:09 - 10:21)
Students in rural areas, students from low income families, students with learning disabilities. AI could help close those gaps and give everyone a chance to succeed. Yeah, the possibilities are really exciting.

(10:22 - 10:26)
They are. But we have to remember that AI isn't a magic solution. Right.

(10:26 - 10:40)
It's a tool. And like any tool, it has to be used the right way. Yeah, exactly. 

We can't just throw technology at a problem and think it's going to fix everything. Right. It's about finding the right balance between people and technology.

(10:40 - 10:45)
AI can make teachers better, but it can't replace them. Right. Teachers are so important.

(10:45 - 10:49)
Yeah. They create learning environments that are interesting and fun. Yeah.

(10:49 - 10:56)
They encourage creativity. And they inspire students to love learning. And that's something AI can't do.

(10:57 - 11:00)
Not yet, at least. It's about finding that sweet spot. Yeah.

(11:00 - 11:09)
Where technology and people work together to make the best possible learning experience. So it's not AI versus teachers. It's AI and teachers working together.

(11:09 - 11:22)
Exactly. And that's where the real potential of AI in education is. Now, before we move on, I want to go back to something you said earlier about building a strong foundation in English before you even start thinking about test-taking strategies.

(11:22 - 11:36)
Yeah. The ETS research showed us how important that basic knowledge is if you want to do well on the TOEFL speaking section. Right. 

The lower proficiency students had a hard time understanding things. They got stuck on vocabulary. They missed important details.

(11:36 - 11:47)
Yeah. And that made it really hard to give a good answer, even with extra planning time. So what's the main takeaway for students who are getting ready for the TOEFL? Focus on those English basics first.

(11:48 - 11:53)
Work on your vocabulary. Get those grammar rules down. And practice listening.

(11:53 - 12:02)
Got it. And can AI help with that? Definitely. There are some really amazing AI tools out there that can help you learn in a way that's personalized just for you.

(12:02 - 12:05)
Oh, cool. They can figure out your strengths and weaknesses. All right.

(12:05 - 12:12)
Recommend exercises you need. And give you feedback on your progress. It's like having your own custom-made curriculum.

(12:12 - 12:23)
Exactly. And once you've got those basics down, you can start practicing those specific TOEFL speaking tasks and using tools like MySpeakingScore to really fine-tune your skills. So it's a two-step process.

(12:23 - 12:38)
Yeah. Build a strong foundation, then layer on those test-taking techniques. That's it. 

And don't forget about pronunciation. Oh, yeah. Pronunciation. 

It's so important. It can make a big difference in how people understand you. And luckily, AI can help with that too.

(12:38 - 12:44)
Yeah. There are tools that can give you real-time feedback on your pronunciation. So they tell you right away if you're making a mistake.

(12:44 - 12:52)
Exactly. And then you can practice until you get it right. It sounds like AI could be a really valuable tool for anyone who wants to master TOEFL speaking.

(12:53 - 12:59)
Definitely. It's a game-changer. And it's making quality test prep available to everyone, no matter where they are.

(12:59 - 13:18)
And that's something to be excited about. For sure. Okay. 

So we're back. And I'm really interested to hear more about how this MySpeakingScore tool actually works for someone prepping for the TOEFL. Yeah. 

So remember we were talking about building those solid English skills first. Right. Like really getting a handle on vocabulary and grammar.

(13:19 - 13:41)
Exactly. MySpeakingScore isn't meant to replace that, but it's great for practicing and refining those skills. Okay. 

So let's say someone's been working on their English. They feel good about their vocabulary and grammar. How does MySpeakingScore help them get to that next level? Let's say they're having trouble with those tasks where you have to listen to a lecture and then answer a question about it.

(13:41 - 13:53)
Right. Those can be hard because you have to think fast and give a clear answer. Exactly. 

And what MySpeakingScore does is it basically recreates the test environment. Okay. So you can practice with real TOEFL-style questions.

(13:54 - 13:55)
Gotcha. Record your answers. Yeah.

(13:56 - 14:11)
And then get instant feedback. So you get a sense of the pacing and the types of questions you'll see on the real test. Exactly. 

And the feedback is really detailed. It's not just a score. What kind of things does it look at? Well, it analyzes your pronunciation, like how clearly you speak and your intonation.

(14:12 - 14:15)
Yeah. It looks at your fluency, how smoothly you speak. Mm-hmm.

(14:15 - 14:32)
And it checks your grammar, making sure you're using the right structures and not making common mistakes. It's like having a whole team of experts listening to you. Yeah, kind of. 

But it goes even deeper than that. Oh, wow. It looks at how well you're explaining your ideas if you're staying on topic and if your answer is well-organized.

(14:32 - 14:49)
So this is where that idea of strategic practice comes in, right? It's not just about speaking. It's about thinking critically and structuring your answer in a smart way. Exactly. 

And the cool thing about MySpeakingScore is it tells you exactly what you need to improve. Okay. So let's say you're having trouble connecting your ideas smoothly.

(14:50 - 14:58)
MySpeakingScore will point that out and give you tips on how to make those transitions better. So it's not just giving you a general score. It's giving you advice you can actually use.

(14:59 - 15:07)
Exactly. That's what makes AI tools like MySpeakingScore so amazing. It's like having a personal tutor who knows exactly what you need to work on.

(15:07 - 15:13)
And anyone with an internet connection can use it, which is incredible. I know. It's really opening up access to quality test prep.

(15:14 - 15:23)
I have a question, though. How does MySpeakingScore handle different accents? You know, English is spoken all over the world with all sorts of accents. Yeah, that's a great question.

(15:23 - 15:36)
The people who developed MySpeakingScore were very aware of that. And they designed the AI to be accent agnostic. What does that mean? It means the AI is trained to recognize lots of different accents.

(15:36 - 15:48)
Oh, cool. And it focuses on whether you're speaking clearly and understandably, not on whether you have a specific accent. So as long as people can understand you, you're not going to be penalized for having an accent.

(15:48 - 16:01)
Exactly. And that's really important for making sure the TOEFL speaking section is fair for everyone, no matter where they're from. It's really cool how technology can be used to make education more inclusive and give everyone a fair chance.

(16:01 - 16:11)
I agree. And this is just the beginning. I think we're going to see even more incredible tools and resources powered by AI that will help learners all over the world.

(16:11 - 16:26)
This has been a really fascinating deep dive. We've talked about the challenges of prepping for the TOEFL speaking section, those interesting findings from the ETS research, and the potential of tools like MySpeakingScore. It's been great talking about this with you.

(16:26 - 16:35)
The future of education is definitely exciting, and AI is a big part of that. Absolutely. And for all the students out there working hard to reach their TOEFL goals, remember you've got this.

(16:35 - 16:40)
Use the tools available to you. Don't be afraid of the challenges and keep learning. Well said.

(16:41 - 16:44)
Thanks for joining us on this deep dive, everyone. We'll see you next time