Lesson 11

Lesson 11

1. Assess-Evaluate-Test

   • Assessment
     • Contributes to the learning process
     • Positive effects
       • Motivates students
       • Provides a helpful model of language use
       • Helps teachers plan more effective lessons
       • Informs the evaluation and improvement of courses and programs
     • Alternative Assessment Techniques
       • Observation
       • Portfolios
       • Self-assessment
   • Test
     • Technique or method of assessment
     • Concerned with measuring learning through performance
     • It is not necessary to test children to understand how much they have learnt because there are other supportive ways to ASSESS language learning than go beyond testing
   • Evaluate
     • Broader notion than assessment
     • Process for collecting information in order to make a judgement
     • Lessons, courses, programs and skills can be evaluated
     • Concerns a whole range of issues in and beyond language education

2. Assessment for, as and of learning

   • Assessment OF learning
     • Results in statements or symbols about how well students are learning
     • Its purpose is SUMMATIVE
     • Mostly done at the end of a task, unit of work etc. to confirm what students know, demonstrate if they have met the curriculum outcomes, ot to certify proficiency of students
     • Teacher´s role
       • To report student's learning accurately and fairly
       • To provide clear descriptions of the intended learning
       • To have transparent approaches to interpretation
       • To provide descriptions of the assessment process
   • Assessment FOR learning
     • FORMATIVE assessment
       • It happens during the learning rather than at the end of it
     • Students
       • Understand exactly what they are expected to learn and what is expected of them
       • Are given feedback and advice on how to improve their work
     • The Teacher
       • Investigates through different tasks what the students know, what they can do, and the gaps they may have
         • Determines what his/her students need to do in order to move student learning forward
       • Needs to select and adapt materials and resources
       • Creates differentiated teaching strategies and learning opportunities for helping individual students to learn more
       • Provides immediate feedback and directions to the students.
   • Assessment AS learning
     • Students
       • Are able to be aware of how they learn
       • Take more responsibility for their own learning and monitoring future directions
     • Self and peer assessment
       • What is the purpose of learning these concepts and skills?
       • What do I know about this topic?
       • Am I understanding these concepts?
       • What are the criteria for improving my work?
       • Have I accomplished the goals I set for myself?
     • Teacher´s role
       • To promote the development of independent learners
       • To guide students in setting their own goals and monitore their progress
       • To develop clear criteria of good practice
       • To guide students in developing internal feedback
       • To provide regular and challenging opportunities to practise
       • To create an environment where it is safe for students to take chances

3. Feedback and self-assessment

   • Feedback
     • Benefits
       • For students
         • It can increase students effort and outcomes
         • Leads to more effective learning strategies
         • Improves their self regulation
       • For teachers
         • Provides evidence about students´learning related to learning goals and the curriculum
         • Helps teachers to understand the impact of their teaching
         • Helps teachers to understand where to adapt strategies to better meet the needs of their students
     • Important questions
       • Where is the learner going?
       • Where is the learner right now?
       • How does the learner get there?
     • How to develop it
       • Communicating students clear learning goals
       • Giving activities that provide evidence of students´learning
       • Planning for task process and self-regulated feedback
       • Checking that students understand and act on the feedback provided
   • Self-Assessment
     • Students
       • Can understand more about the language learning process
       • Can be motivated towards more involvement in their learning
       • Will be better prepared to carry on learning beyond the classroom
     • The teacher
       • Can understand more about individual pupils
     • Advantages
       • It encourages students to critically reflect their own learning progress and performance
       • It encourages students to be more responsible for their own learning
       • It helps students develop their judgmental skills
       • There is no peer pressure when students evaluate themselves
       • It helps students become autonomous learners
       • It helps students be more aware of their weaknesses and strengths
     • Disadvantages
       • It can be subjective because students may not be sincere and may even over-evaluate their own performance
       • It is time consuming for students
       • Students may not be familiar with the assessment criteria

4. Tasks and Scaffolding

   • Tasks
     • ´Environment’ or ‘ecosystem’ in which the growth of skills in the foreign language takes place
     • Units of activity that can be used for lesson planning and evaluation
     • Classroom tasks for children
       • Have coherence and unity
       • Have meaning and purpose
       • Have clear learning goals
       • Have a beginning and end
       • Involve the learners actively
     • Stages in a classroom task
       • Preparation
         • Prepares the learners to be able to complete the core activity successfully
         • Might include pre-teaching of language items or activation of topic vocabulary
       • Core task
         • Central to the task
         • Without the core, the task would collapse
         • Is set up through its language learning goals
       • Follow up
         • Builds on successful completion of the core
   • Demands on students
     • Cognitive
     • Language
     • Interactional
     • Metalinguistic
     • Involvement
     • Physical
   • Support for learning
     • Task support
       • Pictures
       • Explanations
       • Modellings
       • Pair work
   • Language Learning Goals
     • Careful selection and grading of goals is one of the key tools available to teachers to build success into learning.
   • The teacher
     • Chooses activities and content that are appropriate for the children’s age and socio- cultural experience
     • Designs tasks that should have clear language learning goals