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Assessment & Language Learning

By: Bishara Adam

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Issues in Assessing Children’s Language Learning

Age: Motor, language, conceptual and social development

Content of language learning: skills, vocabulary, language use at discourse level

Methods of teaching: games, songs, stories to carry language content and practice.

Aims of language learning: social, cross-cultural and language learning aims

Learning theories: social interaction

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Principles For Assessing Children’s Language Learning

Assessment should be seen from a learning-centered perspective.

Assessment should support learning and teaching (the process and outcomes of assessment can motivate learners; an assessment activity can be a language use model, assessment activity and feedback from it can support further learning, the outcomes of assessment can help teachers plan more effective lessons and can inform the evaluation and improvement of courses and programs).

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Principles For Assessing Children’s Language Learning

Assessment is more than testing: The test results do not reflect the big picture.

Assessment should be congruent (in harmony) with learning; interactional rather than isolated.

Children & parents should understand assessment issues: Parents need to know what teachers are doing and why.

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Key Concepts In Assessment

Assessment – testing - evaluation: Evaluation is the process of systematically collecting information in order to make judgments.

Formative (on-going) and Summative (end result) assessment

Diagnostic (how much can be done for further learning) tests and achievement (what can a learner do) tests

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Key Concepts In Assessment

Criterion- referenced (expected response) and norm-referenced (comparing) assessment

Validity (do we assess what we want to?)

Reliability (scoring, numerical marks)

Fairness (rating and scoring)

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Self Assessment & Learner Autonomy

Better understanding among pupils

Higher motivation

Better understanding by teacher

Better preparation among learner

Better relationship – teachers & learners

Realistic goal setting by children

Collecting portfolios by children

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Teacher Assessment Of Language Learning

Assessing in relation to goals

Selecting an assessment focus

Assessment by observation (systematic)

Creating opportunities for assessment during classroom

activities

Record keeping (checklists)

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Alternative Techniques Of Assessment For Young Learners

Non-verbal response (for silent period)

Oral interview (using visual clues)

Role-play

Written narratives

Presentations

Student-teacher conference: structured- interviews.

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Alternative Techniques Of Assessment For Young Learners

Self-assessment: A pupil who learns to assess his or her own work moves from being “other regulated” to “self-regulated” or autonomous.

K-W-L Charts (Know, Wonder, Learn)

Learning Logs

Dialogue Journals

Peer and group assessment

Student portfolios

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Making Feedback Helpful To Learners

Corrective feedback: to correct their language use- accuracy; not only pointing out errors but also showing why it is incorrect.

Evaluative feedback: judgment on the pupils’ performance.

Strategic feedback: advice on what to do to improve the performance.