Transcript Effective Classroom Assessment for Learning

Effective Classroom
Assessment for EFL
Learning in Chinese
Context
Zhihong Huang
Teaching Research Office,
Education Department of Guangdong
May 19, 2007
E-mail: [email protected]
Challenges to teachers
Questionaire about
formative assessment
Concept
Function
Technique
21
11
3
5
Know well
22
8
13
4
Know some
Sept. 2002
18
Know little
Purpose of the study
To find out practical ways for EFL
teachers to make classroom
assessment more effective in
learning process in Chinese context
Parts of the talk
1. Why classroom assessment is
2.
3.
4.
5.
recommended
What should be assessed
Alternative techniques for
effective classroom assessment
Suggestions on feedback
A case of classroom assessment
Why classroom assessment
CA is a simple method used to collect
feedback for improving learning and
teaching.
Purpose:
Help students check their strengthens,
problems or difficulties in learning for
improving learning as often as needed
provide quick guidance and feedback
to teachers for improving their
teaching plans and strategies
Features of CA (Briggs, 2003)
Embedded in the teaching and
learning process
Involves sharing learning
objectives with students
Involves students in self- (group-)
assessment
An effective way to support
teaching and learning in ELT
classroom
What to assess
情感态度
学习策略
认调资交
知控源际
策策策策
略略略略
语言技能
听说读写
兴自合祖国
趣信作国际
动意精意视
机志神识野
综合语言
运用能力
文化意识
文
化
知
识
文
化
理
解
跨
文
化
交
际
语言知识
语词语功话
音汇法能题
Adopted from Liu Zhaoyi’s PPT
What to assess
Students' comprehensive ability in
using English which is in 5 major
areas:
 language skills
 language knowledge
 affective and attitudes
 learning strategies
 and cultural awareness
Basic principles for CA
What we assess should meet with
what we teach.
An example: to show how to make
the five targets go down to
teaching objectives, and then to
assessment criteria
Teaching objectives:
By the end of the lesson, the students will be able to use the vocabulary learnt about
food and drink as well as the patterns used for ordering food in both oral and written
form confidently. They will be able to make an order for the western lunch in groups,
through which they will develop skills and understanding in cooperative work.
Course targets
Assessment contents
Assessment criteria
Language
knowledge
Vocabulary and
patterns about food
and drink
Be able to say and write the words
and patterns correctly.
Language skills
Speaking, reading and
listening related to the
topic
Be able to express what food and
drink they like for lunch.
Culture awareness Western people’s
Favorite food
Be able to order the proper western
food.
Affects
Confidence,
participation,
cooperation
Be confident in speaking and writing;
Be able to participate in group work
actively and cooperatively.
Learning
strategies
Effective learning and
communication
Listen to others attentively. Be
active to share ideas with others.
In fact, it is sometimes unable
to cover all the aspects of the
course targets in one lesson or
a unit due to the limitation of
the topic or the contents
Alternative assessment
techniques
Non-verbal Responses
Oral Interview
Observation
Effective questioning
Role Play with peer assessment
They are informal, non-tested, unconscious.
Exemplar1: Non-verbal Responses
Children have just learnt some of the
body words. In order to check whether children
can understand them by hearing, their teacher
asks them to response what they hear with
physical performances, that is, when the
teacher says: “ Touch your nose.”, the children
give the response by touching his/her nose. In
this way, the teacher may observe who can or
cannot do it. If all of the children can follow, it
gives the teacher a signal that he / she can
move on his / her teaching. Otherwise, the
teacher should do something to improve that.
Exemplar 2: Oral Interview
Students are asked to talk about a
picture. They can choose one of the
pictures relevant to the topic of their
favorite sport from the textbook.
Students are required to use the topic
language. Each can talk in the group
first and then to the teacher. The
teacher may assess them with a
checklist.
Checklist on mini-talk
Contents
The talk is relevant to the
picture.
The related language was
used correctly.
Speak fluently and clearly.
Talk in good manners
(Keeping eye- contact, with
facial expressions etc.)
Excellent
Good
OK
Need to
improve
Exemplar 3: Observation
Observation Sheet
Items
Contents
Talking
listening
Does the child:
1. participate in group and class
discussion?
2. listen to other’s talk and
respond to it?
3. express ideas in clear and
appropriate language?
4. match his / her talking
manner to the needs of his /her
classmates?
Yes No
Exemplar 4: Effective questioning
Question sheet
(For the primary textbook: Friends With English, Book 4 Unit 3 I’m washing the car.)
Purpose
Task
Questions
To check
children’s
understandin
g of the
conversation
Answer the What day is it today?
Questions
Who is going to play?
orally.
Can Jenny play with
Gogo? Why?
Can Tony play with Gogo?
What is Tony doing?
What is Gogo doing then?
Is Gogo happy?
What do you usually do
on Sunday?
Able to
Not yet
able to
Exemplar 5:
Role Play with peer assessment
Performance Task:
Students use role play cards to play the roles of shop assistant and customer.
Assessment task:
Students assess their partners or their classmates on how well they can carry
out the role play by putting a tick in some column.
Name:
Role:
Criteria
1. Understand the task instructions given in English.
2. Speak with fluency and confidence.
3. Use appropriate intonation, rhythm and stress.
4. Use an appropriate group of vocabulary and
phrases.
5. Interact in a polite and friendly manner.
Able
to
Partly Not yet
able to able to
More other types
projects, portfolios,
learning tasks,
activities of games,
quizzes, conferencing,
dialogue journals,
self-assessment,
peer and group assessment or
process writing and speaking
However, teachers should
 not
expect to use any techniques
exclusively
 consider about their own teaching
contexts, esp. their students’ need
 know very well about each
technique’s merits, uses, problems
and shortcomings
Suggestions on feedback
Let students know about
 their performances
 the suggestions on how to build on
their strengths and overcome their
weaknesses in learning
 how to make good use of the
feedback and wash back to their
learning
Feedback
Positive comments and constructive
criticism will be more helpful for
students to “bridge the gap” between
the present performance and the
future goals (Briggs.M & Woodfield A.,
2003).
Checklist on mini-talk
Name: Lin feng
Time: 2004-3-23
Criteria
Excellent
The talk is relevant to the
picture.
√
Good
Need to
improve
√
The related language was
used correctly.
√
Speak fluently and clearly.
Talk in good manners
(Keeping eye- contact,
with facial expressions
etc.)
OK
√
Interpretation
The student could tight his talk closely to the topic. And
he tried to use what he had learnt to talk about the picture,
but he made some mistakes that influenced his accuracy and
fluency. However, he could act in an appropriate manner
while talking.
That means the student could understand the requirement
of the task and was good at interacting with his audience. Yet
he needs more speaking practice, including pronunciation
and intonation. On the other hand, the teacher need to give
some individual support to him and plan some more time on
language teaching and practicing in next teaching, or she may
help students to review the language before assessment. In
this way, they may have more successful experience.
Feedback to Lin Feng
Positive
feedback
Constructive
criticism
Strategies
You could tight your talk closely to the topic, and
tried to use what you had learnt well to talk about
the picture. You could also act in an appropriate
manner while talking. That means you could
understand the requirement of the task and was good
at interacting with your audience.
Yet, you made some mistakes that influenced
your accuracy and fluency. So you need more
speaking practice, including pronunciation and
intonation. I am sure you can do the work much
better next time.
Please read my comments carefully and do what
you need as well as you can.
A case of classroom
assessment
The exemplar is from my project “On
research of assessment tools for and
of Basic English learning”
(one of the key projects of Basic
Education in the 15th Guangdong
Education Development Plan )
Be clear about:
Who to be assessed?
 What to assess for?
 What Ss have learned?
 What is the focus?
 What are the criteria?
 What tools to be used?
 Who to be assessors?
 What resources to be needed?
 How to manage the task?
 And how to use the feedback, for what?

Task:
A city poster
Level:
Grade 1, junior school = Band 3
Purpose:
To collect on-going information about how
well students have learned the topic my
city in the process of teaching and learning
and then wash back to improve their future
learning.
Assessment criteria
Have the concept of city life either in China
or in the other countries;
 Be able to collect the information needed
about the city to be talked;
 Be able to present the city tour information in
both oral and written forms with visual aids;
 Be interested in and actively involve the
group activities cooperatively;
 Be able to design the city poster as required.

Task description
Each group chooses a familiar city and
makes a poster illustrated with photos and
an English introduction in order to attract
tourists to come.
The poster should provide necessary information
about the city for tourists, such as its area,
population, climate, scenic spots and something
interesting to do in the city, etc.
Then one student is selected from each of the
groups to introduce the city and the scenes in
class according to the poster as a local tour
guide.
Meanwhile, the other students will assess the
partners’ performance with the checklist.
At last, the teacher and the class students will
vote for the best poster, the best introduction
and the best tour guide.
Checklist (Peer-assessment) for the task: A city poster
Targets
Expected performances
Grade
A
Active
attitudes
1.Have interests in collecting information
Cultural
Awareness
3.Know what kind of information is about Chinese
cities and the cities of other countries
2.Actively take part in group work
4.Collect the city information needed including its
area, population, climate and thing to see and do
Reading
Writing
5. Read and write tour information correctly in a
poster
Listening
Speaking
6. Introduce the city to others fluently and respond
to other’s introduction properly
Learning
strategies
7. Design the city poster as required and looks nice.
8. Use visual tools such as pictures, objects.
B
C
D
Positive and constructive feedback
Students
Problems
Comments
A
Made spelling
mistakes
You really did a very good job, except a few
spelling mistakes in the poster.
B
Not speak
fluently
You have finished your task well, but it would
be perfect if you had practiced your oral
introduction beforehand.
C
Not provide
enough
information
You have showed your good abilities in
writing and speaking. Why not add some
information about the city climate to your
poster later on?
D
No pictures
You did present a very good introduction to the
city. With some pictures or drawings, your
poster may look more impressive.
…
…
…
How to carry out the task?
Before assessment,
 create
warm atmosphere
 give clear instructions
 inform students assessing criteria
During assessment,
 monitor
students’ performances
 support their work if necessary
 take some notes with appropriate
checklists
After assessment,
 make
comments on students’ work
or grade and mark their work
 interpret the result
 write feedback to students
Questionnaire for the students:
1. Did you know you were being assessed during
the class?
2. If you have a right to choose, which do you
prefer, a paper test or such kind of task?
3. Do you think the result given by your partner
is fare to you?
4. Can what you have learned in this unit greatly
help you to finish the task?
5. What are your strengths and weaknesses in
doing the task?
1. Did you know you were being
assessed during the class?
Yes
No
2. If you have a right to choose,
which do you prefer, a paper test
or such kind of task?
Paper test
non-tested
task
3. Do you think the result given
by your partner is fare to you?
Yes
No
4. C a n w h a t y o u h a v e l e a r n e d
in this unit greatly help you
to finish the task?
Yes
Partially
No
5. What are your strengths and
weaknesses in doing the task?
Personalized
One of the teachers said,
“I have never thought that my students
could do such a good job. I found them
enjoyable.”
The other teacher reflected:
The task can help us assess what we have
taught. I found my students felt free when they
were being assessed. I am sure they will like
to learn English if we assess them in this way.
However, if I am asked to design such a task, I
may not be able to do. I have no time. On the
other hand, I feel challenging to manage about
60-student class. It is hard to monitor their
activities.
Implications
The feedback indicates that CA can
 reduce the pressure and make Ss
feel free to express
 reinforce the current teaching and
learning and make it effective
 observe or assess more than testing
 provide a real environment to use
English and more English exposure
Peer assessment can
 help
student see the purpose of
their study
 make them take the responsibility
for their own study
 learn to cooperate with others
Issues and conflicts
 No
good policy to make CA
accountable as a part of outcome
for graduation
 Difficult to ensure the reliability
and the moderation in selfassessment or peer-assessment
with large-scale classes
 Difficult
to ensure each of the
teachers to be a good designer and
assessor in terms of the
curriculum according to their own
context
 Time-consuming while using some
good tools like portfolios
Although we have embraced the idea of
changes and have thus done considerable
work to push the reform forward, we still
have a long way to go. Therefore, further
research in the Chinese context is much
needed to bring the formative assessment
into classroom that will not only reward
students and teachers, but also make it an
integral part of the school assessment
policy.
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Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
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Education
Time for questions.
广东省教育厅教育教学教材研究室
黄志红
信址：广州市广卫路14号402室 510035
电话：02-83339642 / 13600490392
E-mail: [email protected]