TESL-0140 - Unit One - Reflection
One of the
readings that we were assigned this week was a chapter called “Using Assessment
to Promote Learning” by authors Leung et al (2017). The chapter is based on
material that was presented in a symposium and includes a discussion of
assessment developments around the world. One of the developments that is
discussed is about the approach of using assessment for learning in New Zealand.
The authors explain that the new approach is student-focused and is used as a
means to improve teaching and testing. The new approach was also a shift from the
use of summative assessments or evaluations to measure the level of language
retention of students to the use of ongoing assessments to measure learning in
relation to the goals established using previous needs assessments. The authors
point out that the use of summative assessments had led to students using
rote-learnt responses rather than an authentic and unrehearsed use of language
with their peers. However, even after instructors shifted towards the use of
informal assessments and encouraging interaction in the classroom, students
would still prepare for assessments by practicing scripts and adding language
features to make their responses sound more authentic (Leung et al, 2017).
This material
gave me a lot to think about. In particular, I was drawn to the way that
students perceived assessments. Students continued to view assessments as a
reflection of their abilities and intelligence even after the shift to using
informal assessments. Rather than practicing their language in the classroom,
students focused on perfecting their use of language because they were afraid
of saying something wrong. I was drawn to this description because it applies
to both my volunteering experiences with adult learners when they doubt
themselves after making mistakes and my own experiences trying to learn
language. When students know that they are being or will be tested, their efforts
turn to learning to write the test instead of learning to learn. Learning to
write the test involves learning specific language features that will appear on
the test while learning to learn involves learning to improve language skills for
the purpose of achieving goals. My own experiences trying to learn Spanish was
similar. When I did not have much time, my focus was on trying to guess what
would be on the test and learning the material that would prepare me to write
the test. As a university-level language course, we worked on improving all
four language skills, but our achievement was primarily based on the grades
that we received on tests. While this is unfortunate, it is understandable
since it can be difficult to measure skill level and knowledge as a whole. Informal
assessments in the classroom are very useful for providing feedback to students
and understanding their strengths and weaknesses. However, this information is not
important to the university or to the stakeholders and donors of language
learning programs since their interest lies in the overall effectiveness of the
programs.
As a result, it
can be difficult not to rely on formal assessments when examining the language
skills and knowledge of students when stakeholders like administrative staff
and the government place higher value on data from this kind of assessment. It
can also be difficult to explain the differences between formal and informal
assessments with students and how their scoring does not reflect the overall
value of them as people. I am not sure how I would explain the use of
assessments to students to help them understand the purposes of assessments and
how learning language is an ongoing process where students progress at different
rates. I know that I will make an effort to teach students learning strategies
so that they can continue learning outside of the classroom. Teaching students
how to learn for the purpose of learning is much more important and useful than
learning to take a test.
References
Leung,
C., Davison, C., East, M., Evans, M., Liu, Y., Hamp-Lyons, L., & Purpura,
J. E. (2018). Using Assessment to Promote Learning: Clarifying Constructs,
Theories, and Practices. In J. Davis, J. M. Norris, M. E. Malone, T. H. McKay,
& Y. Son (Eds.), Useful Assessment and Evaluation in Language Education.
Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
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