The role of assessment in the language classroom

Introduction: The role of assessment in the language classroom

TSLB3113 | Language Assessment in the Primary ESL Classroom

Open Ended

How do you feel when you hear the word "assessment"?

Multiple Choice

Define polygene.

• the first stratum of lower-order protozoa containing multiple genes

• a combination of two or more plastics to produce a highly durable material

• one of a set of cooperating genes, each producing a small quantitative effect

• any of a number of multicellular chromosomes

Multiple Choice

Define cynosure.

• an object that serves as a focal point of attention and admiration; a center of interest or attention

• a narrow opening caused by a break or fault in limestone caves

• the cleavage in rock caused by glacial activity

• one of a group of electrical Impulses capable of passing through metals

Multiple Choice

Define gudgeon.

• a jail for commoners during the Middle Ages, located in the villages of Germany and France

• a strip of metal used to reinforce beams and girders in building construction

• a tool used by Alaskan Indians to carve totem poles

• a small Eurasian freshwater fish

Multiple Choice

Define hippogriff.

• a term used in children's literature to denote colorful and descriptive phraseology

• a mythological monster having the wings, claws, and head of a griffin and the body of a horse

• ancient Egyptian cuneiform writing commonly found on the walls of tombs

• a skin transplant from the leg or foot to the hip

Multiple Choice

Define reglet.

• a narrow, flat molding

• a musical composition of regular beat and harmonic intonation

• an Australian bird of the eagle family

• a short sleeve found on women's dresses in Victorian England

Multiple Choice

Define fictile.

• a short, oblong-shaped projectile used in early eighteenth-century cannons

• an Old English word for the leading character of a fictional novel

• moldable plastic; formed of a moldable substance such as clay or earth

• pertaining to the tendency of certain lower mammals to lose visual depth perception with increasing age

Open Ended

Now, how did that make you feel?

Poll

Can assessment be positive experiences? Can they build a person's confidence and become learning experiences? Can they bring out the best in students?

In this topic, you will:

• Explain the role of assessment in the language classroom for young learners

TSLB3113 | Language Assessment in the Primary ESL Classroom

Open Ended

How is assessing young learners different from assessing older learners?

TSLB3113 | Language Assessment in the Primary ESL Classroom

Watch this video, which introduces the topic of assessing young learners.

As you watch, answer the following questions:
• Young learners are divided into three age groups – what are they?
• What are the different ways to assess the three groups?
• Why is fun important for all ages?

​Then, compare notes with your partner and discuss the answers.

https://youtu.be/p255pZWERbI

Open Ended

Reflect upon your practicum phase 1 and your school-based experience. How was language assessment of young learners carried out in Malaysian schools?

Dickins & Rixon's (1999) Study

They asked teachers how they assessed their young learners, and the teachers said they used:

• Grammar and vocabulary tests

• Single sentence exercises

• Gap-filling

• Vocabulary matching

• Restricted dialogues to test speaking

TSLB3113 | Language Assessment in the Primary ESL Classroom

Poll

Is this a positive finding? Or is it worrying?

• This is definitely a positive finding.

• The finding is worrying.

Tutorial Task

Read the following chapters:

• Chapter 1 in Brown's (2010) "Language Assessment: Principles and Classroom Practices"

• Turner's (2012) chapter on "Classroom Assessment" in The Routledge Handbook of Language Testing.

Take your own study notes. Then, compare your notes with your partner and discuss the nature of assessing young learners in the language classroom. Relate it to how assessment is carried out in the Malaysian language education context.

TSLB3113 | Language Assessment in the Primary ESL Classroom

Multiple Choice

Are assessment and test the same thing?

• Yes

• No

Multiple Choice

Are the concepts of reliability and validity relevant in classroom assessment?

• No

• Yes

Open Ended

Why do you assess the language of young learners?

Open Ended

How do you assess the language of young learners for learning?

Open Ended

How do you assess the language of young learners for teaching?

Open Ended

How do you assess the language of young learners for research?

Preparing for the Next Class

Watch the following videos about language assessment in Malaysia. While watching the videos, take your own study notes:

Video 1 on issues and challenges in assessing language skills through classroom-based assessment: https://youtu.be/sp_iguBOnwA

Video 2 on classroom-based assessment for primary school English language: https://youtu.be/r38CqIXCS54

Video 3 on summative assessment for primary school English language: https://youtu.be/G9sUOAKI42U

Videos 4 & 5 on what the classroom-based assessment entails: https://youtu.be/BddU9FzSG-U & https://youtu.be/Tfv58_mY_a4

TSLB3113 | Language Assessment in the Primary ESL Classroom