Cttls_Assignment_Module_2

Assignment Module 2 Select an assessment cycle from a course on which you teach. Using appropriate assessment terminology and relevant theories, critically evaluate the assessment cycle in terms of: - the overall purpose and type of assessment used - the appropriateness and effectiveness of the assessment methods - how assessment is recorded and used to promote learning - how inclusivity is maintained within the cycle Critically evaluate the effectiveness of the scheme to determine whether it is fit for purpose. Explain your reasoning and justify any improvements you would make. 2000 words In this essay I shall explain the different types of assessments that are used, why they are used and for what purpose. I will discuss how effective these assessment methods are and how they are recorded. With particular reference to my teaching. I will explain the way in which assessment is used to promote inclusivity and learning by progress recording, being essential for learners within the learning schema and critically evaluate this assessment cycle as a whole. We spend a lot of time assessing and evaluating our learners and also being assessed and self evaluating, for that matter. There are many different types of assessment including, diagnostic, formative and summative. In the case of diagnostic assessment, we use this to find out if the learner is of the ability to enter the chosen course and sometimes it is to measure how well the learner is getting on in the duration of the course. My learners are continuously being assessed by me using different methods and they are also assessing themselves and each other at certain points of the course. Understanding the style of my learners is important for me in order to plan my lessons and assessment activities accordingly. I encourage my learners and keep them motivated and challenged by changing my task based activities to encompass variety. Formative assessment is something that is taking place continuously and is an On going form of measuring and progress checking of the students and giving feedback. This can be in many forms, for instance I use CCQ’s (concept checking questions), this is assessment, as I learn whether my students have understood the concept or context. Short, written gap fill exercises are another way of assessing spelling and writing ability, knowledge and understanding. I use role play and presentations to build confidence and check correct language use. On a daily basis I am continuously assessing. The students review their learning by doing review exercises at the end of each class. I review their previous learning at the beginning of the new class the next day. Harmer States, ‘Formative assessment relates to the kind of feedback teachers give students as the course is progressing and which, as a result may help them to improve their performance. This is done at a micro-level every time we indicate that something is wrong and help students to get it right. (The Practice of English Language Teaching, J.Harmer, fourth edition, Pearson Longman, 2007, p 379). Summative assessments are usually external examinations set by awarding bodies. These are set so that the learner can show what, how much or how well they have acquired the knowledge during the course and whether deeper learning has taken place. This summative assessment would normally be in place to award a certificate to the learner to prove the level of learning that has been achieved. I teach English, to foreign students of all ages and, ESOL skills for life to adults. For the purpose of this assignment, I have chosen my foreign international students who I teach intensive 3 week courses in English Language. The first point of assessment is the initial diagnostic assessment in the form of ‘Placement Tests’ which are based on the schema the students will follow once their level has been decided. These tests are undertaken before the learners have been allocated a class on the course. This is to ascertain what level each learner is at in their previous learning in order to place each learner at the correct level and in the right class. At this stage we can also pinpoint any barriers to learning that the learner may have. For example a learner could have a hearing or sight impairment or dyslexia or other disability that may have not come to light in the application stage of the process. These are not external assessments but internal and are solely for our records and, the learners start point and also to monitor and record further progress as the learning is taking place throughout the course. The assessment cycle of the English course is set within the scheme of work. Formative assessment is On-going and the summative assessment is used to offer the ’EFCELT’ certificate which is awarded by Cambridge University. This summative test/assessment is composed of direct and indirect component testing material. Therefore being a very effective, valid and reliable testing method. Harmer states, ‘A test item is direct if it asks candidates to perform the communicative skill which is being tested. Indirect test items, on the other hand, try to measure a student’s knowledge and ability by getting at what lies beneath their receptive and productive skills. Whereas direct test items try to be as much like real life language use as possible, indirect items try to find out about a student’s language knowledge through more controlled items such as multiple choice questions or grammar transformation items. These are often quicker to design and, crucially, easier to mark, and produce greater scorer reliability.’ (The Practice of English Language Teaching, J.Harmer, fourth edition, Pearson Longman, 2007, p 381/382). The lessons are taught using the course text books; however individual lesson planning is essential to keep the lessons from being boring. A fun element is implemented using task based learning methodology within the lesson plans. So active learning is promoted. In contrast, in the ‘skills for life sector’, most of the students are directed to us through the job centre. Most of them are unemployed or in very part time work. Some of these learners have reached high levels of study in their own respective countries before settling in GB. However in order to gain employment they need to be able to communicate. Effectively, they need to be able to read, write and speak in English. Communication, be it written, verbal or visual is key to progression of any form. The overall purpose of assessment is to measure knowledge, or skills and attitude towards learning. The type of assessment used has to be relevant to the learning context. To this end, I feel assessment is most important and relevant to real learning as a type of communication between learner and assessor. Further more, we must keep in mind the importance of feedback as an essential component of assessment so that the learner can improve where improvement is necessary, and the teacher can see where they themselves need to improve on content or delivery of the lesson, in order to facilitate the progression of the students learning journey. Perrie states, Students should always be given feed back and advice on their progress and have the opportunity to learn from their mistakes.’ (‘Characteristics of an effective assessment’, Perrie, 2003, p.86) The appropriateness and effectiveness of the assessment methods is essential to learning. The courses are for international students who have perfect linguistic ability in at least 1 language, usually their own native language. The learners are happy to be in London, learning English. They put their abilities in to practice straight away by talking to native speakers when not in a class room setting. So, learning is taking place all of the time. Therefore they can assess their own progress using their ‘learning Passport’ when not in class. Self assessment and peer assessment takes place during class. Often I will write a sentence or something someone has said on the board and then ask the class if they think that it is correct. Often a discussion is started until we have reached the correct answer. Self assessment is something the learners can do using their text books as we go through I often ask the learners to mark their own work or swap books and mark each others work. I always monitor and help. For any kind of assessment to be effective it needs to be valid and reliable. A test can only be valid if it tests what it is supposed to test within the context of the learning schema and it can only be reliable if it is consistent with the results. Perrie states, ‘The assessment method should be valid in order to measure the intention of the assessment. For example, to assess practical ability, it should look at how the results were obtained in addition to the results themselves. Assessments have to be reliable and consistent using criteria and marking schemes should be concise so that grades are consistent when more than one assessor marks the work or when one assessor marks the work on different occasions. The assessment should be transparent and fair, be clearly aimed at meeting the learning objectives for the topic and all students should have the same opportunity to succeed. Deadlines for course work should be staggered across modules and not just within one module to make assessment manageable for both students and the tutors. The assessment should be streamlined to ease the burden of marking and giving feedback. (‘Characteristics of an effective assessment’, Perrie, 2003, p.86)   Assessment is recorded and used to promote learning throughout the course by way of constant monitoring of set exercises, homework, individual and group projects, class discussions, role plays and feedback. For my International English Language course, the students have text books which they keep as‘learning log’, these are updated every lesson in order to record what they have each learned so far. I keep a progress log of my learners which I update during the course. I have designed this for myself and start by recording names, ages, student learning background and initial diagnostic assessment results. I then log their individual progress on a daily basis. This helps me to keep to the learning outcomes required of the students so that I can then adjust my teaching accordingly. Learners usually know or are aware of their weaknesses and strengths and once I have discussed ways of bridging this by helping them understand what they can do, I further their confidence by highlighting their strengths and make a point of discussing these and praising them. I do know that I have felt so much more in control of my own learning during the process of this course due to the reasoning behind assessment and also the thought that we are, as learners, assessing ourselves at the same time by recapping on our knowledge of what we are being taught and filling in any gaps in information. At the same time we are in fact enabling deeper learning to take place through this process of practice, assessment and feedback and self evaluation. The Students are also given opportunity to assess each other as well during pair work and group work exercises. They know their own weaknesses and strengths and this is talked about in the one to one feedback. Inclusivity is maintained within the cycle by giving the students ‘a learning passport’. This records each student’s individual learning journey. It is theirs to keep and record key learning points as we progress through the course, however it is stamped by me in order to verify, that they have truly achieved the stated learning outcome, within the learning schema. I only stamp each stage once they have shown me proof of their learning. This is a part of the continuous formative assessment. I make sure it is an inclusive learning experience by handing some responsibility for their learning, over to the learners themselves. They are asked to set a class contract which they have full power over. Once the class rules have been set the learners choose the relevant benefits for good behaviour and the relevant punishment for bad behaviour. They do this democratically by discussion and come to an agreement. They are also given a choice of topics they would like to study (within the English language learning context) as well as the set topics which are already set as ‘ Core Units’ in the learning schema. This gives them power over their own learning and personalises it to an enjoyable and inclusive learning experience. In a language learning environment learners can be very self conscious to speak, being afraid of ‘getting it wrong’. In this instance topics that they choose themselves are used to make them feel relaxed and knowledgeable in their choice topics, to be able to talk about them in English. This plays a huge part towards an inclusive learning agenda. In my experience this way of learning is very effective. Over the period of each 3 week course I have recorded great achievement and improvement in the English Language levels of the students. Not only this, but also a huge increase in their confidence and ability. Most of these international students have learnt English grammar to some level, in their respective countries. However, as with everything else if we do not practice something we have learnt it is usually forgotten or lost. The ‘Action Learning Pathway’ that is used by this school of English is very effective as the key principles are set as: Knowledge = Practice = Project = Result In order to help learners Improve and learn English these key principles have proven to be effective. A lot of emphasis is put on the ‘Practice’ part. The key being that, the more practice in speaking, writing and reading that the learners get, the better learning is achieved. During this is the ongoing assessment and feedback. As well as other learning experiences the students, each live with native English speaking families. Here, they need to communicate on a daily basis for their basic needs and to hold conversations about daily life and cultural experiences here in London as compared with their respective countries. They experience British food and culture. This enables them to have a wealth of experiences to talk about during class discussions. A lot of encouragement is given and praise for achievement. The only point I would criticise and that needs attention is that these learners have so much to do and experience outside of the classroom that sometimes they can be very tired during lessons. Sometimes this has been concerning for me, however, it is overcome by allowing extra breaks and refreshments during lessons. I have evaluated the effectiveness of the scheme and feel it is fit for purpose. The purpose being that the Learners are here for 3 weeks to learn English. They are exposed to the English language in class, outside class and at home with their host families. Learning and assessment is continuously taking place in one form or another in the correct context and in line with the schema, in order to work towards the summative assessment. The results speak for themselves and I am very pleased to be part of an organisation that is at the forefront of the new teaching revolution. (Words 2448 including references) Bibliography Jeremy Harmer, ‘The practice of English language teaching’, fourth Edition, Pearson Longman, 2007. Perrie, ‘Characteristics of an effective assessment’, 2003.Roehampton University. Ann Gravells, Principles and Practice of Assessment in the lifelong learning sector, Learning matters, 2010. Susan Ainslie and Alwena Lamping, Assessing Adult Learners, CiLT, 1995.