Assessing Young LearnersChristine CoombeDubai Mens College

Presentation agendaIssues in assessing childrens language learningLexical distinctionsSocial & classroom realities of YL assessmentPrinciples for assessing childrens language learningCurrent views about YL assessmentHow YLs learnTechniques for assessing YLsQuestions and discussion

Issues in assessing childrens language learningThe following make assessing YLs different from assessment practices in other F/SL situationsAge: childrens motor, linguistic, social and conceptual development must be taken into accountContent of language learning: a focus on oral skills, vocabulary development and language use at discourse level

Issues in assessing childrens language learningMethods of teaching: interactive use of games, songs, rhymes, storiesAims: programs for YLs often cite social and cross cultural aims as well as language learning onesLearning theories: learning centered approach, learning through social interaction (Cameron, 2001)A survey of the sparse info that is available on YL assessment suggests that assessment practices to not take these factors into account (Rea-Dickins, 2000)

Lexical distinctionsA helpful distinction between testing and assessment when teaching children English is made by Vale & Feunteun (1995) Testing: a means of checking that learning has taken place with respect to specified teaching context/input, often by a particular task. Results are usually concrete and can be expressed quantitatively as a mark or %

Lexical distinctions cont.

Assessment: an attempt to analyze the learning that a child has achieved over a period of time as a result of classroom teaching/learning. Not based on a particular task nor expressed as a mark. A subjective (teacher) opinion of the achievement of a child in terms of attitude, participation, socialization and general cognitive/physical developmentProgress measured against individual starting points & abilities rather than compared against skills/abilities of others as in traditional testing

Social realities of assessmentPolitical, commercial & cultural dynamics underlie conflicts around the role of assessment in language teaching/learningIt is reasonable to require that assessment serve teachingby providing feedback on pupils learning, this will make the next teaching event more effectiveKnown as washback

Social realities of assessmentIn theory, teaching & learning need to dictate the form and timing of assessmentIn practice, the scenario is quite differentassessment often drives teachingforces Ts to teach what is being assessedan example of negative washbackThis is a reality not only with YLs but other learners as well

Classroom realities

Survey conducted by Rea-Dickins and Rixon (1999) asked 120 Ts and teacher trainers in Europe about their assessment practicesVast majority (92%) of the Ts do assess children with the stated purpose of helping their teaching (87%). Most of this assessment was prepared by Ts who were responsible for marking and record keeping

Classroom realitiesWhen investigating what was being assessedmismatch between curricular aims, pedagogy and test content found to existthe most frequently used method was the paper and pencil testtesting single items of vocabulary and grammar through one sentence contexts This contrasted vividly with how children were being taughttests found to neglect speakingwhat was being assessed was what was easy to assess

Principles for assessing childrens language learningAssessment should be seen from a learning centered perspectiveA Vygotskyan perspective on learning emphasizes that learning occurs in social contexts and through interaction with helpful adults or other childrenVygotsky (1962) insisted that we do not get a true assessment of a childs ability by measuring what he/she can do alone and without help what a child can do with helpful others both predicts the next stage in learning and gives a better assessment of learning

Principles for assessing childrens language learningAssessment should support learning/ teachingIf learning is our central focus, assessment should contribute to the learning processfor both the individual child and for the classKnown as instructionally-embedded assessment

More principles

Ts need clear understanding of language learning processes and of socio-cultural context in which they operateWith this knowledge, they can predict the impact of assessment on their teaching and plan accordinglyAssessment should not disrupt learningAssessments often criticized because they replace instructional timeTs who use daily teaching events to collect data are not taking away valuable teaching timeThe key is understanding what will be the focus of assessment data collection and which tools will produce the best or most useful informationChildren need to be assessed in an anxiety-reduced or anxiety-free environmentThis can be achieved only if a child perceives assessment as an integral component of the teaching/learning process

More principlesAssessment is more than testingIt is not necessary to test children to know how well they are doing there are other more supportive ways to assess learning that go beyond testingalternative assessment techniques like observation, portfolios and self-assessment (OMalley & Valdez Pierce, 1996)

More principlesAssessment should be congruent with learningAssessment should fit comfortably with childrens learning experienceAssessment should be interactional rather than an isolated, solo experience Children and parents should understand assessment issuesTransparency must existParents often feel that they way they were assessed is the best way.

More principlesEmploy multiples measures of assessmentNo one assessment tool can provide all the information that Ts need to plan instruction, make instructional decisions or determine success or mastery of SsUse a variety of assessment toolsThe composite view provided by these multiple measures allows Ts to make generalizations about student learning

Current views about YL assessmentStandardized tests are problematic for children Growth is most uneven and idiosyncraticSkills needed for success are at their most fluidFailure in these years can be devastatingStandardized tests put tremendous pressure on YLsNo Child Left Behind ActPressure can inhibit thinking (Jensen, 1998) and decrease the accuracy of assessment YLs are notoriously poor test takers..the younger the child being evaluated, assessed, or tested, the more errors are made and the greater the risk of assigning false labels to them (Katz, 1997).

How YLs learnTraditional types of assessment are often insufficiently sensitive to the ways YLs demonstrate their competencies also interrupt the learning process in active, engaging classrooms.Research shows that children in preschool years and early primary grades learn best through active, engaged, meaningful experiences

How YLs learn

Through these experiences YLs construct their own knowledge by interacting with their environment and otherswork of Piaget has demonstrated importance of sensory experiences and concrete learning activitiesimportance of direct, first-hand interactive experience confirmed by National Association for the Education of Young Children these experiences are difficult to assess

Techniques for assessing YLsObservation One of the most useful assessment techniques does not disturb the child and allows him/her to be assessed in the process of ordinary classroom activitiesTs continually observe and utilize the observe-notice-adjust teaching processNot realistic to observe every child on every occasionbetter to focus on 6/7 during one lessonresults in better quality information being collectedMost common way of recording observations of childrens performance is through a checklist

More techniquesSelf-assessmentA child who learns to assess his/her own work moves from being other-regulated to self-regulated or autonomouscommonly recognized that autonomous learners will be at an advantage in continuing to learn and adjust throughout their livesHow feasible is it with groups of five-year olds?we tend to underestimate the potential for self-assessment in our childrensee them as empty vessels in need of being filled with knowledgewild in need of taming

More techniquesPortfolio assessment A collection of work that reveal both the capability and the progress of a learnerRequires close cooperation between T and S in selecting the contents What to include: samples of writing, lists of books read, audio taped or videotaped recordings, conference or observation notes, artwork, self assessment checklists like K-W-L charts, samples of tests and quizzes

More techniquesK-W-L Chartswhat they know, what they wonder or want to know and what they have learned Learning logsA record of Ss experiences with English outside the classroom including the when and where of language use why certain experiences were successful and why others were notDialog journals Ongoing written dialog between teacher and student

More techniquesInteractive writing chartsObservation charts that document the presence or absence of a variety of different writing conventions and/or abilitiesRunning recordsA simple checklist used during reading aloud activitiesTs code the presence or absence of a word or a miscueA mechanism exists for self correcting (Frey & Fisher, 2003)

A final word on standardized testsCambridge ESOL created the Cambridge Young Learners English Tests in 1993A series of tests for children of all nationalities aged 7 to 12 who are learning EFL whatever their L1Designed with a high interest level for test takers and on a pass/fail basisFour-skills tests available at 3 levels: Starters, Movers and Flyers (equivalent to the KET)All sections graded on a scale from 1 to 5 (represented as shields)http://www.cambridge-efl.org.uk

ConclusionDocumenting the growth of YLs presents many challengesAssessment practices not only determine childrens futures and how their time is spent, but also carry messages for children about what parents and Ts consider important in language learning and in lifeResearch shows that children live up to the expectations of their Ts whether they are high or lowexpectations are perhaps more clearly revealed through assessment practices than anywhere else

Conclusion

For YLs, what matters is a solid base in spoken languageconfidence and enjoyment in working with the spoken and written forms of the languagea good foundation in learning skillsWe should be looking for assessment practices that will reinforce the value of these skills to learners and to their parents

Presenter contactChristine CoombeDubai Mens College, HCTPO Box 15825Dubai, UAEchristine.coombe@hct.ac.ae or christinecoombe@hotmail.comhttp://taesig.com or http://ctelt.com