Assessing Listening and Speaking Skills

Presented by:

Chan Yi JiaJoanne Tan Yi Wen

Nurul AimiNadiah bt. Abd. Mubim

Lecturer:Madam Jayanthi Mala a/p Marimuthu

Definition…

• Assessment means

– The evaluation or estimation of the nature, quality, or ability of someone or something.

(www.thefreedictionary.com)

Features of Language Skills Testing

Discrete feature tests

mastery over different sub-

skills

Task-based tests

ability to perform

certain tasks

Specifying constituents of a language test

• The Royal Society of Arts (RSA) identifies four different aspects that need to be taken into account in producing a language test.

1. Types of text

• You need to consult – the objectives for the course – what kind of text types are spelt out in the syllabus, – what tasks have been taught during the period. (e.g

month / semester)

• Texts have to be spelt out in terms of their genre (e.g. story, newspaper, report, letter) as well as in terms of topics (e.g. animals, pollution)

2. Operations• To specify is what the candidates has able to

do.

receptive skills

listening or reading input

productive skills

texts (speaking and

writing).

3. Degree of skill

• Slightly different criteria are used for productive and receptive skills.

• For listening and reading, these criteria can be used:

Complexity of task

Range

Complexity of text

Size

• For productive skills, you need to use a slightly different list of criteria.

Size

Accuracy

Range (sentences structures, idioms, vocabulary)

Appropriacy (how well the candidate fit his language to the specific context)

Level of sophistication (style, complexity of arguments and organization)

Effectiveness (the level of candidate in getting the message across)

4. Formats

• In selecting your format for any test, remember to make sure the format has been used before in teaching and testing.

Skill Objective tests Open-ended tests

Listening

•True / false•Short answer•MCQ•Information transfer•Rearranging pictures•Gap-filling

•Summary•Note-taking•Open-ended questions

Speaking

•Aural discrimination, e.g. minimal pairs•Making oral responses to different cues•Supplying missing elements in conversation

•Describing pictures•Group discussion•Interviews•Information-gap activities

Testing listening skills

• Basically, there are two kinds of

Listening test:

specific aspect of listening

sound discrimination

Distinguish minimal pairs /t/ and /d/,

/r/ and /l/.

Distinguish specific sounds from a background of

different sounds.

skills in accomplishing different types of

listening tasks

2. Task-based listening tests

1. Text selection (conversation / stories)

2. Editing a text for taping (use real language)

3. Writing items

4. Chanel conversion

5. Summary cloze

6. Listening to the tape

a. Multiple-choice items

• Does not need to write anything.• Needs only to circle the correct answer. • Alternatives need to be simple.• Items should roughly follow the sequences of

the tape.• Students should be given a chance to read to

the tape.

b. Short answer format

• Give students a chance to look through the questions

• Arrange the questions in the order the answer occur in the tape.

• There should be enough interval between items.

Channel conversion

• Get pupils to record their understanding in non-verbal ways.

For example, a pupil may be asked to draw the face of the monster in the listening text or to trace the route

from point X to point Y from instructions given in the tape and etc.

Summary cloze

• Teacher can prepare a summary of the main points in the listening material.

• Ask students to fill in the blanks in the summary after he has listened to the whole tape.

Listening to the tape

• There are two points to be considered:– How many times the pupil would be allowed to

listen to the tape and – under what condition he would listen to the tape.

• Ultimately, a pupil should only be allowed to listen to the tape once.

Testing of Oral ProficiencyDiscrete feature:

pronunciation,

knowledge of what language is

appropriate in different situations,

language required in doing different things.

Task-based:

describing a scene shown in a picture

participating in a discussion about a

given topic

narrating a story, etc.

1. Discrete feature tests of speaking

• Minimal pair tests of pronunciation

– Remember that there is only one sound that differs in a minimal pair.

Example:

Pen pinBill pillFry flyVan fan

• Tests of intonation– Test students to produce the correct intonation for

a sentence, exclamation, etc.

– Example:

• Read aloud each of the following sentences with the correct intonation.

He is here.Here he is!He is here?

• Reading aloud

– It is often used as a test of pronunciation, stress and intonation.

– The text must be carefully chosen and must contain the specific sounds (vowels, diphthongs, consonants, blend, etc).

– It must have sentence structures that can be read aloud.

• Tests of language functions and their linguistic realizations

• These are often paper and pencil tests.

• Select the kinds of conversations or speaking situations which your students have to participate in.

• Then, leave gaps where the student has to fill in appropriate functions. (p.g.357)

2. Task-based speaking test– Keep the following points in mind:

1. Try to be as natural as you can and try to put students at ease before you start the examination.

2. Do not ask your question baldly, as in an interrogation.

3. Do not interrupt your conversation to jot down marks.

4. Give as much help as is necessary .

Common formats used in testing oral skills

• Tests with picture stimuli– Pictures can provide information.

– Examples:• Single picture• Picture for comparison• A series of pictures

Oral interviews

• One or two testers interview a candidate regarding a number of predetermined topics.

• Think of a number of different topics that you can use as stimuli for talk during the interview.

• Prepare questions that will be appropriate for each level of candidate.

• Ask question that fit the level you think the candidate is at.

Group discussion

• In this kind to test, three to five candidates are tested at the same time.

• Each group is given a problem-solving task involving role simulation or information or opinion gap.

GIVING FEEDBACK & SUPPORT

• Feedback has also been called constructive criticism.

• Praise more than you criticise!

• Constructive criticism :Not "Debbie was hopeless!“but "Debbie made some very useful contributions but her voice was a bit quiet. I couldn't hear her very well, so she needs to raise her voice a bit in future.“

• Try to give feedback immediately: on the spot if possible.

• Be direct and honest.

• Give feedback in private if at all possible, it's insensitive to do this in front of others.

• It's a good idea to ask permission: "Do you mind if I give you some feedback?". This gives the person time to prepare.

• Don't repeat the same point over and over: this will just build up resentment.

• Only criticise behaviours that can be changed: "You need to improve your computing skills" rather than "You're stupid"!

• Don't compare the person with other people, as this can build jealousy.

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• Use "I" not "You" statements: "I feel upset" not "You made me feel upset".

• If you are receiving feedback yourself, try to accept it in a positive and non-defensive manner.

ISSUES IN ASSESSING LISTENING AND SPEAKING

LISTENING1) One of the largest inhibitors for students is often

mental block. • While listening, a student suddenly decides that he

or she doesn't understand what is being said. At this point, many students just tune out or get caught up in an internal dialogue trying translate a specific word.

• Some students convince themselves that they are not able to understand spoken English well and create problems for themselves.

• Try to teach the students (with differing amounts of success) is that they need to listen to English as often as possible, but for short periods of time.

SPEAKING1) Students won't talk or say anything.

• A completely different reason for student silence may simply be that the class activities are boring.

• Very often our interesting communicative speaking activities are not quite as interesting or as communicative as we think they are and all the students are really required to do is answer 'yes' or 'no' which they do quickly and then just sit in silence or worse talking noisily in their L1.

• So maybe you need to take a closer look at the type of speaking activities you are using and see if they really capture student interest and create a real need for communication.

2)When students work in pairs or groups they just end up chatting in their own language.

• Are all the students actively involved and is the activity interesting?

• If students do not have something to say or do, or don't feel the need to speak, you can be sure it won't be long before they are chatting away in their L1.

• Is the activity or task pitched at the right level for the students?

Make sure you give the students all the tools and language they need to be able to complete the task. If the language is pitched too high they may revert to their L1, likewise if the task is too easy they may get bored and revert to their L2.

Testing vs. Teaching

IntroductionTesting Teaching

Definition: testing is finding out how well something works.

Definition: the activities of educating or instructing; activities that impart knowledge or skill;

In terms of human beings, testing tells what level of knowledge or skill has been acquired.Testing can be in the form of FORMAL or INFORMAL. (Examination/Questioning)

Teaching tries to arrange the context of learning(the materials, the methodology, the classroom……), in such a way that the student has the best possible chance of learning what he is attempting to learn.

Testing vs. Teaching

• Testing and teaching are closely interrelated, but they do not have the same focus.

• Tests focus on assessing the products of learning; Teaching concentrates on enabling students to succeed in the process of learning.

• Tests try to assess a student’s previous learning; teaching prepares him for current and future learning.

• The primary function of a teacher is to ensure that learning takes place.

• Tests are one of the tools that the teacher uses to help to do the job well.

• A test picks put the most important skills that have been taught and uses performance on these as a way of measuring a student’s mastery of the language areas he is being tested on.

• Because a test is supposed to pick out the most important aspects of a skill, it is often used as a guide as to what would be the most important things to teach.

• This is called backwash effect of a test.

Accuracy vs. Fluency

Accuracy

• Accuracy is the ability to produce correct sentences using correct grammar and vocabulary.

• Accuracy is relative. A child in early primary isn't capable of the same level of accuracy as an adult.

• Teachers who concentrate on accuracy help their students to produce grammatically correct written and spoken English.

• Typical accuracy activities are: grammar presentations, gap-fill exercises……

Fluency• Fluency is the ability to read, speak, or write easily,

smoothly, and expressively. In other words, the speaker can read, understand and respond in a language clearly and concisely while relating meaning and context.

• Fluency generally increases as learners progress from beginning to advanced readers and writers.

• Language teachers who concentrate on fluency help their students to express themselves in fluent English. They pay more attention to meaning and context and are less concerned with grammatical errors.

• Typical fluency activities are: role plays, speeches, communicative activities, games.

Accuracy vs. Fluency

• English is an international language which people from all over the world learn in order to communicate with each other.

• Accuracy and Fluency are two factors which can determine the success of English language students in the future.

• A classroom activity may aim either at accuracy or fluency, a distinction first made by Brumfit (1984).

• An accuracy-oriented activity such as pattern drills is usually used in the teaching of a new target item; A fluency-oriented activity such as extensive reading and information gap aims to develop the students' spontaneous communications skills in using what they have already learned.

 Accuracy FluencyPurpose:- to help students achieve accurate perception and production of a target item which can be a sound, a word, or a sentence structure.

Purpose:- to help students practice language in listening, speaking, reading, and/or writing activities to so develop fluency in using the language in spontaneous communication.

Material: - the texts are usually composed of separate ("discrete") items: sentences or words; texts may be used in any mode (skill), regardless of how they are used in real life (dialogues may be written, written texts used for listening);- the target items are usually practiced out of context or situation;

Material:- the texts are usually whole pieces of discourses: conversation, stories, etc.;- texts are usually used as they would be in real life: dialogues are spoken, articles and written stories are read;- an effort is made to use authentic material from real life.

Activities:- students' attention is focused on a particular target item;-their output is usually predictable; their performance is assessed on how few language mistakes are made;- students' errors are corrected; tasks do not usually simulate real-life situations.

Activities: - students' attention is focused on communicating information and expressing ideas;- their output may not always be predictable; their performance is assessed on how well ideas are expressed or understood;- students' errors are not corrected unless it interferes with communication;- tasks often simulate real-life situations.

Methodologies in Practice

• As far as teaching methodologies are concerned, very broadly speaking the communicative approach is the one that favours fluency the most, while the audio-lingual and grammar translation approaches favour accuracy.

• Typically, at beginner level when the students don't have enough language to worry about fluency, teachers tend to focus on accuracy.

• This carries on through to pre-intermediate level when fluency activities like discussions and debates are introduced.

• At intermediate level, when the students are reasonably independent language users, a mix of accuracy and fluency is used, with the focus shifting to fluency as students advance.