Unit 21:Unit 21:Choosing Choosing

assessment assessment activitiesactivities

byby

Porntip Porntip BodeepongseBodeepongse

Assessment…Assessment…• means collecting information about means collecting information about

learners’ performance in order to learners’ performance in order to make judgements about their make judgements about their learning.learning.

• can be done can be done formallyformally or or informallyinformally..

Task 1:Task 1:• What are the differences between What are the differences between

formal and informal assessment?formal and informal assessment?

Formal assessmentFormal assessment• can consist of tasks with single can consist of tasks with single

answers (e.g. multiple-choice answers (e.g. multiple-choice questions, matching tasks, true/false questions, matching tasks, true/false questions) that are easy to mark.questions) that are easy to mark.

• Objective test tasks Objective test tasks will give us will give us information about learners’ information about learners’ knowledge of particular language knowledge of particular language items and specific areas of language items and specific areas of language skills. skills.

Some formal assessmentSome formal assessment

• makes use of more real-life makes use of more real-life tasks, such as oral interviews, tasks, such as oral interviews, letters and essays, to get letters and essays, to get information about learners’ information about learners’ general ability to use spoken and general ability to use spoken and written language.written language.

When preparing a class When preparing a class testtest

• include a number of different include a number of different tasks so that we get a good tasks so that we get a good picture of learners’ strengths and picture of learners’ strengths and weaknesses and to test the main weaknesses and to test the main things we have taught.things we have taught.

• choose assessment tasks for choose assessment tasks for young learners very carefully, young learners very carefully, making sure that tasks are making sure that tasks are familiar, not too abstract or too familiar, not too abstract or too difficult.difficult.

Informal assessmentInformal assessment• The amount of informal assessment we The amount of informal assessment we

do depends on a number of things:do depends on a number of things:– The The size of the classsize of the class– The The age of the learners age of the learners (good for YL (good for YL

as formal tests are too abstract)as formal tests are too abstract)– The The language knowledge or skillslanguage knowledge or skills– The The frequencyfrequency of formal tests or of formal tests or

examinationsexaminations

Key conceptsKey concepts• Important for learners to know Important for learners to know

that we are assessing them, how that we are assessing them, how and when we are doing it.and when we are doing it.

• Informal assessment of Informal assessment of productive skills in large classes, productive skills in large classes, we need to assess small we need to assess small numbers of learners in different numbers of learners in different lessons. We can record opinions lessons. We can record opinions on a record sheet or a check list.on a record sheet or a check list.

Key concepts 2Key concepts 2• We can carry out informal We can carry out informal

assessment of receptive skills by assessment of receptive skills by checking learners’ answers to checking learners’ answers to reading or listening tasksreading or listening tasks, and , and taking notes on their performancetaking notes on their performance..

• We can make separate We can make separate assessments of Ss grammatical and assessments of Ss grammatical and lexical knowledge by lexical knowledge by using using language games language games or quizzes, or by or quizzes, or by monitoring practice activitiesmonitoring practice activities and and making notes of frequent making notes of frequent errorserrors..

Key concepts 3Key concepts 3• We can give feedback to We can give feedback to

individuals or to whole class in individuals or to whole class in informal assessment or return to informal assessment or return to the problems later in a revision the problems later in a revision lesson.lesson.

• We may also assess other things We may also assess other things such as such as motivation and effort motivation and effort through observation and also by through observation and also by talking to learners about their talking to learners about their learning.learning.

Key concepts 4Key concepts 4• It is important to keep records of It is important to keep records of

informal assessment so that we informal assessment so that we have information to report or give have information to report or give feedback on our learners’ feedback on our learners’ progress. progress.

• These records can be simple, with These records can be simple, with headings for, e.g. grammar, headings for, e.g. grammar, vocabulary, language skills, vocabulary, language skills, motivation and general progress motivation and general progress against each Ss’ name.against each Ss’ name.

Formal and informal Formal and informal assessmentassessment

• We may use the same methods for We may use the same methods for both formal and informal both formal and informal assessment.assessment.

• In the case of productive skills we In the case of productive skills we need to judge learners’ need to judge learners’ performance against clear performance against clear rubricsrubrics or or descriptions of different levels descriptions of different levels of skillof skill or give or give separate separate descriptions of different sub-descriptions of different sub-skillsskills..