Assessing YLs End of Session Handout
Assessing YLs End of Session Handout
Handout
Introduction
Assessment is a general term which includes all methods used to gather information
about children’s knowledge, ability, understanding, attitudes and motivation.
Assessment can be carried out through a variety of instruments and can be informal
or formal.
From Assessing Young Learners by Sophie Ioannou-Georgiou and Pavlos Pavlou,
Oxford Resource Books for Teachers.
Assessment is a vital part of the learning process: it shows students how well they
have done so far and what they need to do for the next stage of their learning. We
need to consider teaching and assessment as one continuous cycle and therefore need
assessment tools that reflect the way children learn in the class as well as evaluating
their skills and knowledge.
Congruence
The key issue to bear in mind with all of the above assessment tools is congruence.
Teaching and assessment should form one continuous cycle; assessment tools should
reflect the way children learn in the class as well as evaluating their skills and
knowledge.
Portfolio assessment
A possible working definition of portfolio assessment could be as follows:
… a systematic and organized collection of evidence used by the teacher and student
to monitor growth of the student’s knowledge and skills in a specific subject area.
Why is it important?
Portfolio assessment allows children to present their work for you to assess. They
collate their materials and select what they feel most adequately represents their best
pieces, thereby demonstrating what they know rather than sitting a more traditional
exam that tries to catch them out and reveal what they have forgotten.
How does it apply to the classroom?
Reasons for using portfolios are outlined below:
Portfolio assessment…
1) matches assessment to The products that are assessed are mainly
teaching products of class work and are not separate from
class activities like test items tend to be.
2) has clear goals Goals are decided at the beginning of instruction
and are clear to both teacher and students.
In terms of the individual components that make up a portfolio this would vary,
depending on the demands of the syllabus and expected learning outcomes. The
content suggested below is only a general outline of what might go into a student
portfolio:
You and your students can work together to come up with criteria for selecting work
that will be included in their portfolios. When reflecting on portfolios, starting with
basic criteria is advisable – students can some up with more sophisticated statements
as they get more experienced at working within a portfolio assessment framework.
The types of statements they might work with are:
References
Sophie Ioanniu-Georgiou and Pavlos Pavlou Assessing Young Learners Oxford
Resource Books for Teachers, OUP. (All the assessment activities used in the session
come from here.)
Annamaria Pinter Teaching Young Language Learners (Unit 10)Oxford Handbooks
for Language Teachers, OUP
Harris M and P McCann Assessment Heinemann