Marta abolicka & Alicja Bala, interview with mentor teacher

CONTEXT:
1. Can you tell me about any in-service training on assessment that you have
participated in?

-courses on formative and summative assessment

- InCAS (Interactive Computerised Assessment System) which is done on computers
(SS do it twice, at the beginning and at the end of the school year)
- raising stars (but its not used anymore in the British curriculum)
- SEN (special education needs) trainings, for example how to help SS with dyslexia
- focus children (tracking progress of focus group of children, +meetings with the
head teacher to discuss it)

2. When you first started teaching, what did you think assessment in TEYL
involved and how did that change over the years?

- First she tried the methods that she had learned about before, then through gained
experience she knew which strategies worked with SS and adjusted them
accordingly to students needs
- changes in the British curriculum (they got rid of levels)
- Ts questioning has changed, its more in depth, challenging for SS

PRACTICE:
1. Could you list the methods of assessment that you use with learners aged 6-7?
-spelling tests (once a week)
-comprehension tests (reading)
-oral comprehension assessments (SS read books and then T talks to SS individually
what have they learned from those books, -> to get the idea how much SS understood
from a book and what can be done next)
-maths time tables tests (once a week)
-questioning
-talking partners
- T used learning targets with SS, but they didnt work with that group of SS > T
suggested that they are too young for that method

2. How often do you use the methods you describe in Q1?

- All the time, especially formative assessment questioning to recap previous
knowledge at the beginning of the lesson and during the lesson to check SS
understanding of the content, to ask what they would like to learn in the following
lessons
- summative assessment: short tests once a week, some of them once a term

3. How do you know that your assessment tools are effective?

- theyre effective if they inform you about SS learning
- T can see if SS the assessment tool is effective when SS perform on a certain level,
it helps T to plan the next step
 - T observes SS progress during the school year, if something needs to be changed
T adapts her techniques > summative tests, such as InCAS, help to see how SS
progress during the year
4. Do you adapt assessment tasks or tests to the group/class? If so, how?
-Yes, it depends on the group, the number of SS and their language level ( use
appropriate vocabulary), for example through questioning, and it has to be in depth to
challenge SS

(8:15)
5. Do you think it is worth to check the same content knowledge more than once
and if so, how would you do that?
-definitely. Whole British curriculum is designed in the way that content repeats.
It builds on the content students know and expands it.
Trips are great opportunity to ask them questions and check how much they
remember. They have fun and do not realize how much they know.
The other thing are cross curriculum links between subjects that you teach. They
let you go back and check how much students remember.
6. How do you plan for assessment and when do you plan it?
Most of the time I plan it with my colleagues. I plan it at the beginning of the year. I
implement assessment in the lesson planning and some of it is on-going.
FACTORS WHICH IMPEDE OR FACILIATE:
1. Tell me about how you implement technology or other resources to help you with
assessment?
Video recording children record each other, they listen to themselves and assess
themselves. If the children have access to Ipads they can use Quizzes, sometimes
children can create quizzes for each other. There are lots of good websites Caput,
Lets recap, flicker. Sometimes I use photos. They enjoy looking at their photos and it
always creates a good field for discussion and assessment is much more natural.
2. If you could change 3 things about your context to make assessment more
effective, what would they be?
More ICT facilities. Children have iPads/laptops, that would allow me the assessment
that I talked above.
More children, as some things are impossible to do with so little things or just
pointless.
3. What advice would you give to an inexperienced teacher who needs to assess YLs
aged 7-11?
Structure planning and questioning. At the beginning think about questioning, about
what do you want to achieve what you want to find out from them. For especially
young children not frontal setup, not as much teacher led talking partners, group
work. If they work on something in the group you can just walk around while they are
excited and they are having fun and dont pay attention to the teacher and you already
assessing them, observing them without the event know. Basically collaborative work,
more than individual.
STUDENTS:
1. Could tell me how you engage learners in assessment?
-Pupil driven lessons at their interests
-Use of technology
-Student having fun and being excited for the learning