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FA for Assessing Receptive Skills

Conference Paper · June 2014

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Saeede Ide Haghi

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Formative Assessment Tasks for Assessing Receptive Skills in the Language Classroom
FORMATIVE assessment: an instrument Basic Principles of FORMATIVE feedback:
 can be provided by instructors, self or
FORMATIVE Assessment Features of FORMATIVE Look at the model below that shows key attrib- for teaching peers
utes of formative assessment. This model em-  Promote a learning orientation in our students, rather feedback that is specific and includes op-
Any task or activity which promotes shared learning assessment 
phasizes the importance of formative assess- than a performance orientation portunity for follow-up
goals, effective questioning/feedback, dialogic
Formative assessment, characterized by ment as a cyclical or iterative practice. ‘Closing  Be aware of the different learning objectives in your
interaction and learner autonomy the Gap’ is depicted as the end goal of formative  Goals (learning objectives) need to be clear
its focus on furthering students’ learning, curriculum (closed skills, open skills, knowledge and
A key premise is that for students to be able to im- assessment, meaning the gap between what the to students
has many key features that distinguish it from simply concepts)
prove, they must have the capacity to monitor the good teaching practices. All of these features feed into students know and the target level of achieve-  Feedback should measure (give guidance to) the student’s cur-
quality of their own work during actual production ment; these should be as minimal as possible.  Model through peer evaluation, provide students with rent learning state
the process of students developing their learning and be-
success criteria, use talking partners and ask questions
ing critical about their goals and abilities.  Formative feedback should be used as a means for closing the
that challenge students
Formative Summative Features include: gap between the student’s learning state and the learning goals
Informal Formal  Consider the roles of the teacher and students in form-
 Teachers take the time to clarify and share learning  Formative feedback needs to be high quality and effective in its
Continuous Final/Snapshot ative assessment
objectives advice
Oral/written Written/oral  Make formative assessment practices continuous and
Individual Individual/group  Teachers and students share knowledge of success  Students must use this feedback to improve later performance
interactive
Scaffolding/Improving Judging criteria  Feedback should be useable, accessible, appropriate and given
Assessment for learning Assessment of learning Suggestions for what types of FORMATIVE in a timely manner
 Encouraging students to be autonomous learners
Dialogic Monologic
Provides feedback/suggestions Provides a mark/status  Appropriate and effective questioning during and assessment activities for class-  Feedback is cyclical nature and ongoing process, qualitative ra-
after activities ther than quantitative, learner-centred and development-
Furthers learning Measures learning room use oriented
Intended to motivate Often stressful for students  Feedback following the activity (oral and written)
Flexible Systematic, regulated Practical exercises Tutorials  Feedback should push students to ask: “Where am I going? How
Narrow focus Broad focus  Effective, useful, personalized feedback Student demonstrations Portfolios am I going? and What’s next?”
 Promoting self- and peer-evaluation Drafts of assessments Reflective logs  Feedback and information about the learners’ level and learning
Diagnostic interviews/tests progress
Next, we’ll provide some practical applications of formative assessment in the classroom! The remainder of this poster will explore designing Group work  Diagnosis of strengths and weaknesses
formative assessment tasks in three different ways. We will give one example task of each method. These  Exploring learners' potential
three methods include:
 Feedback on teaching effectiveness, for planning and modifying
 Adapting textbook exercises to be used as formative assessment tasks next steps
 Using other resources (i.e. websites, print materials, audio materials) to design formative assessment  Reflection by all participants
tasks
 Motivation and improvement/development

Sample FORMATIVE Assessment Tasks Developed through Adapting Textbook Exercises, Using
3 Major Steps for Developing FORMATIVE Assessment Tasks for Receptive Skills:
Other Resources and Using Innovative Classroom Activities
Sample Task One: Listening to Recorded Monologue Students fill the listening log for every four
STEP1: Listening sub-skills listening task they do during a week. De-
 Listening for specific information, including recall of important details pending on the nature of the course, they
 Following the natural flow of speech can either fill the form for the tasks they
 Listening attentively and listening for key words
do in class or do some as homework. After
STEP2: the Method
filling each listening log with a focus on a certain aspect
Adapting a Textbook Exercise( Source: Natural English, Upper-intermediate, P. 66)
of listening sub-skill, students can share their progress
STEP3: FORMATIVE assessment tools
with other peers and try to share their strategies that
 Listening Log
 Listening Guide could help them improve their listening comprehension.

 Listening Self-Assessment Form In addition, students can have occasional tutorials with

Procedures the teacher after filling a set of listening log and share
 Students fill part A of the self-assessment form. They will do the same their reflections on their progress. Teachers can also pro-
 for every four listening task they do for formative purposes both in class vide students with some feedback on their progress and
and at home.
what they need to do to move to the next stage of their
 Students in pairs do the lead-in part. This can help student with brain-
storming about the topic and making predictions. learning process.
Further points to consider:  Students do part 3 individually. (They are first given 30 seconds to read
the questions.)
 Select certain listening sub-skills you want to focus on each time based on your students’ needs and level
 The teacher projects answers on the screen or writes them on the board and student check their answers.
 Adapt the items in the FORMATIVE assessment tools according to your focus
 Students then do part B of the self-assessment form.
 Adjust the language of the FORMATIVE assessment tools according to your students’ level of language proficiency
 The teacher asks students to reflect on their performance and jot down reasons for not getting a question right.
 Student need to be aware of the purpose of the test and how it will help them in their learning
 The teacher then invites students to share their reflection with the class. While students share their ideas, the teacher can take notes of them for future
 Students need to be trained how to use FORMATIVE assessment task tools and how to keep a record of them in their portfolio practice or individual feedback.
 Remember formative assessment is a process and therefore needs to be done on a regular basis  The teacher then invites students to come up with solutions and strategies to how to tackle these learning difficulties and takes a note of them on the
 You need to decide on the frequency of these assessment tasks according to time allocated in your program (you can always do one board.
task of a set of task in class and assign the rest as homework)  Using the feedback from peers and the teacher, students do part C of the self-assessment form.
 Students should keep a record of their assessment task in their portfolios which you can use later for feedback and tutorial sessions  Students fill the listening log for this task.
Note: Please refer to the booklet p. 19&20 for task rationale and suggestions for adaptation to your context and the appendix 4a, b, c, d and e for work-
sheets and other materials.
FORMATIVE Assessment Tools Sample Task Two: Reading News Articles
 Reading/listening logs STEP1: Reading sub-skills
 Self-assessment checklist  Skimming to understand gist
 Reflection forms  Scanning to locate specific information
 Reading for main ideas and supporting details
 Students’ goal sheets  Understanding explicitly stated information The assessment involved in this task is mainly self-
 Reading/Listening comprehension skills profile chart STEP2: the Method assessment where students assess and reflect on
 Reading/listening rating chart Using Online Resources their own practice. In addition to that, you can give
(taken from http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com)
 Teacher feedback sheet them feedback after several reading occasions
STEP3: FORMATIVE assessment tools based on information on their logbook (the reading
 Data collection forms (for teachers)
 Reading rate chart rate chart and the self-assessment checklist) and write the feedback
 Teacher observation checklist  Self-assessment checklist
on the teacher feedback sheet. Besides using the information to give
 Teacher feedback sheet
feedback to students, you can also use it to adjust your teaching of
Procedures
reading and the formative assessment task itself. For instance, when
 Put learners into pairs, student A and student B
 Distribute a news article to students A and tell them to start you notice that many students appear to have difficulty in reading the
reading when instructed news article, perhaps you can find simpler articles for future tasks or
 Tell students B to time students A’s reading simplify the articles.
 Tell students A to skim the article and once finished, tell their partner what the
article is about
 Students B record the time spent by students A
Students A tell students B what the article is about
 Based on the gist of the article, students B prepare some questions about details of the news
 Students A read the news article again. This time they have to pay closer attention to details as student B will ask them questions
 Students B ask students A the questions. When answering the questions, students A may consult the article if necessary
 Students A fill out the self-assessment checklist and keep it in a logbook
 If time allows, you can reverse the roles so that students B could have the chance to read, of course, a different news article. Otherwise, you can do this
in the following class session.
Note: Please refer to the booklet p. 12&13 for task rationale and suggestions for adaptation to your context and the appendix 42, b, c, and d for work-
sheets and other materials.

Sample Task Three: Directions and Obstacles

STEP1: Listening sub-skills Procedures:
Listening for details
This activity should be used in the classroom after you have taught your students
Following instructions
basic directions and commands, including the following vocabulary: right, left, for-
STEP2: the Method ward, backward, turn, stop, walk/go. Explain to students that a turn is a quarter of a
Using classroom activities turn (90°), not one full rotation. This activity is best done in a large space with move-
STEP3: FORMATIVE assessment tools able tables/chairs.

 Self-assessment sheet
Following the activity, students should get in-
to pairs and discuss the activity. They should
Resources: Please refer to the booklet p. 26 for the list of references and resource sugges- discuss the errors they made while listening, if
tions for creating materials they bumped into any obstacles and why they
think they misunderstood. Individually, stu-
dents should assess which commands they
had difficulty understanding, by writing down the phrases.
Next, the teacher should give the students a blank sheet of pa-
per and ask students to draw the map that she/he dictates to
the students. The teacher will collect these maps and deter-
Developed by:
mine their accuracy, providing students with feedback and
Santi B. Lestari drawing conclusions about the instructions that students did
not understand.
Saeede Haghi
 Ask for one volunteer to participate in the first round of this activity
Blindfold the student
 Arrange the furniture in the room so that there are a few obstacles
 Spin the student in a circle a few times so they do not know which direction they
are facing in the room
 Give the student the first command, perhaps, “Walk forward” followed by a sec-
ond “Stop!” next, “Turn right.” The ‘instruction giver’, in this first case, the teach-
er, must navigate the student around the classroom obstacles.
 After the ‘instruction giver’ is satisfied that the student can listen and follow di-
rections accurately, a new student is selected
 The student who was blindfolded now gives the instructions
 When each new student is blindfolded, the obstacles in the room should be
moved
The activity should continue until each student has been in both roles, the


‘instruction giver’ and the ‘instruction receiver’.

Caitlin Gdowski Note: Please refer to the booklet p. 22,23, &24 for task rationale and suggestions for adaptation to your context and the appendix 6a for worksheets and
other materials.
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