Alexander, O., Argent, S. & Spencer, J. (Eds.) (2008). EAP Essentials: A teacher's guide to principle and practice. (ch. 10, 303-338) Garnet Publishing: Reading.
Assessment
Assessment types
- Purposes of assessment
- formative
- aptitude
- diagnostic
- progress
- summative
- achievement
- proficiency
- placement
Assessment at university ~ notes
Ls need:
- formative feedback on their work linked explicitly to the assessment descriptors
- encouragement through model answer exercises
- to engage actively with feedback
- comments only relevant to the purpose of the assignment
- patterns of errors identified.
- some universities and their language centres engage in 'blind' marking, wherein markers do not know the identity of the students.
- the university context can be simulated within the classroom
- deadlines for drafts
- timed activities
- peer assignment meetings
- participation in peer discussions
- peer evaluation of work against assessment criteria
- self-evaluation of work against assessment criteria.
- Task achievement
- are the main issues discussed?
- is there a clear focus on the question?
- e.g., A = 'it fully answers all aspects of the task in sufficient depth; the classification is set in an appropriate context, and the purpose explained; the categories are clearly distinguished and explained.'
- e.g., B = 'it answers the task in sufficient depth to cover the main points; the classification is set in context, although the purpose may be unclear; the categories are explained, but it may not be clear that the text is a classification.'
- e.g., C = 'the main points are covered, but there may be some irrelevant ideas; the context and purpose may not be explained clearly; there is some attempt to explain the categories, but it may not be clear that what's written is a classification.'
- e.g., D = 'not all aspects of the task are covered, or not in enough depth; the context and purpose are not explained; the text may be a description rather than a classification and fail to distinguish different categories.'
- Structural organisation
- present of introduction and conclusion as well as division and linking of paragraphs.
- Language
- is functional language used and is it accurate?
- is there range in vocabulary and grammar?
- form an overall impression of the text
- assign a grade to each category in turn, referring to assessment descriptors
- review the grade incorporating knowledge of L needs.
- Ls are aware of their progress
- delayed evaluation gives Ls a chance to improve work before summative assessment
- particular assessment descriptors improved on separately throughout portfolio.
- oral paragraphs prompts Ls to remember information and produce it in their won words.
*T: What did we do last lesson?
S1: We watched a lecture video
S2: We did some reading before we watched the video
S3: Not all of us read, there were two groups
T: Can you remember the names of the two groups?
S4: The control group. They didn’t read but the experimental group read for homework.
T: Why did we do it this way?
S5: To find out how much reading helps before listening.
S6: We compared the groups to test our hypothesis.
- timed draft writing simulating test conditions (arrive and write) using a projected contrast table (+ / - ), or a cause and effect chain or classification map prompts Ls to think and write quickly.
- Weekly non-cryptic Crosswords
- Academic Word Highlighter
- spot and highlight only these words in a text / Ls create own gap fill
- Retrieval & Matching
- retrieve collocates from a text and match them to their definition
- choose an item for example 'bananas': 'which features make this suitable or unsuitable as money?'
- focussed note-taking: take notes from a text to answers an essay question
- subsequent writing: 200-300 words, explain which (bananas) is good form of money and what is wrong with the other two.
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