Assessment

This past week going through the course, the concept of assessment and how to effectively assess a student’s abilities stood out to me. Different abilities need to be assessed uniquely and as authentically as possible. During this week learning about the different types of assessments, opened my eyes to the numerous ways that a student can be assessed. From a formal exam to a casual conversation, teachers and instructors can use nearly any venue to assess a student’s capabilities.

Assessing speaking skills is hard to do in an authentic way but must be strived for. It is not helpful to have a conversation not seem lifelike and then expect that the student being assessed has a proper sociolinguistic performance. Some excellent ways to assess speaking skills is to have students do an interactive task, hold a group discussion, have a student give an oral presentation or hold an interview. Each of these ways can flow really well if presented correctly. These assessments can be held in person or technology now allows us to use other methods to assess a student’s skills. Some of these methods include a phone call, using a tablet or computer or recording devices. Each of these ways can be effective in gauging student’s abilities and can even be time savers.

Assessing listening is similar to evaluating speaking in regards to wanting the assessment to seem realistic. Listening activities can include a recorded reading, other audio recordings, live discussions or using a video or computer. Involvement through comprehension should be apart of every listening assessment. Often accompanying the assessment is some sort of writing component. This may be multiple choice questions, giving a one-word answer or even providing a short answer section. Listening is not a passive skill and should not be treated as such.

There are three main different types of assessments, diagnostic, summative, and formative assessments. Diagnostic assessments are assessments that diagnose or determine a student’s already existing skills. Summative assessments involve assessing a student’s understanding after a larger portion of instruction. This can include tests and exams but is not limited to them. Formative assessments give teachers a sense of what students need to be working on. These assessments are often quick and informal and give the teacher a brief snapshot of the student’s abilities.

Assessments are essential for a well-functioning class. Using assessments, teachers can properly understand what their students know, what they struggle with, what they have or have not caught onto in a class and helps them plan what they need to be focusing on. Assessments are often seen as not enjoyable and often, especially in regards to tests and exams, seem overwhelming and unattainable. This reason is partly why assessments need to be authentic and realistic. An exam is not how real life works. We are never asked to sit in a room with no resources and spit up information. However, having a group discussion or engaging in an interactive task around a subject is far more realistic.

When teachers take the time to properly assess their students by making their assessments authentic, student’s guards go down. They are able to properly display their competence and teachers are able to truly see their student’s skill set.   

Reflections

I am an Early Years Autism Tutor which means I work with children between the ages of 3-5 who have autism. Currently, I work with a child who is East Indian and has grown up in a home that speaks Hindi. We are beginning the process of teaching the child English. Because of this circumstance, I looked up the influence of Hindi when learning English. Hindi has half as many vowels and doubles the number of consonants, dramatically changing the span of sounds used. Word stress in Hindi is weak but predictable also bringing a challenge to Hindi speakers learning the correct stresses to put in different words. One article I read called “Mother Tongue Influence and Its Impact on Spoken English,” emphasized the importance of listening when Hindi speakers are learning English. Hearing the correct pronunciation is essential. As I consider the child I work with, I believe I need to avoid repeating their incorrect pronunciation when they attempt to say something in English but pronounce it wrong. This reinforces the incorrect pronunciation and most likely confuses the child.

Pronunciation Activity

Decide which correct consonant goes with each word. As you do, read the word out loud.

 SS             R                C               P

1.  I want to go on a pi_nic.

2.  My dad is really stre__ed out.

3.  I have mo_e candy than you!

4.  My ho_e is that it will not rain.

5.  I will li_k the lollipop.

6.  I have a me__y room.

7.  I to_e a muscle.

8.  My husband and I elo_ed.

 As a class read these words out loud. Brainstorm other words that have these consonants in them and practice saying them together. 

Helpful Resources

http://tealmanitoba.org/

http://esl.fis.edu/grammar/langdiff/

https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/ircc/migration/ircc/english/pdf/pub/language-benchmarks.pdf

https://www.englishclub.com/pronunciation/phonemic-chart.htm

https://www.grammar-monster.com/

https://www.englishclub.com/

https://www.britishcouncil.org/

http://www.teacherplanet.com/taxonomy/term/266

https://www.education.com/resources/el/

Grammar Resources:

http://www.esltower.com/grammar.html

https://blog.tjtaylor.net/method-direct-grammar/

http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Pekoz-Grammar.html

https://www.usingenglish.com/handouts/

http://www.pearsonlongman.com/dictionaries/pdfs/speaking-writing-crystal.pdf

http://www.azargrammar.com/index.html

https://www.thoughtco.com/first-lessons-in-writing-1212381

http://www.stickyball.net/esl-writing-exercises-and-activities.html?id=521

https://www.tesol.org/docs/default-source/new-resource-library/task-based-instruction-task-teach-task-lesson-plan-template.pdf?sfvrsn=0&sfvrsn=0

http://www.onestopenglish.com/skills/writing/lesson-plans/writing-skills-letter-of-complaint/146332.article

https://how-to-teach-english.ontesol.com/tesol-writing-a-simple-grammar-lesson-plan/

https://agendaweb.org/grammar-exercises

Assessment and Evaluation Resources:

http://teal.global2.vic.edu.au/

http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/digests/Needas.html

https://universityofmanitoba.desire2learn.com/content/enforced3/310314-57626.201910/Content/Readings/CLB_Support_Kit_Website_1.pdf?_&d2lSessionVal=2PyMyOYN1KTfbDKXT4OO4BLnr&ou=310314

https://settlement.org/downloads/linc/LCG1to5/p2needsasesmt.pdf

http://esl.fis.edu/teachers/support/eslAssess.htm

https://classroom.synonym.com/assessment-tools-used-esl-students-8162152.html

https://www.brighthubeducation.com/esl-teaching-tips/102838-english-language-learning-assessment-tools/

http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/using-informal-assessments-english-language-learners

http://www.cal.org/caela/tools/program_development/elltoolkit/Part4-31EnglishLanguageAssessmentInstruments.pdf

Listening Activity CLB Level 9: Inference in Unfamiliar Settings

Use this link to complete the listening activity below.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=white+house+brief+sen.+lindsey+graham+goes+nuclear+on+democrats&&view=detail&mid=AF84D265EE324214CFBBAF84D265EE324214CFBB&&FORM=VRDGAR

Objective: Students will have to infer information and work towards catching on quickly to unfamiliar settings.

Level: CLB Level 9

Context: University level English students

Pre-Listening Activity

1)      What are the two main political parties in the USA?

2)      Who is Brett Kavanaugh? What position is he supposed to take?

3)      What is he being accused of?

4)      What political system do you have in your country?

Right Before Listening: As students to listen for…

1)      What are the different audiences the speaker is referring to?

2)      Where is this speech being given?

3)      2-3 questions about something you do not understand

4)      Something you were surprised at

Post-Listening:

1)      Who is the main speaker?

2)      Who is being asked questions?

3)      What are the main speakers’ emotions?

4)      What is the bar association?

5)      What is the main speaker’s conclusion?

6)      How would you be feeling if you were the second speaker?

Listen Again:

Have students listen to the speech again and listen closely for the answers. Relisten again if need be. Discuss the answers to the questions and any extra questions students came up with.

Sources

(2018, September 27). Retrieved October 01, 2018, from https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=white house brief sen. lindsey graham goes nuclear on democrats&&view=detail&mid=AF84D265EE324214CFBBAF84D265EE324214CFBB&FORM=VRDGAR

Myths

One truth that surprised me from the Wilson quiz was the myth that students understand English native speakers better than foreign English speakers. I had originally thought that this was a true statement. It seemed to me that it would be easier to learn English from someone who spoke it clearly and distinctively without accent or common mistakes adding to the confusion. When I read Wilson’s comments about the myths, I understood the reason that this statement is a myth. In the same way that I understand someone speaking English from my community better than someone from the southern states, so do foreign English speakers understand someone from their communities and language better than someone speaking with a different accent. The mannerisms, common mistakes and word choices are all influenced by an L1. What seems normal and helpful to me may be odd to others.

Listening Texts

What makes a good listening text? This was the question posed at the beginning of J.J. Wilson’s chapter 2 called “Listening texts and listening strategies.” I found his answer was well thought out and quite all-encompassing. Some details he mentioned included that the text should be believable, a seemingly real conversation or interaction. He also suggested including new information, having the information relevant to the listener and presenting a text with the appropriate language level.

Believability of a text is helpful for engaging a student’s attention. Authenticity is often hard to create and texts often become clean-cut, easy to follow and simple to understand. In spite of the fact that these scripted texts can be simple to follow along with, most students want to experience something they would meet in the real world. There is great debate over what type of text is useful but as in most things, I think it is valuable to have a healthy tension. Authenticity, messiness and real-life comments, misuses and false starts draw in the engagement of a student. However, when the messiness is too much, students can become overwhelmed. Having a script with authenticity yet still presented in a straightforward manner that is mostly cleaned up, can aid students in being engaged and they can also gain an understanding of the text.

New information also draws in students to pay attention. Hearing a story that you have never heard before keeps you on edge and captivates your interest. New information is exciting and often relevant. However, there is something to be said about hearing information for the second time. There are times when hearing something familiar can aide a beginner in listening to something in a different language.

A listening text should also strive to be relevant to the listener. Without relevance, there is no point to practice listening. Very seldom a teacher should pull out a listening text that has zero relevance to their students. When students are interested in what is being talked about, there is an engagement with the text that is unattainable with a boring unrelated listening activity. Having a worthy text that is applicable to students may be hard to come by, but it is much more effective. Students can expand their knowledge, not only of their listening capabilities but also their knowledge in the subject of the listening text.

 Lastly, it is essential to be presenting a listening text that is the appropriate language level to students. Having students participate in an activity that is far above their language level leaves students feeling defeated. Presenting an activity that is too easy for students to understand does not teach them anything and is a waste of class time. It is important for students to be able to have a good grasp at what they are listening to but also feel challenged to learn what they do not know.

Fitting all these important details into a listening text can be time-consuming. It may take patience on the part of the teacher to learn what is relevant to her students and what level they are at. However, when all these details come into alignment, students can blossom in their listening abilities. There will be engagement, challenges, successes and much growth.  

Bibliography

Wilson, J. J. (2012). How to teach listening. Harlow: Person.

Ears to Hear

           This week I was sitting in a coffee shop, working on my TESL homework and reading about the effect of an L1 on a student. As I zoned out, I began to hear the voices around me and I fixated on a lady’s voice who, it became apparent, was from India. I did not follow the conversation but I listened to her speech and the way she articulated herself, I could hear the result of her L1 coming through. This drew my attention back to my homework. I began to read about how having Hindi as your L1 can influence your English. I focused again on the lady’s voice in the coffee shop and I heard her mispronounce sounds such as the /th/ sound in place of the /s/ sound. I was delightfully surprised to see how I could identify the errors she made according to what I had read.

            Something that I learned this week was how an L1 can influence the learning of English. I had never thought about how a language could impact in a consistent way the education of a new language such as English. It has been intriguing to run into people, by accident or through the TESL program who have a different L1 than English. You can hear their struggles with the English language through their speech. People I work with, podcasts I listen to and kids I interact with who have grown up with another language other than English, all have their primary language affecting their English speaking. 

            It has been easy for me to spot the issues and problems these people have in their language speaking in regards to segmentals. A segmental includes the sounds of vowels and consonants, easily seen in phonetic charts. Hearing the missing /r/ in “more” or the missing “k” sound in “picnic” is quite clear to me, despite learning to listen for these sounds recently.

            Suprasegmentals have been more of a challenge for me to pick up on. Suprasegmentals are smaller elements or features included in speaking. These smaller features include the tone used to speak, the word or sentence stress and the rhythm in which words are spoken. It has been intriguing to try to identify suprasegmentals in listening to anyone, including myself, speak. Although I have spoken English for my entire life and for the most part, only heard English spoken to me, to identify the errors in regards to suprasegmentals is very difficult. I can hear when something besides the basic segmental is wrong but to identify precisely what it is will take some training for my ears.

            Learning the parts of speaking, such as the segmentals or suprasegmentals and all these two terms encompass, has truly opened my eyes further to the world of both speaking and listening. Becoming aware of the factors that play into speaking, makes me wonder how anyone can learn a language. Patient instruction, listening and practicing are key ways to succeed in both teaching and learning English. As my eyes are being opened to seeing the factors that play into speaking English, my ears are being opened to learning how to identify errors and bring about greater excellence.   

Bibliography 

Shoebottom, P. (n.d.). The differences between English and Hindi/Urdu. Retrieved September 21, 2018, from http://esl.fis.edu/grammar/langdiff/hindi.htm

ErRor

I will never forget the days when my dear mother would edit my essays. Each session usually began with inspiration but as the minutes began to wear on, my inspiration turned to boredom, to offense and finally to anger. We worked through a lot of emotions until both my mother and myself were satisfied with the outcome of the essay. Over the years, I have realized the benefit of correction. I may not enjoy the feeling of being corrected but it leads me towards perfection and that is something I strive for. 

The concept of error correction really stood out to me in Unit 1. In learning and teaching English, error correction is a part of every step in the journey. Without error correction, students would never be taught what is right and their use of English would be severely hindered. Students desire correction. Despite this desire, giving and receiving correction can be sensitive and must be utilized very prudently yet, courageously.

Two important terms that we must be aware of when considering error correction are accuracy and fluency. One of these is often an aim in a session with students learning to speak English. Is the aim to have accurate and precise diction or fluent and smooth conversation? This question directs a teacher into how they should be engaging in error correction. For example, if a student is attempting to learn confident, easy conversation, being interrupted every other word to be corrected will hinder the goal of the lesson. However, if the teacher is trying to teach accuracy, to have a student make multiple errors and only address the biggest one at the end of the conversation is not meeting the goal of the lesson, more interruption is necessary. Once the goal of the lesson is determined, a teacher can move into how correction should be provided.

There are many different techniques of error correcting besides just saying “no.” In Jeremy Harmer’s book, “The Practice of English Language Teaching,” gives a diverse range of techniques to be applied when giving correction. Some of these include asking the student to repeat what they had just said or having the teacher echo the mistake of the student, emphasizing their blunder. Others comprise of giving the student an expression, indicating a mistake, giving a hint, asking the student to try again, repeating the error and then offering the corrected word or phrase. There are a plethora of techniques for correction to choose from.

The BBC published an article a number of years ago by a teacher who discussed error correction in teaching English. In the article, it was suggested to have a peer correct the student. It also suggested that a teacher may like to ask their student how they prefer to be corrected. I remember having a supervisor once come to observe my work and offer advice. Before she even began observing, she asked me how I would like to be given feedback, in the midst of my work or  
at the end of a period of time. I remember not having a preference at that point, however, the offer made by my supervisor put me at ease immediately and I felt comfortable to do my work well. When communication is open between teacher and student, a trusted rhythm can be created.

The points that really stuck out to me in Unit 1 were the importance of determining the goal of a session, whether accuracy or fluency and the importance of being aware of the techniques used for error correction. There are multiple ways to give corrective feedback so to understand your student and how they best receive correction is essential.

#TESL-0120-E01

Bibliography

Budden, J. (2008). Error Correction. Retrieved September 14, 2018, from https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/error-correction.

Harmer, J. (2016). The practice of English language teaching. Harlow: Pearson Education.

Speech Activity - Speech Bingo

Level: Intermediate and up

Task Type: Sharing Information

Time: 20 minutes

Materials: bingo card with names of your students

Part 1: Have your students split into pairs and have a discussion. Ask them to tell each other 2-5 facts about themselves. For example, Paul says how he loves history or Katrina says she has been to Haiti.

Part 2: Following the discussion distribute the bingo cards with your student’s names on them. To fill in a square, each student must speak with the partner of the name they wish to fill (not with the person directly). To fill in Paul’s square, the student must speak with Paul’s partner who will in turn tell them what they learned about them (Paul loves history. Write down “history” in Paul’s square).

Students should be moving about and interacting with each other. The winner is the first one to fill an entire row of the bingo card.

Example Bingo Card:

Paul	Katrina	Myka
LaRae	Landon	Matthew
Robyn	Brooke	Texas

Bibliography

Barton, M. (n.d.). Reported Speech Bingo – Speaking Activity (ESL/EFL). Retrieved September 10, 2018, from https://www.englishcurrent.com/speaking/reported-speech-bingo-speaking-esl/