MFEA-78 TG - Book - Page 17
10. Assessment
Assessment has various purposes, but in the young learner classroom its main
purpose is to provide information which will benefit the pupil’s learning as well as
inform instruction. To this end assessment should be viewed as an ongoing process
of collecting information on the pupil’s abilities, difficulties and progress. The most
effective means of obtaining this information is by observing the pupils in the classroom
setting, recording their performance as they are engaged in activities and reviewing
samples of their work over time. As opposed to traditional “testing” procedures, which
provide a limited sample of what pupils are able to do, ongoing informal teacher
assessment provides the teacher with a fair and comprehensive picture of pupil’s
abilities and progress.
A number of assessments tools have been provided to help teachers monitor pupils’
progress as they develop their language and literacy skills during their First English
Adventure.
a. The Unit Assessment Activity and Summary Sheet
At the end of each unit, pupils engage in a short assessment activity which focuses
on the main vocabulary. The teacher leads the activity orally in English and pupils
complete the tasks according to instructions. After the teacher has marked the
assessment pages, the marks are recorded on the Assessment Activity Summary
Sheet, which organizes the results on one page. By reviewing the Summary Sheet
the teacher receives an overall view of class performance and can easily identify
areas which need reinforcement. In addition, teachers can pinpoint specific
problems of individual pupils.
b. The Student Teacher Self-Assessment Checklist
Reflecting on the learning process and assess progress is a valuable skill for learners
of all ages. Involving pupils in the assessment process allows them to express how
they see their own learning, strengths and weaknesses. This enables the teacher
to understand the pupil’s learning process from his/her perspective. As Susan
Wortham, an expert on Early Childhood and Elementary Education states “By the
time the child is in the primary grades, self-assessment improves. They can evaluate
their progress and have a voice in how they can best succeed in mastering learning
objectives. Assessment is not just administered to students, but accomplished with
active participation by the student” (Wortham, 2000).
The Student Teacher Self-Assessment Checklist should be completed at the end of
each unit. Even though it is in L1 the teacher should read the various items together
with the class to make sure they understand what is written. The self-assessment
checklist can be used in a variety of ways. If the teacher feels that the class is not
capable of responding to all the items on the self-assessment page, s/he should
choose those items which are most relevant or which were most emphasized in the
unit, and ask pupils to respond only to them. Another use of the checklist is for the
teacher to have each pupil pick the three things s/he feels s/he does best, and one
or two things s/he would like to do better.
Pupils must be encouraged to answer honestly and be reassured that the
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