Testing and Assessment/Classroom-based Assessment

Brown chapters 23 and 24 discusses testing and assessment. They give an overview of different aspects of tests and testing. Some examples of these are practicality, reliability, validity, authenticity, and washback. All of these factors must be taken into account when writing a test. In order to construct a good test, it must test what it is supposed to test, have an authentic purpose, and not result in negative washback. In chapter 24, Brown talks about classroom-based assessment. There are many different things to take into account for this topic as well. Specifically, there are many alternative assessment techniques that can be used besides tests. Some of these include portfolios, journals, presentations, papers, conferences, and observations. Some students do not achieve to their highest potential on regular achievement tests, and that is why teachers need to be aware and come up with different forms of assessment in the classroom. Every student should be provided with the ability to succeed.

One big debate in the teaching field revolves around standardized testing. There are many teachers who believe it should be completely taken out of the education system. Because of all of the negative washback effects, this makes sense. However, there are good reasons for testing as well. It gives the schools a good idea of the achievement level of all of their students. I do believe, however that traditional testing should not be used as widely as it is in the classroom setting. When I look back on my years of public schooling, I remember very little of what I was tested on. Many of the classroom tests I took, specifically in junior high and high school, were tests that I studied for, got a good grade, and then forgot the majority of the information. The subjects and topics that I remember the most are the ones by which I was informally or alternatively assessed. For example, presentations or journals or field trips taught me much more than the traditional test. While I understand that in some contexts, achievement tests cannot be avoided, I still think that they are not very useful. When I was homeschooled, my mom rarely administered official achievement test to me upon completion of a unit. Instead, she employed methods such as journaling and portfolios to assess how much I was learning. I remember so much of what my mom taught me during those elementary and early junior high years, and I believe that it’s because she used meaningful techniques in her teaching. As a future teacher, I plan to employ alternative assessment techniques in my classroom as much as I am able.

Is there a place for achievement tests and formal assessment at all? Or are they tools that should be employed on occasion? How do students learn best? 

Progress Report

     The blog posts this semester have been an amazing learning experience. Writing about what I read is very useful in terms of making the ideas concrete in my mind. After talking a little bit more about expectations for the blog, I came to understand it better. At first, I was just summarizing each chapter, instead of synthesizing. Now I get more out of the blogs through picking out main ideas and synthesizing them.
   
     Concerning the research project, I have started a little bit of research. Mostly I have simply been investigating my topic more, trying to learn more about its intricacies. The main question of my research paper is, "How should grammar be taught?" I want to explore the different ways, positive and negative, of teaching grammar. Explicit vs. implicit teaching, methods for grammar teaching, and how culture influences grammar are some of the subtopics that I hope to explore. I also plan to focus on high school ESL students in this realm.

     The first source that I found was a book called "Teaching Readers of English" by John Hedgcock and Dana Ferris. This text discusses the challenges faced by teachers who are teaching ELL's. It talks about different methods and approaches that can be used when teaching reading and grammar. It specifically focuses on theories for L2 teaching of reading and grammar.

     The second source was called, "Teacher's Perceptions about Grammar Teaching" by Tran Hoang Thu. This piece focuses on teacher's beliefs about grammar teaching in an ESL setting. It also talks a lot about the effects of implicit vs. explicit grammar teaching, something very controversial. Grammar correction is discussed as well, having to do with how much to correct students or not correct them.

     The third source is entitled, "The Grammar Correction Debate in L2 Writing" by Dana Ferris. This article discusses the pros and cons of Grammar correction in the classroom. There are some negative and some positive effects of this and there are many different ways to do it. The author also says that this is an issue we have hardly touched on in the language field, there is much left to research about it.

Standard English and Cultural Sensitivity

The discussion of English as a global language and culture in language are two of the main arguments that Kumar talks about in his chapters. There is a huge argument regarding what Standard English is. There are so many regional and international variations of English that it is hard to say what the most “correct” version really is. Many say that Midwestern American English, with no regional accent, and superior education is the most standard variety of English. But doesn’t that devalue all other forms of English spoken throughout the world? Just because other versions aren’t “correct” or “standard” should they be written off as incorrect or uneducated?

In the second chapter of Kumar he goes into the question of culture and how that affects language learning and teaching. One of the most important parts of culture is the language that is associated with each specific culture. Kumar states, “One of the most important aims of culture teaching is to help the learner gain an understanding of the native speaker’s perspective” (268). To understand a culture, one must understand from where the native speakers are coming. Language learners must understand the culture and language about which they are learning. It is so intricate and delicate an issue, understanding culturally appropriate speech and native language culture. How can teachers begin to teach language and NOT bring culture into the classroom in conjunction? It is such an important piece and cannot be ignored.

Finally, Brown talks about socially responsible teaching in his chapter, which ties in with the idea of taking politics and culture into perspective when teaching a language. Teachers need to be agents of change, teaching their students about current events and issues that are going on in their respective countries. If a teacher ignores these issues, it is very difficult for them to teach affectively. Going along with this, they need to be sensitive to all kinds of diversity in the classroom. If they are not aware of this in their teaching, so many important things will be ignored. Teachers need to know their students in every way; otherwise they will not be able to teach them well. Obviously, it can be difficult to maintain a good balance between bringing up issues of diversity too much versus completely ignoring them. How does a good teacher attain this balance in a healthy way that develops their classroom positively?