Please watch this video and comment on it.
Sunday, November 5, 2017
Foreign Language Assessment
How accurately do you feel that classroom-based tests reflect student abilities? What are your experiences as a test-taker? Do you think there are students that do not test well? What method of testing do you think is most effective to measure students' language skills? Use examples to justify your point of view.
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ReplyDeleteHello, Kington
DeleteI think that all types of testing accurately reflect student abilities. I think that a test can assess adaptation to testing techniques, proficiency and overall progress. I think that within a classroom it is a necessary tool to have a test because it generally assesses overall progress within a certain curriculum; this type of learning technique is at an advantage to the student. Maybe a disadvantage is that grades are weighted on average to rely more heavily on tests. The concept of a test is to ensure progress and on behalf of the student. The student, independent of their grade, should feel comfortable in the learning environment and should be able to outreach if necessary.
ReplyDeleteMy experiences as a test-taker are usually that I could have prepared more for the test because my actual experience is that all the relevant and pertinent information is accessible to the student as a test taker before the exam. Preparation includes reviewing provided materials and understanding concepts to the point that you can demonstrate proficiency through written explanation. I do think that there are student who do not test well. As a personal example, I am more capable in listening and speaking comprehension than reading comprehension. Reading comprehension necessitates prolonged attention and concentration. I read too quickly through questions and miss the actual question and therefore assume the incorrect response.
I think that the direct-methods approach such as discrete point items on an exam are both beneficial and more instructional for students. This type of achievement test is both applicable and accurate: this type of test is testing knowledge on a curriculum. You cannot personally hold a student accountable for cultural competence if it was not taught. I think that a test should accurately reflect items that were assigned as homework and instructed during a class. To provide an example, in high school, I was tested on chapter content and information (textbook). I think that a foundational and functional proficiency of a language will enable a student to develop the insight and confidence to then develop verbal proficiency. I think that with more functional basic grammar and basic vocabulary proficiency, a student can then develop cultural competence. I think that in order to develop cultural proficiency, a student must be able to speak at a basic (low level) speaking level- otherwise the student will feel frustrated. I think that before ascertaining culture as a learning priority, the general language should be acquired.
I thought that this video was very instructional and the use of parent and student meetings was indeed insightful. The assessments that the teachers impose provide valuable insight for the students as the students are allowed their own personal thought and opinion as to their progress and development. The Friday assessments are organized, structured and comprehensible so that the student can understand what is expected of them. I think that most importantly, the student/parent conference initiates real personal contact and addresses personal aptitude for the language, which is not always available.
You say that you "think that all types of testing accurately reflect student abilities," but I must question the accuracy of what you're saying here. Do you recall ever having a test which you thought was utterly pointless because I certainly remember receiving such tests, especially in Spanish. A teacher may give entire sentences with one verb left unconjugated. You are to conjugate that verb, but it seems unnecessary that you've been given the context of the sentence as you merely need to find who is speaking (yo, ella, nosotros, etc.) in order to answer the question. Not only is this extremely easy once you have discovered the shortcut, but it also doesn't represent any skill that is useful in a speaking situation.
DeleteBut I do agree with what you're saying when you said, "I think that a test should accurately reflect items that were assigned as homework and instructed during a class." I don't think such a thing is fair unless you are placing a student into a class or testing their overall proficiency, but its not fair to make that grade part of the students' overall grade.
I agree with you that “within a classroom it is a necessary tool to have a test because it generally assesses overall progress within a certain curriculum”, it may not be the best way to learn a second language, but it is one of the most efficient ways to grade a student’s progress with learning vocabulary, grammar points, reading comprehension, etc. Like you said, “the concept of a test is to ensure progress and on behalf of the student. It is true that most students just did not prepare enough for an exam resulting in a poor grade, but there are teachers out there who make poor exams with questions based off information that was not learned in class. Luckily it’s not too common but is something all teachers should be mindful of. I find it interesting to hear what your experiences as a test taker have been, I feel like I can relate to that closely. The amount of time needed for reading comprehension can just be too much and feel impossible at some points. But I still believe that testing is a required aspect of life and education. I agree with your sentiments on discrete point items being both beneficial and more instructional for students. I also agree with you that accountability of cultural competence by beginning students who have not been taught about it yet is unfair. I think that yes it would be preferable to have a basic speaking ability before learning a foreign language, but like it said in the text many teachers often push back the learning of culture for similar reasons and but the “general language” can’t be acquired without “general knowledge” of the language.
Delete*can't be acquired without "general knowledge", of the culture.
DeleteI do agree with the fact that students should only be given tests that reflect what have been covered in classroom. That would definitely be unfair. In order to give a student a test that did not cover the materials would be a placement test for higher level, admission, or some certification of some sort.
DeleteI personally believe that tests are one of the best ways for students to reflect their abilities in all subjects. When it comes to foreign language it is a tad different because there are the 4 skills of language ability being reading, writing, speaking, and listening which makes it very challenging to incorporate all of these into one exam. As we have studied in this course we have learned that anxiety has a very large impact on foreign language abilities, especially in speaking. Which is why oral exams may be the only thing that I don't think can efficiently be tested, but rather observed throughout the school year by the teacher and graded as progression is made. I do think there are students who do not test well but unfortunately, I think test taking is a part of life that everyone needs to overcome if they want to be successful. A teacher should be able to know the abilities of each student so if they see one bomb a test even though they know the student is more capable of the grade that was received, it is very possible for a teacher to make an alternative assessment. I don't think there is one method that is more effective than the other; rather, I think that to properly measure a students language abilities a combination of multiple different methods need to be used. Discrete-point is very useful to check a students comprehension of a new, specific grammar point being studied or a section of vocabulary. Using open ended responses for essays or speaking responses to apply what students have learned is also very effective for students to make their own language and apply their knowledge, which is a necessity if they ever wish to be competent in the language.
ReplyDeleteThe use of portfolios like in the video I think are a phenomenal way for students and teachers to track a student's growth throughout a school year. I plan to do something very similar to this once I have my own classes. I thought it was very interesting to see that the teachers of that school have the parents come in to discuss the portfolios with their children. Doing this gives the students a sense of pride in the work they are completing and it is tangible evidence for the parents to see what their child has accomplished in school.
I agree with your response regarding the necessity and usefulness of tests. You also make a very good point when you indicate that anxiety is a major issue that language learners must overcome in order to first practice speaking and then secondly, see improvement. I also think that there are very few circumstances where students can be assessed in an alternate manner rather than by the standard test that is being given to a class. I can tell that you have put thought into your future as a teacher because you carefully explain that test taking is a priority and necessity is most schools and it should not be an issue. You also are insightful in identifying that a teacher can monitor a student or students in the classroom for progress as a supplement to their test scores. I think that overall a student is responsible for devoting the time to actually do well and if they are an exception, there are options for them as students. Discrete-point testing is useful (I think) in both an immediate and long-term sense. I think the test serves as a manner for the student to also retain this information.
DeleteThe portfolios that the video portrays do promote student responsibility and achievement, which is a great standard to apply. The involvement of the parents allows the students to have their own voice.
I also believe that open ended responses are a great way of seeing where a student is in terms of their language ability. I also agree that it is time consuming to assess students oral abilities on every test, but I think every teacher should strive to do this at least once per semester. It is important for the teacher to play close attention to the oral abilities of the student in a test like setting. If we are to simply assess them orally throughout the year based on what they say in every class, we are sure to forget many of the students' shortcomings and abilities especially in large classes. But in general, I do agree that testing students in the four categories is very important.
DeleteI think foreign language testing has to be meaningful for real-world situations. For example, asking students to write an email to explain why he/she missed the class or listening to commercials from TV channels. We also should use differently types of testing, such as quizzes, chapter tests, mid-term or final exam, as well projects. The key point is to assess students' three important communication modes; interpersonal, interpretive and presentational skills - one of the five C's.
DeleteI do agree with you Bryce regarding anxiety. Anxiety test is something that prevents many students from doing well in exams. Especially in oral exams. I was very shy myself when it comes to public speaking; only when speaking foreign languages including English. However, it is something that I think little by little I am overcoming just by being more fluent in the target language. The more you are confident about how much you know, the better you will be at managing the stress level.
DeleteIt is true that some methods of testing student abilities for writing, reading, speaking, and listening are more efficient than others. I agree with the fact that teachers should strive to fid out the level of proficiency of his or students by having them take exams that will best reflect these abilities or progress. But I also want to stress the fact that the ultimate goal of teaching a foreign language or learning a foreign language is to use target language/culture in real world situations. Thus, all these effort to teach and test students should be about reaching that goal which is using what you have learned in real-world situations.
DeleteI agree that, unfortunately, there are many people who do not take tests well. Why is this? Is it because they have some sort of learning disability or because they are not engaged enough to study? Some people argue that by test taking preparation is simply a cramming process whereby the information is forgotten after the test is taken. Do you believe in investigating different avenues to help those that do not test well?
DeleteDepending on the test, a foreign language speakers' abilities could be reflected very accurately, but more often than not, teachers evaluate students' abilities to perform meaningless tasks in foreign language. If a test serves the purpose of having students preform whole tasks in context, it can fairly accurately represent their skills. Although the best way to assess a students' skills is of course to have them speak with a native speaker. But we can recreate scenarios where a students must perform a task, in context, that they would have to also perform in a country which speaks the target language.
ReplyDeleteOver the years I have experienced both test that I have valued as meaningful and the types of test which really don't assess your foreign language proficiency in any way. Oftentimes, earlier on I received the less meaningful conjugation and spelling tests, but the further I have gone, the more often I seem to encounter tests which force me to use authentic language or which place me into an authentic scenario.
I do of course think there are students who don't test well. This is a product of two things: poor memorization abilities and discomfort/nervousness. Some students simply need to be put into an environment which gives them the highest comfort and belief in themselves. Oftentimes, students underestimate themselves and their ability to derive answers even when lacking a large portion of understanding of what is being asked. These students have trouble connecting related questions and creating shortcuts for themselves which would help them greatly. For example, there may be a vocabulary question in which a definition is given in Spanish and they are able to come up with the proper word, but later on in the test, they are asked to respond to a question which uses the same construction as the DEFINITION. This time they are unable to derive the meaning of the question, even though they understood the constructions meaning earlier when asked to find the vocab word.
The most effective method of testing students' language skills is an entirely contextualized test with oral, listening, and written comprehension being tested. This test should have an overall theme (as a real conversation in the target language would), all the vocabulary that is being tested for should be used throughout grammatical and listening portions. Students need to be given the opportunity to derive meaning both with main ideas and small points. This can be done orally, through listening, or through reading. For example, they could be given a text to read/be played that text. they are told to write down at least 5 ideas/points that they hear or read in the text. They are graded on the accuracy of the ideas/points they have written down. They are then given four options stating the main idea of the article to choose from. An oral component could be added with the students telling the teacher what the main idea was or telling the teacher a few points from the text.
In the video, we see some great uses of language in context and self assessment which gives students great insight on what they are good at and what needs improvement. I love the use of literature circles to promote speaking and comprehension. Literature circles are also great because students feel more comfortable in smaller groups and are more likely to participate actively. Students receive more practice and specified feedback. The purpose of language is communication and this seems like a great way to improve communicative abilities. Self assessment is another important aspect to all types of learning, but one which is often missing in language curricula. It is so beneficial for students to really key in on what they are good at and what they need to improve. Language requires a lot more explicit participation and analysis to improve at than some other classes. This helps to ensure students stay on top of their education and improvement.
I think that your comment regarding a student with a native speaker can accurately reflect the proficiency of the student. This scenario is both valuable and instructive, it a real language barrier situation which the non-native speaker has to attempt to communicate effectively in. I think that your overall attention to language proficiency and interpretation is accurate and allows the student to then incorporate cultural competence. I really appreciate your awareness that some people are not good test takers. That is an accurate assessment of a classroom and learning environment, without a curriculum having to compensate for a certain student. Some students do necessitate alternative grading criteria (not teaching methods). But your overall understanding of the video is accurate in that you identify the responsibility that this class seeks from students. I agree that language learning requires explicit participation. There is always an opportunity to improve when learning a new language.
DeleteI think you have made a good point about authentic and contextualized testing, which allows students to use the target language in a meaningful way. The example you gave about reading a text and then writing down main points is a great way to test reading comprehension. I agree that we should promote the use of self-assessment but I wonder how you would implement this in your teaching.
DeleteI agree with you that teachers need to test students with ways that serve a purpose, if students are tested to perform tasks that are in context it is going to be more beneficial for the student and will give the teacher a more accurate observation on the student’s language abilities, rather than to spit out grammar conjugations on a fill in the blank question, not using authentic language use. I agree with your reasons why students don’t test well, and that they sometimes just need to be in an atmosphere that they can feel the most comfortable and confident in order to be successful. Your examples of how to test a student seem very logical and reasonable, which is why I think you are going to be a very successful teacher in your future. I felt the same way about the video as well and your statement that “the purpose of language is communication” that is something that all teachers need to remember when they are either giving an assignment or exam, if it does not promote authentic language use then what’s the point of doing it?
DeleteChris, what is your opinion on the complete personalization of language evaluation? You state that some people are simply bad test takers. But what are the reasons for this? Is it due to their learning style i.e., visual, audio, kinesthetic or for other reasons? Perhaps instead of requiring that all students take test as a way to evaluation, we should give them the option of fulfilling the test in a different form e.g., as a project or essay. I know that many charter schools do not utilize test taking. Instead, they implement another form of evaluation such as assigning a presentation. What's your opinion?
DeleteParece que hay una epidemia de "poor test takers" que rutinariamente obtienen una nota de "A" en su tarea pero fracasan miserablemente en pruebas y exámenes. Al ver sus hojas de calificaciones, verás algunas notas de "D" o "F" para pruebas y concursos dispersos entre un mar de notas buenas para la tarea. Los papás sacuden las cabezas con confusión porque sus hijos logran sacar altas notas por hacer su tarea, pero esas buenas notas no se reflejan en sus puntajes bajos en las pruebas.
ReplyDeleteLa mayor parte de los estudiantes se preparan para sus exámenes a través de "cramming" sus apuntes la noche anterior. Piensan que al leer las notas de sus clases y las tareas, han hecho todo lo que deben hacer para aprobar sus exámenes. Lo que no entienden es que los cerebros no pueden absorber toda esa información en un período de tiempo tan corto, por lo cual solo pueden recordar conceptos superficiales. Cramming no les da a los estudiantes suficiente tiempo para entender completamente los conceptos para que puedan aplicar sus conocimientos al resolver preguntas difíciles en una prueba.
Si son uno de los pocos afortunados que pueden preparar la noche anterior para una prueba y sacar una "A", lo que memorizaron para la prueba probablemente no entró en la memoria a largo plazo; Entonces, cuando llegue el momento de estudiar para el examen final, tendrán que volver a aprender todo de nuevo. Y lo peor, cuando estos estudiantes avanzan a la siguiente clase el año siguiente, se preparan para fracasar porque no profundizaron de la clase anterior y por eso no tienen la base que necesitan para tener éxito en cursos que requieren conocimientos previos.
For these reasons, I consider test taking an obsolete way to measure a student’s language skills. Effective alternatives to test taking are parent-student conferences (as opposed to parent-teacher) and literary circles.
I appreciate your use of the Spanish language in your post and I think that your position regarding test taking and approaches to it are accurate. For the most part, "cramming" is not a successful approach to test taking and without speaking statistically, will result in either a poor or average grade or in the isolated event that this student gets an 'A' the information related to the curriculum may not have been acquired nor learned. Without speaking personally in relation to students and their personal experience of a test, I think that testing and its grading system can in most circumstances consider other factors in the class: such as homework. In the event that a student continues to do their homework but does poorly on exams, a teacher should intervene with a parent, student and teacher conference. The purpose of this conference should be to discuss future goals and how to continue to receive passing grades in order to graduate and/or fulfill requirements. I think that parent-student conferences would be beneficial to discuss overall accurate and regular improvement or if adjustments need to be made, such as more assistance with test taking. I think that if I were a teacher, I would involve the parent with the student in order to ascertain a discrepancy in homework grades and test grades so that the student can continue to fulfill requirements but ultimately be able to acquire the language so as not to fall behind.
DeleteIt seems to me that most bad exam grades are at the fault of the students, if so many are guilting to “cramming” based off what you have said. I know that that is the main way I study for exams, but I feel that it is a skill that I was able to develop overtime. Nonetheless, if students are getting A’s in all the homework but are barely passing or failing the exams, there is clearly something wrong with how the teacher is preparing the exams. Yes, nerves have a negative effect on students and some students are bad test takers, but there aren’t that many students who have that bad of test anxiety. I don’t see how parent-student conferences would be a sufficient supplement compared to exams. Unless the parent was a fluent speaker in the target language what their thoughts are don’t really matter because they have no credibility. But, literary circles I do agree could be used to supplement some types of exams.
DeleteAs a student myself, I would not encourage cramming for test preparation unless it is the ultimate recourse. It is possible to become a master at cramming however, the ever lasting consequences will still surface sooner or later. I think if you are able to get As in the homework, you should easily be able to pass the exams. Also, I do not think there is necessarily something wrong with the teacher. However, maybe the student is not adapting very well with the style of the exam or other issues such as anxiety test.
DeleteBryce, I am glad that cramming works for you as I am not sure that it does for most. Do you find that cramming is the best studying method for you, or do you think that there better methods with which to experiment?
DeleteI personally do not think classroom-based tests reflect students’ abilities. However, I think it is a great way to assess student’s mastery of the lesson giving on a particular topic. When it comes to students abilities I see it the same way as proficient test or overall knowledge about the target language or subject. As a test taker, I can attest that most of the tests that I have taken are about the materials that have been covered in class. I think it is fair also since it would not be logical to test students in something that was not cover in class. But I do think that most of the class assessments help students to develop skills that will benefit them for the proficiency tests.
ReplyDeleteEvery student is different when it comes to preparing an exam. There are some students that study a lot but they still did not do well. Numerous factors can cause this to happen. Stress is probably one of the huge factors. Test anxiety does happen. Some students worry so much about their performance on test that they end up failing it by putting too much pressure on themselves. When it comes to testing student’s language skills, I think the Cloze Exam is one the most effective methods. This exam is particularly interesting to me because not only it will test the memory of the students but also understanding of the concepts will also play a big role in this type of exam. I think the test format that will be most appropriate is the direct integrative measure. I think it will best detect the ability of students to think and produce.
The video was very interesting to watch. It is very encouraging to see what teachers and school administrations are doing to help students at a very young age to learn a foreign language and develop their culture awareness. I read an article the other regarding some charter schools that offer Spanish or Mandarin as first language and then English later one. The article is titled: Students learn Mandarin or Spanish first, then English, at popular Denver public school. This method has proven to be successful; also, these students have been able to excel in other subjects only because of the dual language program. What I liked the most in the video was the fact that students understand the purpose of studying a language and the significance of a foreign culture. Something that was never taught to me as kid.
I appreciate your opinion that some people are poor test takers and I also appreciate that you acknowledge stress as a factor. Related to what type of testing you consider beneficial, I think that memory is indeed a component of learning and certain exams and/or tests. I think that memory is different than immediate memorization. A student can learn and acquire information and their memory can store that information. Memory and stress can be affected by an individuals' stress or anxiety. You bring up a good point in stating that a direct integrative test would allow students 'to think and produce.' The action of thinking and producing during a testing period is different than being overcome with anxiety or stress during the same period. I think that a test that can ascertain directly taught knowledge is the best form.
DeleteI also agree with you that the video shows how American students are taught the importance of studying a foreign language. I think that portion of the video is both inspiring and instructive (instructive in the sense that other foreign language classrooms can apply these same concepts).
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