Self-Assessment, An Oxymoron?ALT Conference, February 23, 2012

Iwona Gniadek

Stephanie Stetefeld

Agenda

● Teacher Reflection

● Initial assessment in e-CLPA

● What is self-assessment

● Learner’s role

● Teacher’s role

● Self-assessment strategies

● End-of workshop assessment in e-CLPA

● Questions

Teacher Reflection

Do your students use the Internet

as a learning resource?

Teacher Reflection

Do you know what

e-CLPA

stands for?

Teacher Reflection

Do you incorporate study skills

in

your lesson plans?

Teacher Reflection

Do you use self-assessment as

an in-class evaluation strategy?

Initial assessment

1. Open your envelope with login details

2. Enter login details on

www.learn.myenglishonline.ca

3. Go to My e-CLPA

4. Click on Program Skills Self-Assessment

5. Click Take Program Skills Self-Assessment

6. Think about what you know and set learning

goals for this workshop

7. Done? Anything else you want to learn? Add a

Goal.

Self-assessment, an oxymoron?

Definition:● Student self-assessment is “the process by which

the student gathers information about and reflects on his or her own learning … [it] is the student’s own assessment of personal progress in knowledge, skills, processes, or attitudes. Self-assessment leads a student to a greater awareness and understanding of himself or herself as a learner” (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2002, p. 3).

● Shift from external evaluation to internal evaluation

● Learner-centred

Self-assessment, benefits

Why is it beneficial to use self-assessment in the classroom:

1. Promotes learning

2. Gives a raised level of awareness

3. Develops critical thinking skills

4. Motivates

5. Expands T’s repertoire

6. Broadens L’s self-assessment experience

7. Engages Ls in the evaluation process

8. Provides a model to transfer to outside(Coombe at http://www3.telus.net/linguisticsissues/selfassess2.html)

Self-assessment, an oxymoron?

●Reliable? Valid?

Affective Factors for Self-Assessment

Learner’s role

Independent Learner’s Role

Apply learning preferences

Practice language learning

strategies

Set SMART goals

Self-assessSelf-monitor

Self-correct

Find Resources

Self-Assessment Strategies

Program Skills Self-Assessment

Suggestions on how to employ this strategy:

● Course/Module/Program/Unit

● Initial and End-of-course (activities)

● Individual/pair/group

Benefits:

● Engages L in planning

● Engages L in learning process

● Promotes reflective thinking

● Encourages to learn outside of classroom

Pre- and post-lesson reflecting

Suggestions on how to employ this strategy:

● Lesson starts with an overview of learning objectives

● End-of-lesson checklist

● Individual/pair/group reflections

Benefits:

● Promotes active learning

● Engages L in critical thinking

● Reduces teacher-talking time/increases L-talking time

Job Interview, Post-Lesson Checklist

Setting Goals

Suggestions on how to employ this strategy:

● Course-start task: to set learning goals (vocabulary, grammar)

● Lesson-start task: overview of learning objectives

● Is there anything else you want to learn?

Benefits:

● Promotes learner’s ownership of language learning

● Promotes learning outside of the classroom

Goal Setting

Make a little script: What are you going to say?

Goal Setting

Goal Setting

Setting long-term goals using a chart

Long-term Goals

Study nursing at the U

of M

?

Timeline

Start at U of M in

two years.

?

Barriers

Will I have enough money

for tuition?

?

Possible solutions

Research options for

financial assistance e.g. student loans

?

Learning Journal

Suggestions on how to employ this strategy:

● Ongoing writing practice

Benefits:

● A record of the learning progress

● A record of reflections and thoughts – an incentive to keep pushing forward

● Learning history for monitoring purposes

● Remembering reinforcement. The more detailed they are, the better they'll remember what they write about.

● Discovery of affective factors influencing one’s language acquisition

Learning Journal

● Subject:

● What were three main things I learned from this session?

● What was new or surprising to me?

● What have I changed my mind about, as a result of this session?

● One thing I learned in this session that I may be able to use in future is...

● I am still unsure about...

● What I most liked about this session was...

Learning Journal - Example

“ Re: Time management: I'm still not really sure about how to define my goals weekly or monthly, but I'm thinking it will come by doing some exercises, getting familiar with this way of learning, and by knowing what to expect from each exercise/activity.I'm planning on working 2 or 3 hours a week (may be more if i have time but...), in the evening, after work.

Re: Online learning: the exercise "fill the blank" was fun: an engaging way to read a lesson. It is really true that you need to practice to learn better, as our brain learn how to use it in context. I spent about 10 minutes, and mistake valuable/improve/progress. But I knew there was something wrong as I let one blank empty, and eventually fill it up with the only word remaining. I like that there is hint about what to write in the journal. Writing in the journal needs to be took in consideration in the time dedicated to the lesson though, as it is not done in 2minutes. But it allows to reflected on what I read and learn and pratice. Setting goals so as to motivate ourselves and slowly but surely progress. For example, I need to do the entire getting started class, so as to understand how the website works, and to get familiar with this system of learning.

I just had 40 minutes, so just did the 4 first steps, and quickly check the two next one, but need to plan another session to do them properly.”

Learning Journal - Examples

● “Today I tried to finish all the getting started guides and test. Unfortunately I am having a bit of a problem answering one of the questions in listening, so I decided to do it next time since i'm already exhausted from work and could really use some sleep.I sure am glad I don't have to travel to attend English class. I'll try to work out some more time for online learning like the advise about time management.”

Language Explorers

● Self-Assessment tasks CLB 3-8 (1&2 coming)

● http://tinyurl.com/bp6bevu

CLB Can-Do Checklists

Ability 1/Don’t have it

2/A little bit 3/Needs improvement

4/OK 5/Have it!

I can greet people.

I can ask about time.

I can spell my name.

I can say where I am from.

I can understand greetings.

I can write numbers.

I can write a short list.

Task checklist – Incident Report CLB 6

● All necessary information is included:

● When did the incident occur?

● Who was involved?

● Where did the incident take place?

● What were the results of the incident?

● How did the incident occur?

● Any witnesses?

● Report is in the past tense.

● Spelling and grammar are checked.

● No comments, no opinion.

STAGE 1

Involve students in defining the criteria • Brainstorm• Negotiate• Co-develop

standards

STAGE 2 Teach student show to apply the criteria• Examples

STAGE 3 Give students

feedback on their self-evaluation

STAGE 4 Help students to

develop goals and action plans

4 Stage Model of Self-Assessment

http://www2.education.ualberta.ca/staff/olenka.Bilash/best%20of%20bilash/studentselfassess.html

Ability Learner Teacher

answer questions about yourself and your job in an interview

use common formal and informal English phrases

ask for help

understand and give instructions

Learner Progress Card

www.myenglishonline.ca Self-Study Course ‘Job Interview’ CLB 3 Learning Objectives

Audio/Video - taping

Suggestions on how to employ this strategy:

● Learners can make recordings at home using a webcam

● Role-plays/discussions in the classroom can be videotaped/recorded

Benefits:

● Develops critical thinking skills (compare/notice/analyze/self-correct)

● Helps assess paralinguistic skills (i.e. own body language)

Final self-assessment

What have you learnt today?

1. Log back in to your account

2. Go to My e-CLPA

3. Click on Program Skills Self-Assessment

4. Take Program Skills Self-Assessment

Have you achieved your goals?

Add a journal entry

1. Go to My e-CLPA

2. Click on Learning Journal

3. Click Add a Journal Entry

Learning Journal

● Subject:

● What were three main things I learned from this session?

● What was new or surprising to me?

● What have I changed my mind about, as a result of this session?

● One thing I learned in this session that I may be able to use in future is...

● I am still unsure about...

● What I most liked about this session was...

Any questions? Comments?

Any questions? Comments?

● “Teachers will hardly be prepared or able to administer autonomous learning processes in their students if their own learning is not geared to the same principles “

Edelrhof, 1984:189

Be self-directed! JOIN T.E.N. today!! http://bestmbteachers.ning.com

Literature Cited

● A Flipped Classroom http://tinyurl.com/3omapbk

● Using Self-Assessment in the Classroom http://www3.telus.net/linguisticsissues/selfassess2.html

● Costa, A., & Kallick, B. (2004). Assessment Strategies For Self-Directed Learning. USA: Corwin Press

● Student Self-Assessment http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/StudentSelfAssessment.pdf

● Coombe, Ch., Self-Assessment in Language Testing:RELIABILITY and VALIDITY Issues http://www.philseflsupport.com/selfassessment.htm

● Practical Assessment, Research and Evaluation. A peer-reviewed online journal http://pareonline.net/pdf/v11n10.pdf