Welcome to………
Steve Darn
27.04.2013
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Testing for the Real World
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Session aims
To consider how testing and assessment reflect changes in the way English is taught.
To consider how far testing and assessment contribute towards the real-world purpose of language learning.
To suggest some alternative types of assessment and discuss when and why you would use them
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A Test on Testing
10. How have you felt while doing this test?
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Things have changed
Accuracy Fluency
Language Skills
Teacher-centred Student-centred
Separation Integration
Examination subject Life-skill Product Process
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Assessing Process
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Balance – Summative vs Formative
SummativeTests
Formative Participation Homework Projects Presentations Assignments Portfolios
The good language teacher needs to have an understanding of, and an ability to use, a wide repertoire of test instruments and assessment procedures. The effective evaluation of learner performance in language programmes does not require teachers to make a choice between testing and assessment, but to use the right combination of both.Dave Allen 2003
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Test as you Teach
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A Writing Test
Visuals – for stimulation Short reading text – for input
Matching task – for vocabulary Error correction task – for structures
Sequencing task – for organizing
Guidelines – for task completion
Writing task
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Types of test
Is the yellow circle in the right-hand flower bigger?
An Optical Illusion
What is the Norm?
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Changing the Norm – are you for the high-jump?
2.28m / 1.86m
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The Forgotten Test
Today, English proficiency can hardly be thought of asan economic advantage at all. It is certainly no longera marker of the elite. Instead, it is increasingly a basicskill needed for the entire workforce, in the same waythat literacy was transformed in the last two centuriesfrom an elite privilege to a basic requirement for informed citizenship.
The English Proficiency Index 2010
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Aptitude
• Aptitude has been poorly regarded among language teachers because it has been perceived as anti-egalitarian.
• The bulk of language teaching materials have assumed that all learners are the same.
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Can you learn a new language?
• “ba” is “one” • “baba” is “two” • “dee” is “three” • “tu” is “twenty” • “ti” is “thirty” • “tu-ba” is “twenty-one” in this language -- because “tu” is
twenty and “ba” is one. • “ti-ba” is “thirty-one “ – because “ti” is thirty and “ba” is one.
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No cheating!!!!!!
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Of course you can!
• a. thirty-one (31) • b. thirty-three (33) • c. two (2) • d. twenty-three (23)
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MLAT
• Number Learningmeasures memory as well as an “auditory alertness” factor which would affect auditory comprehension of a foreign language.
• Phonetic Scriptmeasures sound-symbol association ability, which is the ability to learn correlations between a speech sound and written symbols.
• Spelling Clues/Hidden Wordstests vocabulary knowledge of English as well as sound-symbol association ability.
• Words in Sentencesmeasures sensitivity to grammatical structure without using any grammatical terminology.
• Paired Associatesmeasures rote memorization ability
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Contacting the Real World – Mission Control!
Mission 1: Finding a penpal
Aims• To introduce yourself through a piece of personalised writing
with a good degree of accuracy• To have your poster ‘published’ in two IH schools• To set up a contact through which you can use English on a
regular basis for a real communicative reason
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A real use for Facebook
Prepare a poster with a picture of yourself and some information about you.Include the following information:1. Introduce yourself2. Say you are from Turkey and what your level is3. Say something about your hobbies, job etc4. Say that you are looking for a penpal and also say why you want one5. Include your email address so that your new penpal can contact you!
• Go to our website: http://www.ilsizmir.com/• Click on ‘Şubelerimiz’• Choose TWO cities from the list of schools.• Email your poster to your teacher and say which cities you want your poster to go
to.• Your teacher will send your poster.
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Mission Accomplished – Newcastle, Milan, New York, La Spezia, Auckland, Dublin….
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More Missions
• Arrange a night out by phone• E-mail a hotel in an English speaking country and enquire
about prices• Write a hotel review and post it to tripadvisor.com.• Write your favourite recipe and post it on mydish.co.uk and/or
you make a video and post it on YouTube.com.
I'm very happy now:))it's fantastic:)
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Conclusions
• A more ‘critical thinking’ approach to assessment• A closer relationship between teaching and
testing• More attention to acceptable standards• More attention to the purpose of testing• The development of alternative means of
assessment
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