CALL Section V, Chapter 16
Anne O’Farrell
Classroom Practice: Practical Assessments in the CALL Classroom
By Joy Egbert
I. Feedback: information that helps the learner understand just completed tasks or that assists with present or future tasks. Assessment that gives information to the learner is very important for a language learning classroom.
2 complementary elements of assessment:
- assessment of process – information learners receive as they are working on the task
- assessment of progress – information or evaluation of progress after a learner completes a task. (The measure of progress – where the learner was and where she/he is now)
Technology can play an important roll in assessment in the language learning classroom in the following ways:
II.Techniques and Methods
a) Testing
Computers can make the administration of tests very easy. Computer-based software helps teachers construct and score tests that students take on the computer. It is less work for the teachers because the program will score the tests and better for the student who will receive their scores instantly.
b) Verbal Reporting
In verbal reporting, students speak or write while the teacher assesses the students’ process of learning rather than what specific items have been learned. Helps learners understand their metacognitive and cognitive processes and helps teachers understand where students are in this skill development process.
c) Observation
Video and audio recording can make it easier for the teacher to record what is going on in class and have a chance to view and reflect on the classroom outside of class time. Video and audio might also catch students’ performances that might otherwise be overlooked.
d) Written and Oral Retelling
In retelling, students write or tell what they remember in their own words, without looking back at the reading or listening to the text again. A detailed analysis of retelling could be captured by audiotaping the learners’ responses.
e) Using Graphical Organizers
Electronic graphical organizers such as grids, maps, and tables created on the computer are much more clear and precise.
f) Role Plays
Often used with language learners to prepare them for a specific task or scenario. The use of an audio or video recorder would help the learners and teachers evaluate and offer corrective feedback.
g) Academic Journals
Journals are a great way for a student to keep track of their learning process. Keeping an electronic journal will allow the student to become familiar with word processing programs.
h) Self-Assessment
Students should be taught to take advantage of ongoing assessment in the classroom. Self-assessment can be done using the pretest / posttest method with computer programs so that the student can see instantly and clearly what they learned throughout the lesson. Aspects that the learner decides need work can be incorporated into another lesson by using computer technology.
i) Portfolios
Technology can help students organize and their work for a portfolio. It makes it easy to save their chosen materials and keep track of what they want to include in the portfolio. Certain programs also allow the student to make their portfolio interesting by attaching web pages and video clips to give a more holistic idea of he students progress.
III.Rubrics As An Aid in Assessment
Rubrics help quantify the results of students’ activities (for grading, assessment, etc.). They aid the teachers and students in clarifying goals and organizing lesson plans, while assessing the extent to which students have met the goals during the lesson. Some examples of rubrics may be checklists or charts.