This Classroom-Based TEFL Assessment course uses continuous (onging) student-centered assessment. Assessment is absolute (not relative), and focuses on development and growth (affective, cognitive, social) as observed by the participants in that growth - the course members.

The emphasis in this course is on continuous assessment, performed by students and by the professor. The aim of this method of assessment is to promote realistic self-assessment skills, which will be useful in life and in future careers. Course members will evaluate their own progress and that of their peers (classmates) in the Classroom Journal.

                                                                                                               

We learn by doing, so if we come to every class and participate actively, we will develop and improve our assessment skills. By attending the class,  we get lots of practice in making and evaluating assessment materials. By joining in the activities (participating) and interacting with course members, spoken English skills, confidence, motivation, and team-work all benefit.

Interaction is extremely important in language learning. Class activities and groupwork offer opportunities for interaction, shared problem solving and critical thinking.

Course members enter attendance and participation (self-assessment) in the Classroom Journal. This will be available in each class and course members will enter their attendance, participation, self-assessments and other comments.

                                                                                                        

Q: What does "active" participation mean?
 A: It's what happens when everyone is on task (concentrating), getting involved in the activities, using the target language (English), thinking about what is going on in the lesson, discussing with classmates, asking questions and thinking critically.

Q: What does non-"active" participation look like?
A: Some examples of non-participation include:

        • being late for lessons
        • "forgetting" to bring resources (books, pens, notepads, portfolios)
        • using the mother-tongue (Korean, L1) excessively
        • not communicating with classsmates
        • not preparing assignments

    Q: So "active" participation means going to class and doing your best?
     A:     That's right. Language learning is largely about beliefs and motivation. Positive beliefs (e.g. "I will do my best" "I am a good language learner" "I will be a good teacher") lead to positive results, so let's do our best for ourselves and for everyone else!

                                                                                                                              

Everyone will make a portfolio as an ongoing record of what has been done inside and outside of the classroom. This portfolio has 40% of the marks, because it shows everything that you have done during the semester. Course members perform the entire process of portfolio design and evaluation:

    1. obtaining a folder or ring-binder
    2. deciding on portfolio criteria
    3. entering and organizing content in the porfolio
    4. assessing each other's portfolios

Here are some suggestions for the portfolio:

  • personal introduction
  • classroom lesson activities
  • assignments and assignment assessments
  • ongoing self-assessment sheets
  • peer-assessment sheets
  • presentation materials and assessments
  • final test materials
  • interesting articles on assessment and evaluation

Click on the cameras to see videos about portfolios

                                                                                                         

Course members assess the items they put in the portfolio, as well as assessing each others' portfolios.
In order to do this, groups decide on assessment criteria together, and apply these criteria three times in the semester, in 3 portfolio conferences.  

  • In the first Portfolio Conference (Week 5), course members assess the portfolios of people in their own group.
  • In the second Portfolio Conference (Week 10), course members assess the portfolios of a group of different people.
  • In the third Portfolio Conference (Week 15), course members assess the portfolios of different people.
  • In this way, each portfolio is assessed by at least nine (9) different peers.
  • Each portfolio is also self-assessed, and finally assessed by the professor.
     

                                                                                             

During the semester, Course members give presentations, in groups.
Each presentation takes the form of an English language test, based on a chapter of a middle/high school textbook. The people giving the presentation will: 

          o choose a chapter of a middle/high school textbook
          o choose the type of test and the test content
          o design and produce appropriate testing materials
          o prepare the test (talk with the professor about this)
          o present the test (post the materials on the Google Group)
          o provide a lesson plan, in which they explain the test aims and methods
          o post the lesson plan on the Google Group.

The presentations will be Self-Assessed and Peer-Assessed.

                                                                                                           

Groups of students each choose a (different) Chapter from Integrating EFL Teaching and Assessment in Korea and make a test section about that chapter. The test section for each group will be worth 10 marks, and should take 10 minutes to complete. The test section can be Open-book or Closed-book. Group members should meet and discuss what sort of test they want to make:

  • Closed book questions:
    • Fact-related questions
    • True/false questions 
    • Multiple choice questions
    • Yes/no questions
    • Cloze questions (fill in the missing words)

  • Open book questions:
    • Skimming (finding information)
    • Filling in information on a chart (transferring information)
    • Open-ended questions (e.g. write a paragraph about ...)
    • Opinion-related questions

The test is worth 20% of the overall grade. 10% is for preparing the test section, and 10% is for taking the test.

                                                                                                           

The Classroom Journal is "Common Property". This means that it belongs to everyone, and is available for everyone to look at and to write in. The Classroom Journal contains pages for attendance, participation, ongoing assessments and presentation marks. These marks are entered by students and by the teacher.

This course is about exploration, investigation and development. Evaluation is therefore based on continuous assessment of student work inside and outside of the classroom. Grading reflects progress during the semester in terms of performance skills, thinking skills, attitude change, effort and motivation, rather than relative proficiency.

Evaluation focuses on assessment of the participants by the participants. This reflects current educational thinking on the part of the Ministry of Education and sociolinguistic scholars:

  • The traditional norm-referenced system should be replaced with a new system of criterion-referenced evaluation;
  • The students grades for each subject should be recorded in order of rank for each individual class, but the total grade point average should not be ranked; and
  • The aim of the record is to give not only a cumulative evaluation but a diagnostic and formative evaluation.
  • Beginning in 1998, a variety of assessment techniques have been introduced in the name of the overarching concept of performance assessment: essay tests, oral tests, discussions, demonstration, experiments, interviews, clinical observations, self-evaluations, peer evaluations, written reports, research papers, portfolios, etc.

Diversifying the Methods of Student Evaluation,
Ministry of Education website: http://english.moe.go.kr/


For more discussion on the role of assessment in the classroom, check out these links .