There will be no mid-term or final examinations on this course.
Assessment will be ongoing and continuous.
Everything that happens inside and outside of class will be important.
Asessment for this course will be based on:

 

  • Assessment in this course is continuous (ongoing).
  • Assessment in this course is learner-centred.
  • Assessment in this course is absolute (not relative).
  • The assessment focuses on cognitive growth.
    • learning to learn, problem-solving, critical thinking.
  • The assessment focuses on affective growth.
    • development of confidence, motivation, positive attitudes to learning
    • management of stress, nervousness and anxiety
  • The assessment focuses on social growth.
    • collaboration, interpersonal responsibility, use of the Zone of Proximal Development

The emphasis in this course is on continuous assessment, performed by course members and by the professor, the aim being to promote realistic assessment skills, which will be useful in future lives and careers. Course members will be invited to evaluate their own progress and that of their classmates, particularly for Portfolios (self/peer-assessment), Presentations (self/peer-assessment), and Class Participation (self-assessment). All scores will be entered by course members in the Class Journal.

Check out these links if you are interested in "authentic assessment".

                                                                                               

  • Active participation and attendance are closely related. In a skills-based or performance-based course, we learn by doing. Course members who come to every class and participate actively will consequently develop and improve their teaching skills and English language performance.
  • Course members will monitor their attendance and participation week-by-week, by recording these in the Class Journal.
  • Course members will fill in their self-assessment and peer-assessment scores in the Class Journal.
  • Course members will undertake various assignments. These will be part of the Participation mark.
    •  

FAQ: What does active participation look like? 

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.

FAQ: What does non-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) excessively
      • not communicating with classmates
      • not preparing assignments

FAQ: So active participation really means going to class and doing your best? 

A: That's right. Language learning is controlled by 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 complete their own copy of English Reflections. This will be useful for a number of educational and personal reasons:

  • It will provide good practice in process writing. Course members will be able to see their writing skills improving through, and because of, this medium.
  • It will encourage course members to reflect on their learning and on the class activities.
  • It will offer course members a chance to make personal observations about themselves and their situations.
  • It will help course members to refine their ideas about teaching and to adapt them to the needs of the most important people in the classroom - the learners.
  • While writing ttheir reflections, course members will also be raising their awareness of the learning process, and developing self-confidence, motivation, and autonomy.

Entries will be made in English Reflections at least once a week (though more frequent entries can be made if wished), and the Journal will be handed in to the professor twice during the semester.

Watch a video about English Reflections.  
Click on "Video" and then on  Learner Journals

                                                                            

There are a number of assignments suggested for each week. These are to help you get the most out of the course. Look upon the assignments as ideas which can take you further in your investigation of written composition as an effective means of learning and teaching English. You might well find your own interesting and valuable projects to do out of class. If so, please go ahead with these. But always print things out and put them in your portfolio.

Assignments are part of the Participation mark and the Portfolio mark.

                                                                             
Everyone will make a portfolio as an ongoing record of what has been done inside and outside of the classroom. Your portfolio should:

  • tell the people who look at your portfolio about the work you have done during the semester;
  • be easy to understand (user-friendly);
  • be enjoyable to read (interesting);
  • follow a logical sequence (everything should be there for a reason);
  • be well-organized (sections, headings, titles, explanations);
  • show your best work and your most creative, original work.

Don't just put anything in your portfolio. Ask yourself some questions about everything that you intend to put in:

  • What does this piece of work show about my effort?
  • What does this piece of work show about my ability?
  • Does this piece follow on from other pieces of work?
  • Does it make sense to put this piece here?
  • Is this piece related to the other things in the portfolio?
  • Does my portfolio tell a story (narrative) about my work?
  • Does this portfolio show the best of my work?
  • Does this [portfolio show the process of my work?

Finally, BE CREATIVE and IMAGINATIVE with your portfolio.
This is your creation, so make it an expression of you!

Here are some suggestions for the portfolio:

Watch a video about portfolios.  
Click on "Video" and then on  Portfolios

                                                                                                     

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

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

In step 4 (Assessing each other's portfolios), course members assess the portfolios in Portfolio Conferences. There are three (3) of these during the semester. During a Portfolio Conference, course members look at the portfolios of other people in their group, and assess them according to the portfolio criteria. This is NOT a grading exercise. It is an opportunity to give POSTIVE FEEDBACK to class members.

Each portfolio is finally assessed by the professor.

                                                                               

Starting as soon as possible in the semester, three or four people each week will teach a practice lesson (high school or middle school level) using integrated learning materials which include a focus on written skills. The practice lesson materials, lesson plans and written descriptions, should be stored in the Portfolio  The people giving the presentation will:

    • choose the lesson content
    • design and produce appropriate materials
      (      make an appointment to talk with the professor about this)
    • make a lesson plan, explaining the lesson aims and methods
    • present the lesson (with lesson plan and handouts)
    • post the lesson materials on the Email-Group, so that course members can download the materials and bring them to class.

The practice lessons will be Self-Assessed and Peer-Assessed, using assessment sheets which will be kept in the Portfolios.

  • When you give a presentation lesson:
    • post the lesson materials on the Email-Group, so that course members can download the materials and bring them to class.
  • When you self-assess your presentation lesson:
  • When you peer-assess a presentation lesson:

Watch last year's presentation lessons.  
Click on "Video" and then on 

                                                                               

  • The Class Journal contains pages for attendance, participation, and portfolio marks. These marks are entered by students and by the teacher.
  • The Class Journal is available in the classroom all the time, in every lesson. Syu\tudents should check Assessment Schedule, do the relevant assessments, and mark them in the Class Journal. Don't wait for the professor to tell you to do this. It is your responsibility.
  • At the end of the semester, all the required marks will be in the CJ, and grades can be allocated
  • 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.
     

    Watch a video about the Class Journal.  
    Click on "Video" and then on      Learner Journals

     

    "In addition to 'normal' testing, we need to pay attention to the "basic moral purpose of education: promoting the self-actualization of every learner."

    "If we see education as "fostering achievement in a personal sense" then "an emphasis on personal achievement, focussing on self-knowledge, self-assessment, and self-regulation (the true meaning of autonomy) appears long overdue."

    Lier, L. Van (1996) Interaction in the Language Classroom: Awareness, Autonomy & Authenticity. Harlow: Addison Wesley Longman, p.119.