Dynamic assessment (DA) is not a recent concept, derived from Russian psychologist L.S. Vygotsky’s theories. According to Lantolf & Poehner (2004), DA follows the theory of mind and in particular zone of proximal development (ZPD) proposed by Vygotsky (1978) who focused on important role of social interactions in higher cognitive achievement and, as stated in shabani (2018), defined ZPD as that level of potential development which is just above the current unaided performance ability of the learners and can be revealed through appropriate guidance of a tutor or more skillful peers (Vygotsky, 1978). In L2 context, applying Vygotsky’s view, the main preference of Dynamic Assessment is providing intentional mediation and support to uncover …show more content…
Accordingly, the activities and assessments were also classroom based due to social and physical characteristics of the class. Emergence of Internet as a popular instrument for communication and exchanging information as well as innovation of new technological devices including personal computers and smart phones has led to the invention of different applications and programs for the purpose of language teaching, learning and testing. Furthermore, the facility of online connections has made it possible for teachers and learners to have online classes instead of face to face classes. In this situation, applying computer facilities in L2 context known as Computer Assisted Learning Language (CALL) (Richards & Schmidt, 2014) is considerably increasing to improve different language skills and subskills. In addition, there are computer- based testing that tests are administered in computer environment or test items are presented to students using facilities of computer. (Richards & Schmidt, …show more content…
Research Hypothesis The research hypothesis in this study is:
RH. Computer assisted dynamic assessment does not affect EFL learners’ use of conjunctive discourse markers in their writing performance.
1.5. Definition of the Key Terms 1.5.1. Assessment Richards & Schmidt (2014) define assessment as “A systematic approach to collecting information and making inferences about the ability of a student or the quality or success of a teaching course on the basis of various sources of evidence.” (p.110). 1.5.2. Computer Assisted language learning (CALL) Richards & Schmidt (2014) define CALL as “The use of a computer in teaching or learning of a second or foreign language.” (p.110). This may be in the forms of: a) using facilities of computer to present some learning activities through other media. b) activities which are extension or adaptation of classroom based activities. c) activities which are unique to CALL. 1.5.4. Discourse Markers Carter & Fung (2007) defines DMs as “intra- sentential and supra- sentential linguistic units which fulfill a largely non- propositional and connective function at the level of discourse, (p.411)”. 1.5.3. Dynamic
Savage, J. & Fautley, M. (2008). Assessment for Learning and Teaching in Secondary Schools. Dawsonera [Online]
When one thinks of the term assessment, they will most likely think of a test. This is what we know as summative assessment. Summative assessment can be defined as evaluation of student learning at the end of a unit (Formative vs. Summative).
This article presented interesting data on using dynamic assessment to diagnose bilingual children with language impairments. I leaned quite a few things from this article. One of the most important things I learned is that there is an overrepresentation of bilingual children in special education programs, specifically in elementary school. This is a problem that is likely a result of the standardized measures used to diagnose these children. I think that clinicians should be cautious when using standard measures, like the PLS-3, on bilingual children. This is important because we do not want to diagnose children with a language impairment simply because these measures are not appropriate for the bilingual population. Having learned this, I
Assessment has been the greatest challenge in my development as a professional. My coursework as supported my growth in this area, especially in understanding the broad range of assessments used to support students’ growth and development. My courses have also supported my understanding of how ongoing observational assessment and standards-based measures can be used to inform instruction and support the cycle of observation, reflection and planning. Coursework
Additionally, students understand what they’re learning should look like, students are more probable to see success with performance assessments. Performance assessment requires students to execute something, which gains them more likely to retain the knowledge they use. This is supported by (Herman, 1992). Indeed, performance assessment encourages students to work outside the confines of the class for additional learning, it may involve writing or the use of psychomotor skills. As a consequence, this boost of active learning on students. Higher-order thinking skills, which are significant for success as an adult, must be nurtured and developed throughout a student’s school career. Performance assessment prompts students to apply higher-order thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis and evaluation. The more opportunities students are committed to practice these skills, the more adept they become at using them. For instance, students might be given a current political map of Malaysia showing the names and location of states and a similar map from the year 1945. Students will asked to identify and explain the differences and similarities. These methods of assessment practices may serve to create divergent learners and provide opportunities for applying higher-order thinking skills. According to (Herman,
Assessment, in the context of education, was defined by Lambert, D (2000, pag 4) as the processs of gathering, recording and using information about pupils' responses to educational tasks. Despite some can consider that assessment is separated from the learning process, assessment is, in fact, an essential part of the learning proccess. Maguire, M. and Dillon, J. (2007, pag 213) pointed out that assessment is intrincately bound-up in the teaching-learning cycle.
Language assessment is an important and inseparable part of foreign language learning/ teaching. An aim of language assessment is to find about how much the process of education improves learners’ knowledge of the target language. Dynamic Assessment (DA) has offered a new insight to the field of assessment through integrating instruction and assessment. In this study we are going to check do students' way of thinking and type of personality is important on their writing? This study was an attempt to investigate the effect of DA on Iranian introverted/extroverted EFL learners’ argumentative essay writing. To this end, 100 advance EFL learners in Tehran province, Iran were selected as the participants and divided into two groups (extroverted and introverted). To this grouping Eysenck personality inventory test was used. Then, the researcher applied the treatment to both
First, the authors explained mobile learning has developed in China, and lot of activities show the development of educational technology. In addition, They mentioned computer technology is used in U.S. universities and schools, that helps students improve learning efficiency...
In the past, assessments were popularly conducted for the purpose of accreditation, but with the growing change in the quality of education, it has become evident that assessments aren’t just products to qualification but as Sieborger (1998) identifies, is that assessment is the process of gathering and interpreting knowledge to make valid and justifiable judgements about the learners performance and the assessors ability to transfer and establish knowledge to the learners.
In their 1998(a) paper, Black and Wiliam refer to assessment as any activity undertaken by teachers or students to provide evidence of the progress in learning. There are two types of assessment, summative and formative. Summative assessment is a clear method in which to record a pupil’s progress. This form of assessment is usually carried out after a certain period of time, usually in the form of an exam, to determine how well a pupil has understood the required information and they are then assigned a grade. Formative assessment, on the other hand, focuses on assessing pupils throughout the learning process so that teachers can make any possible changes to the teaching methods being used and can provide pupils with the necessary feedback
In spite of the importance of assessment in education, few teachers receive proper training on how to design or analyze assessments. Due to this, when teachers are not provided with suitable assessments from their textbooks or instructional resources, teachers construct their own in an unsystematic manner. They create questions and essay prompts comparable to the ones that their teachers used, and they treat them as evaluations to administer when instructional activities are completed predominantly for allocating students' grades. In order to use assessments to improve instruction and student learning, teachers need to change their approach to assessments by making sure that they create sound assessments. To ensure that their assessments are sound they need include five basic indicators that can be used as steps to follow when creating assessments. The first of these indicators and the first step a teacher must take when creating a sound assessme...
Assessment is defined as “an exercise—such as a written test, portfolio, or experiment—that seeks to measure a student's skills or knowledge in a subject area” (edweek.com). Mainly today, we rely on multiple-choice exams, or tests that are easy to grade in a very generalized manner. The focus is mainly on math and reading, and requires remembering an assortment of different facts. Alternatives to these testing norms are often called alternative assessment. Alternative assessment is defined as “any form of measuring what students know and are able to do other than traditional standardized tests. Alternative forms of assessment include portfolios, performance-based assessments, and other means of testing students.” Performance-based assessment “requires students to perform hands-on tasks, such as writing an essay or conducting a science experiment. Such assessments are becoming increasingly common as alternatives to multiple-choice, machine-scored tests. Also known as authentic assessment.” This seems like an incredibly promising form of assessing an individual student, yet it remains less used because it is more involved. A portfolio is “a systematic and organized collection of a student's work throughout a course or class year. It measures the student's knowledge and skills and often includes some form of self-reflection by the student.” This is also used in many situations, but again, based on personal experience at many schools, the portfolios seem to have little influence on monitoring a students academic success. Measuring the performance of a student should be a completely holistic effort, and should be intensive. It may require a lot of work for the teacher, and qualifications would be ...
Through assessment students and teachers are able to determine the level of mastery a student has achieved with standards taught. Both formative and summative assessment should be purposeful and targeted to gain the most accurate data to drive further instruction (Ainsworth, 2010). While this syllabus does a good job of identifying the need for both formal and informal assessments, the way in which this is communicated does not provide enough detail for understanding. Simply listing assessment types does not give any insight into how these assessments fit in the learning process of this course. While some of the assessments mentioned could be common assessments chosen by the school or district to gain insight into the effectiveness of instruction, the inclusion of authentic assessments is most beneficial to students and demonstrates learning in a context closer to that of a work environment (Rovai, 2004). Unfortunately, this particular course, according to this syllabus, relies heavily on quizzes and traditional tests and essays to form the bulk of assessment opportunities. While other activities, such as formative assessments, journaling and discussions are mentioned as possible avenues for scoring, they are given a very low percentage of the overall grade. This shows that they are not valued for their ability to show progression and mastery. If this is indeed the case, this puts the students as a
Assessment is a tool used in the classroom every day. It is used to measure a student’s mastery of a skill or knowledge of a given subject. It is also what demonstrates to the teacher what the students have learned. Educators use that information to determine if they need to re-teach to a specific student, group, or the entire class. They can also use that information to determine the rate of their teaching. Assessments are important because, as teachers, we need to know what difficulties our students have and what needs to be refined for them. While I do believe in assessment and feel that it is one of the key components of teaching, I am more concerned with a child’s process of learning rather than the overall product that comes from it. This is where grades come in for me. Grades determine the students’ level of mastery on a subject, nothing more. Grades should not be the exclusive indicators that a student has learned the information that is presented to them. It is the things a student learns along the way that truly matter and sometimes cannot be measured.
As I reflect on my past assessment process, I realized how much my assessments have changed over the years. In my early years, I used tests for informational recall as my assessments. I felt these were appropriate guidelines in which I needed to follow in order to substantiate a student’s grade. Every assignment or tests was given a point value and then based on the amount of points, a grade was given. Every student’s assessment was exactly the same, and the assessments did not contain any subjectivity. I felt confident in giving the grade based on a valid point system. However reflecting back, I see that I did not include any performance-based assessments or individual learning styles in my early assessment. I also did not take into consideration the individual needs of my students. My assessment approach was awful. I am embarrassed that I use to assess students in this manner.