Engaging learners in the assessment of writing skills Gerardo Valazza, MEd ELT, RSA Dip TEFLA
Aims of the Seminar to develop teachers’ understanding of the ways in 1 which different types of classroom assessment can be used to help develop learners’ writing skills to help teachers deal with issues surrounding 2 motivation to write in the 21st century to provide teachers with a set of teaching 3 ideas/classroom activities which they can take away to use with their learners
Overview of the Seminar Writing skills, Teaching ideas and motivation and classroom activities assessment Teaching ideas to show different means Discuss the issues of assessment and facing teachers trying to ways to involve engage their learners in learners. writing, and how assessment can increase motivation.
PART 1: Writing Skills , Motivation and Assessment Gerardo Valazza, MEd ELT, RSA Dip TEFLA
Learners ’ Motivation to Write lack of a genuine It’s boring reason to write It takes too long lack of basic skills It’s too difficult lack of immediate feedback I don’t know what lack of familiarity to write with the required text type
Some Possible Solutions https://padlet.com/gvalazza/teachingwriting https://answergarden.ch/499045 Wi-Fi Signal: Guest Password: CLOSE2YOU
Some Possible Solutions Personalising tasks Authentic writing tasks: blogs, forums Brainstorming ideas (Padlet / Answer Garden) Focusing on one writing skill at a time Giving model answers Immediate feedback Time limits and regular breaks Motivating learners via assessment
Purposes of Assessment Placement to decide what class to put a new 1 learner in Summative to check whether outcomes have 2 (OF learning) been met, to assign a level or grade 5 3 to help teachers decide what to Diagnostic teach to help teachers check what Formative 4 learning has taken place and what (FOR learning) 6 learning needs have not been met to help learners assess their own Sustainable 5 5 learning and reflect on their (AS learning) abilities
Means of Assessment External written Peer assessment Learners assess each other’s assessment Taking a summative work; formative or test, e.g. Cambridge assessment as learning English: Key , at the Self-assessment end of a course; Learners assess their own diagnostic testing work; assessment as learning Teacher assessment Portfolio assessment Homework or short Learners compile over time a collection of their work; in-class test, could be learning and formative used summatively or formatively assessment Assessment Criteria!
Assessment Criteria for writing C Content O Organisation How well the candidate The way the candidate has done what they were has put together the asked to do. piece of writing. C Communicative L Language A Achievement Vocabulary and grammar. It includes range as well as How appropriate the accuracy. writing is for the task. Has the candidate used appropriate register?
Beliefs about Teaching Writing Survey https://create.kahoot.it/ https://kahoot.it/ (Teacher) (Student) Wi-Fi Signal: Guest Password: CLOSE2YOU
Beliefs about teaching writing Survey: True or False? 1. Learners always want a grade or a mark for their writing, so teachers should always give one. 2. Learners don’t read comments or feedback, so there is no point in giving any. 3. Learners need to understand what the assessment criteria for a test are. 4. The teacher is the only person who can mark a learner’s piece of writing. 5. The teacher should always correct all the mistakes in a learner’s piece of writing. 6. Correct grammar is the most important writing skill. 7. Learners should learn to correct their own pieces of writing. 8. Teachers should only show learners pieces of writing which fulfil all the assessment criteria.
PART 2: Teaching Ideas and Classroom Activities Gerardo Valazza, MEd ELT, RSA Dip TEFLA
Sample B1-Level Task You are going to move to a new house. Write an email to your English friend Sam. In your email you should: - Say where you are moving to - Explain why you are moving - Invite your friend to visit you Write 35-45 words on your answer sheet. 6
Sample B1-Level Task Dear Sam I have a good news! Next week we moving to London. We find a new house there, near the park. We need move there because my hussband get new job in the hospital. I very excited. Would you like visit me in new house? Write soon! TASK: DISCUSS IN PAIRS: - Say where you are moving to What different ways could - Explain why you are moving you use to give feedback on - Invite your friend to visit you this piece of writing?
Feedback Options Give an overall 1 Mark up what needs 4 mark or grade to be corrected, but (no correction) don’t make the corrections Write comments and 2 feedback, including Ask another student 5 suggestions for to evaluate it improvement (2 Stars; 1 Wish) Ask the student 6 (WWW; EBI) who wrote it to evaluate it Correct it (no mark 3 or grade)
Sample B1-Level Task Dear Sam I have a good news! Next week we moving to London. We find a new house there, near the park. We need move there because my hussband get new job in the hospital. I very excited. Would you like visit me in new house? Write soon! TASK: DISCUSS IN PAIRS: - Say where you are moving to How many different types of - Explain why you are moving mistakes can you identify? - Invite your friend to visit you
Correction Code
Correction Code Sample You need to add a word here / This word is not necessary P The punctuation is wrong VOC or WW This is the wrong word VT The verb tense is wrong VF The verb form is wrong GR There is a grammar mistake here SP There is a Spelling mistake here 6 ART There is a mistake with the article WO The word order is wrong ? This part is not clear Research Notes Issue 61
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EwJnFRfK9I https://writeandimprove.com/
https://www.sketchengine.co.uk/ https://youtu.be/_MtcVMK7AGU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3zBLrlBWG8
Self and Peer assessment Learners don’t know what Agree on a set of ‘success 1 they’re looking for. criteria’ at the beginning of the writing process. Learners can be overly critical 2 Get learners to use ‘two stars or negative of each others’ and a wish’ or ‘WWW and EBI’. work. 5 Make assessment criteria Learners aren’t capable of 3 clear, and practise applying using assessment criteria. them to example texts first. Mark the work only after the Learners aren’t satisfied if the 4 peer/self-assessment; mark 6 teacher doesn’t mark the the peer/self-assessment as work. well. Learners don’t take the activity Show learners how much their 5 seriously. writing improves.
Using Writing Checklists 6
Using Writing Checklists 6 Download lesson plan – Level B2
The Digital Teacher Giving feedback on writing 1 - Approaches to correction - Using a word processing tool to give feedback - Using Microsoft Word and Google docs https://thedigitalteacher.com/training/giving-feedback-on-writing- training
Aims of the seminar to develop teachers’ understanding of the ways in 1 which different types of classroom assessment can be used to help develop learners’ writing skills to help teachers deal with issues surrounding 2 motivation to write in the 21st century to provide teachers with a set of teaching 3 ideas/classroom activities which they can take away to use with their learners
“It is undoubtedly the best time in history to be a language learner. Websites and smartphone apps have facilitated foreign language study like no other technology to date. ” Sam Barclay (2017) English Teaching Professional, Issue 110 Isn’t it the best time in history to be a language teacher as well?!
Thank you Gerardo Valazza, MEd ELT, RSA Dip TEFLA gvalazza@anglo.edu.uy https://angloseminars.wordpress.com/ / AngloExamenesInternacionales /CambridgeEnglishTV www.anglo.edu.uy
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