I recently became aware of some things that you may find interesting:
First, here's an interesting job posting in San Antonio.
Second, the Tarrant Literacy Coalition is sponsoring a workshop on Feb 18 about informal assessments for English language learners. RSVP's are required, and information is below:
How Do You Know What They Know?
Informal Assessments for English Language Learners
Speaker: Dr. Nancy Montgomery
Date: Friday, February 18, 2011
Time: 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon
Location: Catholic Charities
249 W Thornhill Dr, Fort Worth, TX 76115
About the Presenter
Dr. Nancy Montgomery will bring her wealth of expertise and years of experience from her work with teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL), as well as her hands-on approach to working directly with students in the classroom to this workshop! She currently lectures at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and has been a presenter at national and international conferences on topics related to ESL in the area of literacy, as well as authoring textbook resources for ESL.
What makes this workshop especially relevant is her ability to share her knowledge in a way that will allow you to use it in your classroom on a day-to-day basis. Her common sense approach to assessment and instruction will give you some great tools to put to immediate use in your classroom!
Overview of the Workshop
Participants will learn about the impact of formal and informal assessments with adult learners. Examples of each type of assessment will be shared and discussed. This session is appropriate for administrators, teachers, volunteers and tutors who work with adult students in all levels of ESL and adult basic education.
Sponsored by:
Tarrant Literacy Coalition
The Learning Center of North Texas
Catholic Charities
Space is limited to 25 participants. Advance reservations are required by Friday, February 11, 2011 (late reservations will not be accepted).
To make your reservations, email Angela at ahines@tarrantlit.org
In case of bad weather, the workshop will be held on Friday, February 25, 2011 at Southcliff Baptist Church, 4100 SW Loop 820, Fort Worth, TX 76109. Please make a note of this date on your calendar and we'll keep you posted if we need to make this change.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
First Reflections due tomorrow!
As you know, your first reflection is due tomorrow (Friday, Jan 28), by midnight. These should be sent to me by email, preferably as a pdf. If you have not yet started your service learning, make sure you send me an email (also by midnight tomorrow) to remind me of that in place of sending a reflection so that you are not penalized for a late reflection!!
In terms of writing, because everyone is volunteering in different places, I like to allow you the freedom to discuss the aspects of your teaching, your knowledge, and your students that you want to. However, I know that it's sometimes hard to come up with what to write, especially the first time. Therefore, I am going to give you a prompt that you can focus on for your writing, if you choose to. Please do not simply answer the questions! The point is for you to use the prompt to guide possible things to write about, and the important thing is that you are discussing what YOU are learning from your volunteer teaching experience.
A possible first prompt: Think about your expectations before your first meeting. How did you feel? Were you nervous or confident? Prepared or worried about what to do? Then think about how the class/session felt to you. Were your expectations met? In what ways? What did you learn about yourself in terms of interacting with students in similar situations or on the first day of class? Were you comfortable with it once you were there? Why or why not? What would you do differently if you could go back and teach that class/session again?
Also, if you have yet to start with a conversation partner, and you want some guidance and possible conversation prompts, here are some of my go-to sites for finding things like that. Feel free to add to them if you have particular favorites of your own!
http://www.eslgold.com/speaking/topics_conversation.html
http://iteslj.org/questions/
http://www.esljunction.com/conversation_questions/
http://www.eslgenius.com/Conversation_Questions.html
http://www.eslpartyland.com/teachers/nov/conv.htm
In terms of writing, because everyone is volunteering in different places, I like to allow you the freedom to discuss the aspects of your teaching, your knowledge, and your students that you want to. However, I know that it's sometimes hard to come up with what to write, especially the first time. Therefore, I am going to give you a prompt that you can focus on for your writing, if you choose to. Please do not simply answer the questions! The point is for you to use the prompt to guide possible things to write about, and the important thing is that you are discussing what YOU are learning from your volunteer teaching experience.
A possible first prompt: Think about your expectations before your first meeting. How did you feel? Were you nervous or confident? Prepared or worried about what to do? Then think about how the class/session felt to you. Were your expectations met? In what ways? What did you learn about yourself in terms of interacting with students in similar situations or on the first day of class? Were you comfortable with it once you were there? Why or why not? What would you do differently if you could go back and teach that class/session again?
Also, if you have yet to start with a conversation partner, and you want some guidance and possible conversation prompts, here are some of my go-to sites for finding things like that. Feel free to add to them if you have particular favorites of your own!
http://www.eslgold.com/speaking/topics_conversation.html
http://iteslj.org/questions/
http://www.esljunction.com/conversation_questions/
http://www.eslgenius.com/Conversation_Questions.html
http://www.eslpartyland.com/teachers/nov/conv.htm
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Experiences learning with different methodologies (4353)
Blog Post #1 – for 4353 students
As discussed in class, there are many different methods that have been popular at different times and with different instructors of language classes. Your goal for this blog post is to offer an example of a teacher (no names please) you have had who was clearly a fan of one particular method, and discuss how this affected your language learning.
Think back on a language course you have taken. Pinpoint in your mind one specific method discussed in class that your teacher(s) used. Think about the advantages and disadvantages of this method for your own personal language learning experience.
On the blog, discuss the use of that particular method and how its application affected your learning outcomes. Specifically, do you feel that the use of this method helped or hindered your language learning? Explain as thoroughly as possible, with clear examples, and support for your claims. You should write 2-3 paragraphs about your thoughts, and they should be posted by classtime on Monday, as a comment to this post.
As discussed in class, there are many different methods that have been popular at different times and with different instructors of language classes. Your goal for this blog post is to offer an example of a teacher (no names please) you have had who was clearly a fan of one particular method, and discuss how this affected your language learning.
Think back on a language course you have taken. Pinpoint in your mind one specific method discussed in class that your teacher(s) used. Think about the advantages and disadvantages of this method for your own personal language learning experience.
On the blog, discuss the use of that particular method and how its application affected your learning outcomes. Specifically, do you feel that the use of this method helped or hindered your language learning? Explain as thoroughly as possible, with clear examples, and support for your claims. You should write 2-3 paragraphs about your thoughts, and they should be posted by classtime on Monday, as a comment to this post.
Functional vs. Structural Syllabus (5301)
Blog Post #1 – for 5301 students
As discussed in class, a functional syllabus is a way of organizing a language learning curriculum which focuses on communicative functions of language rather than sequenced grammar items (a structural syllabus). Your goal for this blog post is to find an example of a syllabus and determine whether it is functional or structural.
Google around and find a language course syllabus, a textbook table of contents, or some other course schedule information. Look it over and determine if you think the curriculum is organized more functionally or more structurally. Is it a combination of both? Note that if you are not sure which it is, you are probably better off finding a different syllabus!
On the blog, post a link to your selected resource, and then explain your reasoning as to whether this resource is more functional or structural. Be specific, as clear as possible, and plan to write 2-3 paragraphs about your thoughts. Please make sure to post by classtime on Monday, as a comment to this post.
As discussed in class, a functional syllabus is a way of organizing a language learning curriculum which focuses on communicative functions of language rather than sequenced grammar items (a structural syllabus). Your goal for this blog post is to find an example of a syllabus and determine whether it is functional or structural.
Google around and find a language course syllabus, a textbook table of contents, or some other course schedule information. Look it over and determine if you think the curriculum is organized more functionally or more structurally. Is it a combination of both? Note that if you are not sure which it is, you are probably better off finding a different syllabus!
On the blog, post a link to your selected resource, and then explain your reasoning as to whether this resource is more functional or structural. Be specific, as clear as possible, and plan to write 2-3 paragraphs about your thoughts. Please make sure to post by classtime on Monday, as a comment to this post.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
I took two Chinese guys and two Korean guys camping a couple weekends ago. I believe it was the first time for all of them. The guys loved fishing, so the plan was to catch our food, although we brought some back-up supplies. But the trip was also good exercise for their English, since English was the common language the five of us spoke. I gave them a guide to identifying fish and knowing the criteria to keep them. They used this guide to discuss, sometimes argue, which fish they caught. It was a blast overall, with a bonus of learning for them and me. I think I will incorporate nature guides in lesson plans and, if possible, some sort of outdoor field trip, most likely not camping but maybe the zoo.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Literacy and Citizenship
You may remember a while back I mentioned a cool event for literacy instructors and volunteers related to citizenship? Well, i realized that I never posted the info on the blog, so here it is! RSVP still possible today, but the event is Thursday, so if you are planning to attend, you might want to email asap!
Also, I just got an email from Arlington Reads about a 5K run for literacy on August 14. I'll post a link with information on that as soon as I can find one.
Also, I just got an email from Arlington Reads about a 5K run for literacy on August 14. I'll post a link with information on that as soon as I can find one.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Yuni's self evaluation
I personally believe that the process of L2 acquisition is quite different from acquiring the mother tongue. As we discussed in the class, EFL students do not live in English-friendly environment and have less chances to exposure to English. People can take advantage of the grammar rules because they can save and effort identifying certain patterns by themselves.
However they often fail to use grammar rules when they face the situation to talk with native speakers. They may lose the connection between learning and applying grammar rules.
As an inductive approach, you can encourage students’ intrinsic motivation and try to shift their attentions to communicative ability. You can give them possible scenarios that communicative problems can occur due to the violation of grammar rules to increase their interest and explain the grammar rules for them.
A deductive approach seems to work better with the exceptional grammar rules, but a combination of two approaches will be the best.
However they often fail to use grammar rules when they face the situation to talk with native speakers. They may lose the connection between learning and applying grammar rules.
As an inductive approach, you can encourage students’ intrinsic motivation and try to shift their attentions to communicative ability. You can give them possible scenarios that communicative problems can occur due to the violation of grammar rules to increase their interest and explain the grammar rules for them.
A deductive approach seems to work better with the exceptional grammar rules, but a combination of two approaches will be the best.
Self-Evaluation GERUNDS
I truly don't know how I could have made my grammar instruction more communicative. I believe that it was inductive given that I started with real life questions first, before leading into the explanation of the grammar rule. The questions I asked were real-life. Perhaps some of you could comment and give me suggestions here. If I were to do the lesson again, I would give more examples before giving the partnered activity so the Ss might better understand the grammar rule.
Yuni's test assessment
I found the “written comprehension” test from http://www.englishclub.com/esl-exams/levels-test-wc.htm.
This time-limited test has pretty good face validity because I as a task taker could see what they try to measure for each question. For example, both Q1 and Q4 are asking if task takers understand the usage of comparative adjectives.
If I were a test developer, I would be satisfied with construct validity as well. For example of Q7, the main construct of the question assumes to be the different usage of “like” as a verb or as an adjective, it has been measured successfully with good construct validity.
It also includes pragmatic aspects of language like Q4 or Q9 which test takers can easily hear in daily-life situations.
One of disadvantages of on-line tests is the time issue, but this website provides a timer so that students can finish this test in a limited time.
However, the website does not provide any information on correct answers with detailed explanation. Test takers cannot get any feedback from this test.
This time-limited test has pretty good face validity because I as a task taker could see what they try to measure for each question. For example, both Q1 and Q4 are asking if task takers understand the usage of comparative adjectives.
If I were a test developer, I would be satisfied with construct validity as well. For example of Q7, the main construct of the question assumes to be the different usage of “like” as a verb or as an adjective, it has been measured successfully with good construct validity.
It also includes pragmatic aspects of language like Q4 or Q9 which test takers can easily hear in daily-life situations.
One of disadvantages of on-line tests is the time issue, but this website provides a timer so that students can finish this test in a limited time.
However, the website does not provide any information on correct answers with detailed explanation. Test takers cannot get any feedback from this test.
Erica's Self Evaluation
My second mini-lesson went a bit better than the first one. I might have made it more communicative by playing Jeopardy! ® on the blackboard, rather than the computer. Being that far away from the class was a mistake. I couldn’t hear the students’ answers well, and it was noted that I frowned a lot when I had to ask them to repeat. Next time I would have the categories with answers written down and just write the categories and amounts on the board. Standing closer to my students and being more upbeat and enthusiastic would go a long way toward making the lesson super-communicative. I do think that letting the groups work together to come up with the right answer is a great group activity, but I would change it a little so that a different person each time got to answer out loud. That would keep any dominant students from doing all the work, and ensure that others got an equal chance to participate.
Evaluation of a Quiz and Self
The grammar quiz, focusing on proposition usage, can be found at Dave's ESL Cafe or by clicking on this link: click here.
Practicality
This quiz is practical in the context of time needed to take and grade the test, cost of the test, and method of grading. Its small size makes it easy for students to finish in a small amount of time and for teachers to grade, even if the class sized is large. The quiz can be printed from online, retyped, or completed online easily. The quiz is also a blend of norm- and criterion-referenced.
Validity
This quiz is valid on a small scale. With only 10 questions, it doesn't include all prepositions, actually being limited to just a few. It is also very face-valid for the students and content-valid, being very obvious in its intention of determining their understanding of prepositions.
Reliability
The quiz has a few shortcomings in reliability. It is very consistent in its form, however, being multiple choice, students are given options to guess at as opposed to independently coming up with an answer. Also, as it is an online quiz originally, the availability of computers and internet access can be affecting factors of its reliability in administration. The test doesn't change; the questions are the same each time you go back to it. Scorer reliability will not be an issue since it is multiple choice with definite answers.
Authenticity
The questions are good examples of real-world language use and contain subject matter that is interesting and useful to language learners. There is no story line in this quiz, but a story line can easily be implemented if modifying this quiz or creating a replica.
Washback
There is poor opportunity for washback with this online quiz. If the quiz was administered as a paper form, then washback could be present. When necessary, incorrect answers are marked and correct answers or given.
Self-Evaluation
My lesson on Tuesday, 7/6, pertained to giving and receiving directions for driving, walking, bicycling, etc. where the individual is responsible for getting themselves to the desired destination, as opposed to a specific grammar aspect. If there was less teacher monologue in the beginning, more time could have been allocated to interaction between students. Instead of listing all of the vocabulary in the beginning, I could have engaged students earlier by asking them for directions, steering them towards using the intended vocabulary, explaining the vocabulary words if and when necessary. I do think that the activities that would eventually occur in the lesson are very communicative.
Practicality
This quiz is practical in the context of time needed to take and grade the test, cost of the test, and method of grading. Its small size makes it easy for students to finish in a small amount of time and for teachers to grade, even if the class sized is large. The quiz can be printed from online, retyped, or completed online easily. The quiz is also a blend of norm- and criterion-referenced.
Validity
This quiz is valid on a small scale. With only 10 questions, it doesn't include all prepositions, actually being limited to just a few. It is also very face-valid for the students and content-valid, being very obvious in its intention of determining their understanding of prepositions.
Reliability
The quiz has a few shortcomings in reliability. It is very consistent in its form, however, being multiple choice, students are given options to guess at as opposed to independently coming up with an answer. Also, as it is an online quiz originally, the availability of computers and internet access can be affecting factors of its reliability in administration. The test doesn't change; the questions are the same each time you go back to it. Scorer reliability will not be an issue since it is multiple choice with definite answers.
Authenticity
The questions are good examples of real-world language use and contain subject matter that is interesting and useful to language learners. There is no story line in this quiz, but a story line can easily be implemented if modifying this quiz or creating a replica.
Washback
There is poor opportunity for washback with this online quiz. If the quiz was administered as a paper form, then washback could be present. When necessary, incorrect answers are marked and correct answers or given.
Self-Evaluation
My lesson on Tuesday, 7/6, pertained to giving and receiving directions for driving, walking, bicycling, etc. where the individual is responsible for getting themselves to the desired destination, as opposed to a specific grammar aspect. If there was less teacher monologue in the beginning, more time could have been allocated to interaction between students. Instead of listing all of the vocabulary in the beginning, I could have engaged students earlier by asking them for directions, steering them towards using the intended vocabulary, explaining the vocabulary words if and when necessary. I do think that the activities that would eventually occur in the lesson are very communicative.
Last Blog Assignment
1. http://www.englishclub.com/esl-exams/levels-test-wc.htm
This website shows a test that evaluates your level in English written comprehension. Thus, it is a Reading test. It gives you 15 minutes to solve 20 questions. If you click a bar "Now click for your level" you'll check your level in terms of reading comprehension.
I like it in terms of practicality; that is, the test itself is very easy to understand and it takes a second to check your score. Money does not seem to be an issue at all. In addition, this test is quite reliable since it is very consistent; the given 20 questions are always the same. In terms of validity, it is still good in that it measures what it is intended to measure. Finally, it uses authentic langauge.
One big problem is that this test does not show you the concrete result. In other words, it does not have a WASHBACK part at all. Even if I know my level of reading comprehension, I don't have any idea about what I missed.
Lastly, having only 20 questions can also be a problem. This test should have a question bank made of at least 100 similar questions so that we can have a different problem set next time.
2. How can I make the grammar teaching more "communicative"? Evidently, L2 is different from L1. And it is ideal to have an inductive approach in EFL classes. However, researchers and scholars argue that deductive approaches have a lot of demerits.
I realized that my grammar teaching on Tuesday was quite deductive. Even though I started with an example, the whole teaching was based on rules. I remember I repeated "3rd person, singular, and present" over and over again. I like Krashen's idea about "Comprehensible Input" but I also know that it takes time. Within 10-15 minutes, how can we successfully teach grammar to students with inductive approach? I have no answer yet..... I should have given more examples in the first half of the teaching. By doing so, students can possibly realize the rule by themselves.
This website shows a test that evaluates your level in English written comprehension. Thus, it is a Reading test. It gives you 15 minutes to solve 20 questions. If you click a bar "Now click for your level" you'll check your level in terms of reading comprehension.
I like it in terms of practicality; that is, the test itself is very easy to understand and it takes a second to check your score. Money does not seem to be an issue at all. In addition, this test is quite reliable since it is very consistent; the given 20 questions are always the same. In terms of validity, it is still good in that it measures what it is intended to measure. Finally, it uses authentic langauge.
One big problem is that this test does not show you the concrete result. In other words, it does not have a WASHBACK part at all. Even if I know my level of reading comprehension, I don't have any idea about what I missed.
Lastly, having only 20 questions can also be a problem. This test should have a question bank made of at least 100 similar questions so that we can have a different problem set next time.
2. How can I make the grammar teaching more "communicative"? Evidently, L2 is different from L1. And it is ideal to have an inductive approach in EFL classes. However, researchers and scholars argue that deductive approaches have a lot of demerits.
I realized that my grammar teaching on Tuesday was quite deductive. Even though I started with an example, the whole teaching was based on rules. I remember I repeated "3rd person, singular, and present" over and over again. I like Krashen's idea about "Comprehensible Input" but I also know that it takes time. Within 10-15 minutes, how can we successfully teach grammar to students with inductive approach? I have no answer yet..... I should have given more examples in the first half of the teaching. By doing so, students can possibly realize the rule by themselves.
Blog for the last day of class!
For the blog today:
1) page 464 #2 = find an English language test somewhere online and evaluate it based on the criteria in Brown.
2) Self-evaluate your grammar teaching from Tuesday, and talk about how you might make your lesson more communicative, more inductive, or less focused on explicit grammar.
3) Read and comment on 2-4 posts.
Thanks for being a great class! I've really enjoyed having you in class for the last 5 weeks!
Just a reminder that the final exam will be Monday from 3:30-5:30 in the computer lab. Feel free to bring books, notes, etc.
And enjoy the weekend!
1) page 464 #2 = find an English language test somewhere online and evaluate it based on the criteria in Brown.
2) Self-evaluate your grammar teaching from Tuesday, and talk about how you might make your lesson more communicative, more inductive, or less focused on explicit grammar.
3) Read and comment on 2-4 posts.
Thanks for being a great class! I've really enjoyed having you in class for the last 5 weeks!
Just a reminder that the final exam will be Monday from 3:30-5:30 in the computer lab. Feel free to bring books, notes, etc.
And enjoy the weekend!
Erica's Test Evaluation
Subject/verb agreement
This quiz tests subject verb agreement, using the simple present and past tenses.
Practicality:
I found this test to be very practical. The quiz is available for free online, which makes it affordable, easy to manage, and can be easily printed out for the students. This class can also be taken online, but I would rather it be a pen and paper test, unless my class is spending a lot of time on the computer. For a key, it’s easy for me as teacher to answer the questions myself and then submit for grading. I can then print out the answer key for grading myself.
Reliability:
This test appears to be very consistent. It asks the students to choose between two possible answers. The tense is the same on each question, however. There is no ambiguity—the answers are clear.
Validity:
I believe that it is valid, both for content and face. The students should believe that they are being tested on whether or not they can properly conjugate a verb and make it match the subject.
Authenticity:
Authenticity is whether or not the test relates to the material taught, and I believe this does. If you are teaching grammar, you are going to explain to your students that some verbs take an ‘s’ at the end and some don’t, and it depends on your subject.
Washback:
Once students’ tests have been graded and returned, if they got any wrong answers that the other answer is the right one. I think that it may take another mini-lesson by the teacher to reinforce why, if very many students got a lot of answers wrong, though.
This quiz tests subject verb agreement, using the simple present and past tenses.
Practicality:
I found this test to be very practical. The quiz is available for free online, which makes it affordable, easy to manage, and can be easily printed out for the students. This class can also be taken online, but I would rather it be a pen and paper test, unless my class is spending a lot of time on the computer. For a key, it’s easy for me as teacher to answer the questions myself and then submit for grading. I can then print out the answer key for grading myself.
Reliability:
This test appears to be very consistent. It asks the students to choose between two possible answers. The tense is the same on each question, however. There is no ambiguity—the answers are clear.
Validity:
I believe that it is valid, both for content and face. The students should believe that they are being tested on whether or not they can properly conjugate a verb and make it match the subject.
Authenticity:
Authenticity is whether or not the test relates to the material taught, and I believe this does. If you are teaching grammar, you are going to explain to your students that some verbs take an ‘s’ at the end and some don’t, and it depends on your subject.
Washback:
Once students’ tests have been graded and returned, if they got any wrong answers that the other answer is the right one. I think that it may take another mini-lesson by the teacher to reinforce why, if very many students got a lot of answers wrong, though.
Jason's Test Assessment and Grammar self-evaluation
Test on Prepositions
This is a pretty simplistic if not somewhat long multiple choice test on prepositions of time. From the standpoint of the 5 principles we discussed, my opinion is that:
1. From the standpoint of practicality, this test is very practical. The multiple choice makes it very quick and easy to grade and also pretty quick and easy for students to take.
2. From the standpoint of reliability, this type of test is one of the most reliable for the professor to grade. You will still need to make sure (as much as possible) that the students are well fed and well rested but in terms of grading, you should have no reliability issues because there is no room for your opinion or bias to enter into the choice of grading.
3. From the standpoint of Validity, the test seems like it would be a perfectly valid test, validly measuring what it aims to measure. However, inevitably you will have some students trying to guess at some of the answers and having the potential to get the right answer from just guessing while not super high is high enough to warrant a comment.
4. From the standpoint of authenticity, it offers a little in the way of real world authenticity because you are using the the prepositions in real, valid sentences. However, this language is not very relevant or meaning to anyone and does not offer very much authentic creativity and authentic use of language. Its a little stinted as well.
5. From the standpoint of Washback, there doesn't seem to much you could do in terms of giving good feedback other than reteaching the grammar lesson.
In terms of the grammar lesson that I gave on Tuesday, one of students made a suggestion about giving more examples using myself or other students and I think that this would be one great way to make the lesson more real-life and real world. Maybe I could tell a story and act out the story that I am telling while I tell it using prepositions to related myself to various objects in the story. I could also have the students act out something using prepositions. Maybe you are in a clothing store and your friend tells you that he or she saw the coolest/cutest whatever and it was over there to the left of such and such or something and so the students would have to go find the item based on the clues they were given. I think our treasure hunt was really communicative in this way but it could be polished.
This is a pretty simplistic if not somewhat long multiple choice test on prepositions of time. From the standpoint of the 5 principles we discussed, my opinion is that:
1. From the standpoint of practicality, this test is very practical. The multiple choice makes it very quick and easy to grade and also pretty quick and easy for students to take.
2. From the standpoint of reliability, this type of test is one of the most reliable for the professor to grade. You will still need to make sure (as much as possible) that the students are well fed and well rested but in terms of grading, you should have no reliability issues because there is no room for your opinion or bias to enter into the choice of grading.
3. From the standpoint of Validity, the test seems like it would be a perfectly valid test, validly measuring what it aims to measure. However, inevitably you will have some students trying to guess at some of the answers and having the potential to get the right answer from just guessing while not super high is high enough to warrant a comment.
4. From the standpoint of authenticity, it offers a little in the way of real world authenticity because you are using the the prepositions in real, valid sentences. However, this language is not very relevant or meaning to anyone and does not offer very much authentic creativity and authentic use of language. Its a little stinted as well.
5. From the standpoint of Washback, there doesn't seem to much you could do in terms of giving good feedback other than reteaching the grammar lesson.
In terms of the grammar lesson that I gave on Tuesday, one of students made a suggestion about giving more examples using myself or other students and I think that this would be one great way to make the lesson more real-life and real world. Maybe I could tell a story and act out the story that I am telling while I tell it using prepositions to related myself to various objects in the story. I could also have the students act out something using prepositions. Maybe you are in a clothing store and your friend tells you that he or she saw the coolest/cutest whatever and it was over there to the left of such and such or something and so the students would have to go find the item based on the clues they were given. I think our treasure hunt was really communicative in this way but it could be polished.
Test Assessment
http://esl.about.com/od/printablequizzesforclass/a/printable_toefl_vocabulary_practice_test.htm
The test that I found was a Vocabulary test. Instead of just asking you what each word means, they use the word in context to help the students learn the vocabulary words and give them extra help by having the surrounding words.
I think this test is valid. It measures what it intends to measure. It's looking to see if they know their vocabulary words and if they can figure out what another word for 'inquiry' could be by looking at the context then they will pass the test. I think it's very obvious about what it is trying to teach. As soon as I looked at it I knew it was trying to test the students knowledge of vocabulary words they had previously learned.
In my opinion this test is authentic. It is likely to be enacted in real-life. Someone could be speaking or you could even be reading a book and see that the words people use may not be one you know but by looking at the whole sentence you can come to realize what exactly 'inquiry' could mean using a simpler word you know.
We could use the washback with this test. It all depends on if the teacher would do it or not. The test itself could have washback but it's up to the teacher to do it or not. I would say this test is practical. It isn't too long and it isn't too short. It also isn't totally expensive. You would come up with a few sentences that include big words, print out a few copies, and then give the test. It is very practical.
For reliability this test would work if we made sure that the bias were cut out. If we put our students ID numbers on instead of their names you can help any bias happen. With regards to fatigue or carelessness we really don't have any control over that.
Self-Eval:
In order to make Jason and I's lesson more communicative I think that using more self examples would help. I believe we needed more examples, to expand on our lesson, and we also really needed to be more interactive when the lesson was being given. Being more interactive, giving more examples of us and the students would have made our lesson more communicative and more real world life for them.
The test that I found was a Vocabulary test. Instead of just asking you what each word means, they use the word in context to help the students learn the vocabulary words and give them extra help by having the surrounding words.
I think this test is valid. It measures what it intends to measure. It's looking to see if they know their vocabulary words and if they can figure out what another word for 'inquiry' could be by looking at the context then they will pass the test. I think it's very obvious about what it is trying to teach. As soon as I looked at it I knew it was trying to test the students knowledge of vocabulary words they had previously learned.
In my opinion this test is authentic. It is likely to be enacted in real-life. Someone could be speaking or you could even be reading a book and see that the words people use may not be one you know but by looking at the whole sentence you can come to realize what exactly 'inquiry' could mean using a simpler word you know.
We could use the washback with this test. It all depends on if the teacher would do it or not. The test itself could have washback but it's up to the teacher to do it or not. I would say this test is practical. It isn't too long and it isn't too short. It also isn't totally expensive. You would come up with a few sentences that include big words, print out a few copies, and then give the test. It is very practical.
For reliability this test would work if we made sure that the bias were cut out. If we put our students ID numbers on instead of their names you can help any bias happen. With regards to fatigue or carelessness we really don't have any control over that.
Self-Eval:
In order to make Jason and I's lesson more communicative I think that using more self examples would help. I believe we needed more examples, to expand on our lesson, and we also really needed to be more interactive when the lesson was being given. Being more interactive, giving more examples of us and the students would have made our lesson more communicative and more real world life for them.
On The Last Day of Class...
1. Please click here for the test: http://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/302.html
This test is a valid test for being able to use indefinite articles. There are several questions that are more difficult, as they are the exceptions to the rules. It is good because the questions start out easy, but then become increasingly difficult, though I wish that they also had some easy questions at the end. It seems to be targeted toward an intermediate level of understanding.
2. My grammar instruction was a bit too deductive to be "communicative." I believe that having some examples and going over them would have been more useful than going over the rules first. On the lesson plan I wrote, I actually covered the rules first and did the PowerPoint second, but in class I just did the PowerPoint. I do not think that this would necessarily be the best way to teach articles in an actual ESL class because of the limited amount of reading comprehension. I have learned much about my teaching style and that I, too, love grammar, but I also know that too much grammar instruction early on in my L2 learning has caused me to over-monitor my speech.
This test is a valid test for being able to use indefinite articles. There are several questions that are more difficult, as they are the exceptions to the rules. It is good because the questions start out easy, but then become increasingly difficult, though I wish that they also had some easy questions at the end. It seems to be targeted toward an intermediate level of understanding.
2. My grammar instruction was a bit too deductive to be "communicative." I believe that having some examples and going over them would have been more useful than going over the rules first. On the lesson plan I wrote, I actually covered the rules first and did the PowerPoint second, but in class I just did the PowerPoint. I do not think that this would necessarily be the best way to teach articles in an actual ESL class because of the limited amount of reading comprehension. I have learned much about my teaching style and that I, too, love grammar, but I also know that too much grammar instruction early on in my L2 learning has caused me to over-monitor my speech.
1) TEST ASSESSMENT p. 464 #2
At quick glance, I thought this site would be great as a test resource:
After viewing the Modal Diagnostic, I changed my mind.
1) It looks practical in that it's not expensive to print (it must be taken on-line), nor time consuming to take, nor to grade. Of course, it wouldn't be practical if each student had no access to a lab full of computers.
2) Reliability is not an issue because the diagnostic has multiple choice questions. Multiple people could grade it without inconsistency as long as the answer key is followed.
3) I do not feel the diagnostic is valid. As a native English speaker, I do not feel the directions are clear so I feel it would not teach the student anything by taking it. I don't agree with all of the answers. Thus, I don't see the purpose of taking the diagnostic, thus, I see no face validity. There is no content validity because of the multiple-choice questions. There is no construct validity because the diagnostic does not prove mastery of the modals. We'd have no idea if the students could actually use the modals to write sentences. They could guess on every question and possibly pass it.
4) The diagnostic is not authentic because the questions are isolated and "bear no relationship to one another."
5) The diagnostic does not foster Washback because incorrect answers would not lend themselves to any "insight into further work." I do not see how the diagnostic could be used as a learning tool.
After viewing the Modal Diagnostic, I changed my mind.
1) It looks practical in that it's not expensive to print (it must be taken on-line), nor time consuming to take, nor to grade. Of course, it wouldn't be practical if each student had no access to a lab full of computers.
2) Reliability is not an issue because the diagnostic has multiple choice questions. Multiple people could grade it without inconsistency as long as the answer key is followed.
3) I do not feel the diagnostic is valid. As a native English speaker, I do not feel the directions are clear so I feel it would not teach the student anything by taking it. I don't agree with all of the answers. Thus, I don't see the purpose of taking the diagnostic, thus, I see no face validity. There is no content validity because of the multiple-choice questions. There is no construct validity because the diagnostic does not prove mastery of the modals. We'd have no idea if the students could actually use the modals to write sentences. They could guess on every question and possibly pass it.
4) The diagnostic is not authentic because the questions are isolated and "bear no relationship to one another."
5) The diagnostic does not foster Washback because incorrect answers would not lend themselves to any "insight into further work." I do not see how the diagnostic could be used as a learning tool.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Teaching Activity 7/6/10 GERUNDS
In case y'all could use the materials from my presentation today, please feel free to email me: ronda.glasser@mavs.uta.edu
I'd have attached them to this blog, but I do not know how to do so.
Awesome presentations today!
I'd have attached them to this blog, but I do not know how to do so.
Awesome presentations today!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Line-Up for Tuesday and modified reading schedule
On Tuesday we will be teaching our second mini-lessons. Here's the line-up:
1) Ronda
2) Katie and Jason
3) Yuni
4) Erica
5) Derek
6) Yilmin
7) Allison
8) Matt
Also, I'll remind you that I've changed the reading assignment for next week. Rather than reading chapters 23-26, please read chapters 22-24. The means that on Thursday, we'll discuss a little about form-focused instruction, as well as assessment. While I suggest that you at some point at least skim through chapters 25 and 26 related to Lifelong Learning, we will not be discussing these in class.
1) Ronda
2) Katie and Jason
3) Yuni
4) Erica
5) Derek
6) Yilmin
7) Allison
8) Matt
Also, I'll remind you that I've changed the reading assignment for next week. Rather than reading chapters 23-26, please read chapters 22-24. The means that on Thursday, we'll discuss a little about form-focused instruction, as well as assessment. While I suggest that you at some point at least skim through chapters 25 and 26 related to Lifelong Learning, we will not be discussing these in class.
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