Classroom activities help to collect information about the learners’ language abilities during the course and adapt further activities in order to support their learning. Using classroom activities as an assessment technique allows the children to “experience assessment as fun and appealing” (Pinter, 2017: 145) and it also helps to lower their test anxiety (Black, 2005). Although the language and skills to be assessed are planned in advance, the children should be given help when they need it.
Stage 1 – Conversation (during the circle time)
Make an ‘advent calendar’ that represents days until the end of the term or your school assessment period. Each envelope includes a short assessment activity which is completed during the circle time.
The ‘advent calendar’ could be part of your classroom routines. As the calendar is prepared in advance, it is well-structured, and you can ensure that all the term objectives are included and can be assessed on a daily basis. It also provides the necessary information to make any adjustments in instruction.
Stage 2 – Play
At the beginning of the course:
The learners create their own ‘treasure boxes’.
During the course:
Every lesson the learners create ‘treasures’ for their boxes; they choose a couple of new words and make flashcards/word cards.
The learners use their own material to test each other.
Then they report on, for example, which words were difficult for their classmates to remember.
This is a good way to include peer assessment in a young learners’ class. Besides, designing their own ‘treasure boxes’ develops the learners’ sense of belonging, which makes them feel safe in class, and being a ‘teacher’ increases their motivation and responsibility for learning (for example, being more attentive or taking a more active role).
Stage 3 – Work (table time activities)
Before the course:
Prepare a box with task cards that cover the four skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking).
During the course:
The children choose a random task card and do the task.
Examples:
Reading
Read your favourite story using a phonics phone.
Read and follow the instructions of a mini experiment.
Writing
Build the words with Logo bricks.
Create a word search using the given words.
Listening
Listen and follow the instructions of a mini experiment.
Listen and colour/draw.
Speaking
Sing a song.
Interview your classmates.
You can also encourage the learners to create their own assessment tasks for their classmates during the course.
Task cards are suitable for everyday use and help to focus not only on the linguistic knowledge, but also on learner autonomy.
Stage 4 – Celebration (closing routine)
I encourage you to plan a well-deserved reward for children after the work stage. It could be acting in a play or organizing a yoga session for them, dancing or singing, or a mini project/craft/experiment/presentation, something that can give them an opportunity to show their work and be appreciated for the effort.
I believe we should always help young learners and avoid judging them. Thus, a celebration of what has been learnt can enhance their delight in achievement and strengthen their awareness that they belong to a group.
(This blog post is based on my article ‘Young learners' assessment step-by-step’ which was first published in Testing, Evaluation and Assessment 3 (October 2020), Faversham: IATEFL)
Comentários