Engaging learners in the assessment
of writing skills
Gerardo Valazza, MEd ELT, RSA Dip TEFLA
to help teachers deal with issues surrounding motivation to write in the 21st century
to provide teachers with a set of teaching ideas/classroom activities which they can take away to use with their learners
to develop teachers’ understanding of the ways in which different types of classroom assessment can be used to help develop learners’ writing skills
1
2
3
Aims of the Seminar
Overview of the Seminar
Discuss the issues facing teachers trying to engage their learners in writing, and how assessment can increase motivation.
Writing skills, motivation and assessment
Teaching ideas and classroom activitiesTeaching ideas to show different means of assessment and ways to involve learners.
PART 1:Writing Skills ,
Motivation and Assessment
Gerardo Valazza, MEd ELT, RSA Dip TEFLA
lack of a genuine reason to write
lack of immediate feedback
lack of basic skills
lack of familiarity with the required text type
It’s boring
It takes too long
It’s too difficult
I don’t know what to write
Learners’ Motivation to Write
Some Possible Solutions
https://padlet.com/gvalazza/teachingwriting
Wi-Fi Signal: Guest
Password: CLOSE2YOU
https://answergarden.ch/499045
Personalising tasks
Focusing on one writing skill at a time
Brainstorming ideas (Padlet / Answer Garden)
Giving model answers
Some Possible Solutions
Motivating learners via assessment
Authentic writing tasks: blogs, forums
Immediate feedback
Time limits and regular breaks
5
6
Purposes of Assessment
Placement1 to decide what class to put a new learner in
Summative(OF learning)
2 to check whether outcomes have been met, to assign a level or grade
Diagnostic3 to help teachers decide what to teach
Formative(FOR learning)
4 to help teachers check what learning has taken place and what learning needs have not been met
5 Sustainable(AS learning)
to help learners assess their own learning and reflect on their abilities
5
Means of Assessment
Taking a summative test, e.g. Cambridge English: Key, at the end of a course; diagnostic testing
External written assessment
Homework or short in-class test, could be used summatively or formatively
Teacher assessment
Learners assess each other’s work; formative or assessment as learning
Peer assessment
Learners compile over time a collection of their work; learning and formative assessment
Portfolio assessment
Learners assess their own work; assessment as learning
Self-assessment
Assessment Criteria!
Assessment Criteria for writing
OC
C A
L
OrganisationThe way the candidate has put together the piece of writing.
ContentHow well the candidate has done what they were asked to do.
Communicative AchievementHow appropriate the writing is for the task. Has the candidate used appropriate register?
LanguageVocabulary and grammar. It includes range as well as accuracy.
Beliefs about Teaching WritingSurvey
https://create.kahoot.it/(Teacher)
https://kahoot.it/(Student)
Wi-Fi Signal: Guest
Password: CLOSE2YOU
Beliefs about teaching writingSurvey: 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
You are going to move to a new house. Write an emailto 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 SamI have a good news! Next week we moving to London.We find a new house there, near the park. We needmove there because my hussband get new job in thehospital. I very excited. Would you like visit me in newhouse?Write soon!
Sample B1-Level Task
TASK:- Say where you are moving to - Explain why you are moving - Invite your friend to visit you
DISCUSS IN PAIRS:What different ways could you use to give feedback on this piece of writing?
Write comments and feedback, including suggestions for improvement (2 Stars; 1 Wish)(WWW; EBI)
Correct it (no mark or grade)
2
3
Give an overall mark or grade (no correction)
1
Ask another student to evaluate it
Ask the student who wrote it to evaluate it
5
6
Mark up what needs to be corrected, but don’t make the corrections
4
Feedback Options
Dear SamI have a good news! Next week we moving to London.We find a new house there, near the park. We needmove there because my hussband get new job in thehospital. I very excited. Would you like visit me in newhouse?Write soon!
Sample B1-Level Task
TASK:- Say where you are moving to - Explain why you are moving - Invite your friend to visit you
DISCUSS IN PAIRS:How many different types of mistakes can you identify?
Correction Code
You need to add a word here/ This word is not necessaryP The punctuation is wrongVOC or WW This is the wrong wordVT The verb tense is wrongVF The verb form is wrongGR There is a grammar mistake hereSP There is a Spelling mistake hereART There is a mistake with the articleWO The word order is wrong? This part is not clear
6
Correction Code Sample
Research Notes Issue 61
https://writeandimprove.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EwJnFRfK9I
https://youtu.be/_MtcVMK7AGUhttps://www.sketchengine.co.uk/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3zBLrlBWG8
5
6
Self and Peer assessment
Learners don’t know what they’re looking for.
1 Agree on a set of ‘success criteria’ at the beginning of the writing process.
Learners can be overly critical or negative of each others’ work.
2Get learners to use ‘two stars and a wish’ or ‘WWW and EBI’.
Learners aren’t capable of using assessment criteria.
3Make assessment criteria clear, and practise applying them to example texts first.
Learners aren’t satisfied if the teacher doesn’t mark the work.
4Mark the work only after the peer/self-assessment; mark the peer/self-assessment as well.
5 Learners don’t take the activity seriously.
Show learners how much their writing improves.
6
Using Writing Checklists
6
Using Writing Checklists
Download lesson plan – Level B2
Giving feedback on writing- Approaches to correction - Using a word processing tool to give feedback - Using Microsoft Word and Google docs
1
The Digital Teacher
https://thedigitalteacher.com/training/giving-feedback-on-writing-training
to help teachers deal with issues surrounding motivation to write in the 21st century
to provide teachers with a set of teaching ideas/classroom activities which they can take away to use with their learners
to develop teachers’ understanding of the ways in which different types of classroom assessment can be used to help develop learners’ writing skills
1
2
3
Aims of the seminar
“It is undoubtedly the best time in history to be alanguage learner. Websites and smartphone appshave facilitated foreign language study like no othertechnology 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 [email protected]
https://angloseminars.wordpress.com/
/AngloExamenesInternacionales
www.anglo.edu.uy
/CambridgeEnglishTV
Top Related