This article is devoted to the process of assessment in teaching foreign languages. Definition of assessment, types of assessment and why do we assess in education? — such kind of problems has been answered (solved) and also formal and informal, internal and external types of assessment were differentiated in this article.
Keywords: speech skills, object of assessment, formative assessment, summative assessment, techniques, functions, daily, thematic, total assessment, internal and external assessment
Данная статья посвящается процессу оценивания в обучении иностранного языка. В статье авторы представляют мнения об оценивании, его видах и стараются найти ответы на вопрос как оценивать знание учащихся, также они дают различные виды оценивания как официальное и неофициальное, внутреннее и внешнее.
Ключевые слова: объект оценивания, формативное оценивание, суммативное оценивание, искусство, объединененный, общее оценивание, задания, тематический, внутреннее и внешнее оценивание
Assessment is the process of documenting in measurable terms, knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs. The term assessment is generally used to refer to all activities of the learners. It can focus on the individual learner and also on the learning community (class, workshop or other organized group of learners).
Assessment in education is an action to determine the importance, size, or value of gained knowledge and speech skills and subskills. The final purpose of assessment practiced in education depends on the theoretical framework of the practitioners and researchers, their assumptions and beliefs about the nature of human mind, the origin of knowledge and the process of learning.
Assessment brings benefit to both the teachers and learners. By controlling the process of teaching, learners’ knowledge, skills and subskills a teacher is able to work out new, more effective ways, methods of teaching a foreign language. Assessment helps the teacher to prove his ideas, methods on organizing teaching to foreign languages.
It is beneficial for learners too. Feeling their success in learning a foreign language motivates the learners and inspires them for new activities. It should be stressed that learners have different motivation. Some of them (we mean pupils) are eager to get good grades in all school subjects including a foreign language and the others learn foreign languages with the hope to find a good job in future.
The characteristic feature of assessment in school education is that unlike the other school subjects in controlling teaching a foreign language the main attention is focused on assessing the degrees of oral speech skills and also reading and writing skills. In teaching a foreign language assessment includes the following types of controlling speech skills and subskills:
Continuous assessment is everyday assessment. Teacher evaluates it at every lesson and it is one of the effective means of teaching and assessing. It positively influences on the learners and makes them to revise the learned material.
Thematic assessment. This type of assessment aimed to control the gained knowledge, formed speech skills on the learned theme. It is carried out after completing the work on studying the theme. The time given to assessment depends on the size and complexity of the teaching material.
Periodic assessment. Periodic assessment aimed to evaluate the learners’ knowledge, speech skills and subskills after some period of time. For example after each quarter or a month within a school year. The materials for assessment are prepared by the teacher.
Total assessment is carried out at the end of a school year in the form of an examination. It may have oral and written forms. This type of assessment is aimed to evaluate the learner’s knowledge, speech skills and subskills.
Assessment is often divided for the sake of convenience into the following types:
– Initial;
– formative and summative;
– Objective and subjective;
Initial assessment refers to as pre — assessment or diagnostic assessment. It is conducted prior to instruction to establish a baseline from which individual learner’s progress can be measured.
Formative assessment is carried out throughout a course or project. This type of assessment also refers to as “educative assessment” and is used to aid learning. It should be stressed that formative assessment would not necessary be used for grading purposes. Formative assessment can take the form of diagnostic, standardized tests. Formative assessment techniques monitor student learning during the learning process.
Summative assessment is generally carried out at the end of course or project is typically used to assign a course grade of learners. It evaluates student learning. The difference between the formative and summative assessment can be explained with the following analogy:
When teacher prepares test tasks that’s formative. And when the learners have these tasks (or tests) that’s summative. A common form of formative assessment is diagnostic assessment, it measures a student’s current knowledge. And skill for the purpose of identifying a suitable program of learning. (1, p.76)
Self — assessment is a form of diagnostic assessment. It involves the learners to assess themselves.
Assessment is often categorized as either objective or subjective.
Objective assessment is a form of questioning which has a single correct answer.
And Subjective assessment is a form of questioning which may have more than one correct answer or more than one way of expressing the correct answer. (2, p. 35)
Objective question types include true / false answers, multiple choice, multiple — response and matching questions.
Subjective questions include extended — response questions and essays.
Objective assessment is well suited online assessment format.
Assessment can also be formal or informal.
For the teacher it is important to be aware of the characteristic features of each types of assessment. Formal assessment usually implies a written document, such as a test, quiz or paper. An Informal assessment may include observation, inventories, checklists, rating skills, performance or portfolio assessments, participation, peer and self — evaluation and discussion. This type of assessment does not contribute to a student’s final grade.
Assessment can also be divided into internal and external.
Internal assessment is set by the teachers. Students get the mark and feedback regarding the assessment.
External assessment is set by the governing body and is marked by non — based personal. For example entering tests for high school can be included into such tests i.e such assessment.
References:
- Alimov Sh.S. Zamonaviy o’qitish texnologiyalaridan ma’ruzalar. Andijon, 2012
- Исламгулова С. К. Технологизация процесса обучения в школе: теория и опыт. — Алматы. 2004
