ASSESSMENT ISSUES

1. ASSESSMENT ISSUES IN CLIL

2. FORMATIVE It is more complex Its intention is diagnostic It has an impact on the learner’s next step It is also formative for the teacher, because it can alter planning ASSESSMENT PROCESSES SUMMATIVE • Makes a judgement on the capability of the learner at a certain point in time • Leads to some form of info-giving to another party (ex., school management/parents) • It is associated with formal testing (end-of-unit, final result)

3. CLARKE (2001) • SUMMATIVE The simple measurement of a plant • FORMATIVE The feeding process which leads to growth

4. AfL (Assessment for Learning)Black, William, UK, 1998 – 2002KEY PRINCIPLES THE SHARING OF LEARNING INTENTIONS Teachers tell students at the beginning of the lessons what they will learn THE USE OF SUCCESS CRITERIA Students will be told what the task will involve and what the outcome will contain THE IMPORTANCE OF FEEDBACK which affects the learner’s self-esteem and should positively impact on motivation

5. We Will Focus OnFORMATIVE ASSESSMENT WHY?

6. because it is to be used on a regular basis • because it promotes learning and, therefore, better summative results • because it is INSIDE, not OUTSIDE the teaching/learning process/activities • because it is CONTINUOUS and within classroom practice

7. MAYOR QUESTIONS • What do we assess? CONTENT or LANGUAGE? • In what language do we assess? • What tools can we use for assessment? • How can we assess previous knowledge and/or progression? • How can we minimize the effects of the language in the content assessment? • How can we evaluate the skills/processes? • How can/should we assess group work?

9. The fact is, that CLIL Units must have CLEAR OBJECTIVES What really matters is PRIORITY. In my opinion, being CONTENT TEACHERS, CLIL teachers should always have CONTENT as dominant OBJECTIVE. Then, of course, language will be learnt in the process. Therefore, CONTENT first, then LANGUAGE

10. CONTENT OBJECTIVES should be the same for native or second-language speakers BUT CLIL teachers should choose a method of assessment which uses the least language CONTENT is clear and wide in the STUDENT’S MIND BUT When it comes to communicating it to someone else, MOUTHS are SLOW 1. ASSESSING CONTENTBasic Principles

11. 2. WHICH ASPECT of the CONTENT are we ASSESSING? • Factual knowledge (checking detail) • General Understanding(Major points) • Ability to manipulate content (interpretaion/analysis/synthesis/application)

12. We should propose purposeful learning activities, which involve students in thinking and problem-solving, in pairs or in groups In this way, it may not be necessary to create a specific TEST, because the activities themselves can be used for monitoring and can provide real evidence of learning 3. If we focus on CONCRETE objectives, THEN regular assessment opportunities COME!!

13. 4. If a 3-part lesson is implemented,

14. THEN, assessment will not always deal with individuals, but also with groups of learners It may be difficult to decide who knows what, but this is less important, because the FINAL OUTPUT MAY BE MORE THAN THE SUM OF ALL THE PARTS In addition, such tasks raise different areas for assessment: - teamwork - project work - self assessment

15. ASSESSING LANGUAGE To begin with, just as with content, we need to be sure which aspect of language we are assessing: Subject-specific vocabulary Listen/read for meaning Present/discuss effectively Demonstrate thinking/reasoning in the CLIL language Show awareness of grammatical features of the language

16. 2. HOW TO ASSESS LANGUAGE:through a variety of approaches

17. ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT FORMATS A. RECORDING TO A GRID • It requires little language knowledge to stimulate content recall • It activates/organizes thinking • Once completed, the grid can be used for a further task, involving pair work (negotiating)

18. ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT FORMATS B. READING Visual texts of all types Matching pictures to vocabulary True/false Gap-filling from a box Decision task: two versions are given and the correct one has to be chosen

19. C. MATCHING INFORMATION With this format, demonstrating comprehension should always involve real decision based on concept understanding. (Ex.: matching sentence halves) The focus is on MEANING ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT FORMATS

20. LABELLING The simplest of all the productive formats, it comes in single-word form. Very useful at elementary level, or in the introduction-phase of the lesson ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT FORMATS

21. OTHER PRODUCTIVE FORMATS They are more complex When you want your students to SPEAK or WRITE, they need a MODEL They also need SCAFFOLDING activities (note-taking, fill-in a grid) First in PAIRS/GROUPS, then INDIVIDUALLY ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT FORMATS

22. SUMMARY • Clear Learning OBJECTIVES; they will usually include CONTENT/SKILLS first, then LANGUAGE in some form • Because of INTEGRATION and DUAL FOCUS, in CLIL lessons we cannot always assess everything • We shloud use a mixture of formal/informal assessment, which is both task-based and assignment based

23. SUMMARY • Learners should be aware of assessment measures and success criteria, expressed in a student-friendly format • Content knowledge should be assessed using the simplest form of language which is appropriate for that purpose • Language should be assessed for a real purpose in a real context – sometimes it will be for form/accuracy, sometimes for communicative competence/fluency

24. SUMMARY • If assessment is orally-based, then WAIT TIME is crucial (thinking and expressing what they tink takes time!!) • SCAFFOLDING is not CHEATING. We need to assess what students can do with support, before we assess what they can do without it.