INSPECTORATUL ŞCOLAR JUDEŢEAN SĂLAJ

ŞCOALA GIMNAZIALĂ NR. 1 PANIC

CIF-25104503 Loc. Panic, Str. Principală,
Nr. 100/A, Cod poştal 457171
Tel/ Fax: 026066985
e – mail: panit457171@yahoo.com

CERCUL PEDAGOGIC AL
PROFESORILOR DE LIMBA ENGLEZĂ
CENTRUL METODIC ZALĂU II.

Assessing productive skills-writing

and speaking
Prof. Tamás Andrea Amália
-Şcoala Gimnazială nr. 1 Panic
Prof.Dani Erzsébet Erika
-Şcoala Gimnazială nr. 1 Hereclean

5 DECEMBRIE 2016
1
ENGLISH TEACHER’S MEETING
5TH DECEMBER 2016
THEME: Assessing productive skills-writing and speaking
TEACHERS: Tamás Andrea Amália
Dani Erzsébet Erika

MEETING SCHEDULE

9.00-9.10 Welcome to our school!

9.10-9.25 Opening- grouping the guests
9.25-9.35 No comment video- “Classroom tale”
9.35-9.50 Brainstorming activity
9.50-10.40 Assessing productive skills-writing and speaking-
Presentation
10.40-11.00 Coffee break
11.00-11.50 Workshop
11.50-12.30 Lunch break

2
Activity 1- BRAINSTORMING
Just to start,would you for one minute „go into your heads” and tell me the first
word you think of when you hear assessment.

ASSESSMENT

3
Activity 2: Differences between Testing, Assessment, and Evaluation
What Do We Mean by Testing, Assessment, and Evaluation?

TEST

EVALUATION

ASSESSMENT

The goal of assessment

is __________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

4
 WHY IS ASSESSMENT
IMPORTANT?
By this point in our life we have discovered
that learning :

CAN BE FUN! We have realized that we are

constantly learning whether we are in a
classroom, a car or a kitchen.

ASSESSMENT HELPS YOU BUILD CONFIDENCE IN

YOUR ABILITY TO LEARN.

In order to be successful, our students will need

to have confidence in their ability to learn and
they will need to become lifelong learners.

ASSESSMENT plays a key role in developing

their confidence in their ability to learn, as well
as in developing their lifelong learning skills.
5
 STUDENT DIALOGUE – LEARNING TO BAKE COOKIES

Brian used what he learned from each batch of cookies

to improve the next batch. When we are learning a skill,
feedback is automatic. The feedback process needs to
be made visible through ASSESSMENT .

6
Types of assessment

Assessment is divided, for the sake of convenience, into the following

distinctions:

 formative and summative

 objective and subjective
 referencing (criterion-referenced, norm-referenced)
 informal and formal

Formative assessment Summative assessment

Grading Usually not graded Usually graded

Purpose Improvement: to give Judgment: to derive a grade,

feedback to instructor and and to allow students to work
students about how well intensively with course
students understand specific material
material

Focus Very focused on whether Less focused on specific skills

students have acquired or information; instead, allows
specific skills or information students to demonstrate a
range of skills and knowledge

Effort Requires little time from Requires more time from

instructors or students; instructors and students;
simple; done in class complex; done outside of class

7
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN9xq90JCfE&t=3s

8
 ASSESSING WRITING AND SPEAKING

Activity 3: How to assess speaking and writing?

I assess my students speaking and writing skills by..

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
The criteria I used to assess students communication skills are
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
The problems and challenges I have with evaluating my students
skills are
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________.

9
How do we assess children?
Children usually do not choose to learn a foreign language. The decision is made
for them either by their parents or by the school. They need other reasons to
motivate them and to keep them learning. A friendly environment can offer such
motivation. You can make learning as enjoyable as possible through drawing,
games, songs, puzzles and drama.
Our hard work in establishing a motivating atmosphere and positive attitudes
towards learning English can be severely damaged when it comes time for
assessment. To avoid this we have to carry out assessment in a way that protects
the positive atmosphere and attitudes towards English and learning in general.
METHODS:
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -

Activity 4 -Assessment formats for…

SPEAKING WRITING
 

10
ASSESSMENT PLAN
SPEAKING
GETTING TO KNOW YOU

LEVEL: Beginners
AGE GROUP: 7 and above
TIME: 15 minutes
DESCRIPTION: This is an information-gap activity. The children ask and answer
questions to obtain personal information.
LANGUAGE: Question formation and asking for personal information. What’s your
name? How old are you? What’s your favorite…?
SKILLS: Speaking: asking and answering questions, providing personal
information.
ASSESSMENT The children should be able to ask questions to get personal
CRITERIA: information, provide information about themselves, carry out the task
successfully, use basic turn-taking skills, and work with others.
MATERIALS: Worksheet, projector(optional)
PREPARATION: Photocopy the worksheet for each child.
IN CLASS: 1. Write the worksheet on the board, or put it on the overhead
projector.
2. Explain to the children that they have to fill in this form by
asking four of their classmates questions. Make sure they ask
children they don’t sit with or know too well.
3. Tell them that they can get up and walk around the room to
find the 4 classmates and talk to them. Ask them not to make
too much noise or disturb others. If you have a very large class,
have the students sit at a different place than usual. Then they
can ask classmates near them and not have to walk around.
4. If there is any information they are unable to write, they can
ask their classmates to spell it for them.
5. Give out the worksheet.
6. The children go around asking their classmates, then fill in the
form.

FEEDBACK: 1. Invite children to tell you how they think they did, what
difficulties they experienced, and how they dealt with them.
Then give general feedback or how well you think they carried
out the task, for example how polite they were, whether they
used only English… Tell them gently how they can improve,
focusing on the general aims of the activity and not on accuracy.
2. When all the children have finished, ask them to look at their
worksheets and choose one piece of information they didn’t

11
 know about one of their classmates. The children take turns to
say what they learnt.
3. If you have chosen to observe and assess a small group of
children, give them more detailed feedback on how they
performed, in private.

ASSESSMENT Select a number of children to observe while they are carrying out the
OF OUTCOME: task.
PORTOFOLIO: The children prepare a visual presentation about their classmates or a
group of friends. If possible they should bring a picture of their
classmates to accompany the report. Alternatively, they can draw their
pictures.

WORKSHEET
GETTING TO KNOW YOU
NAME:………………………………………… CLASS:…………………….
DATE:……………………………..
Choose four friends. Ask them questions and complete the form. Use English!

FRIEND 1 FRIEND 2
NAME:……………………………………… NAME:………………………………………
AGE:………………………………………… AGE:………………………………………..
ADDRESS:………………………………… ADDRESS:……………………………………
FAVORITE FAVORITE
FOOD:……………………………………….. FOOD:………………………………………..
FAVORITE FAVORITE
COLOUR:…………………………………….. COLOUR:……………………………………..
FAVORITE FAVORITE
……………….:…………………………… ……………….:………………………………
FRIEND 3 FRIEND 4
NAME:……………………………………… NAME:………………………………………
AGE:………………………………………… AGE:…………………………………………
ADDRESS:…………………………………… ADDRESS:……………………………………
……………… ………………
FAVORITE FAVORITE
FOOD:……………………………………….. FOOD:………………………………………..
FAVORITE FAVORITE
COLOUR:…………………………………….. COLOUR:……………………………………..
FAVORITE FAVORITE
……………….:……………………………… ……………….:……………………………

12
ACTIVITY 5
According to the plan we have already discussed, complete an assessment plan on the given
topic. ( SPEAKING ASSESSMENT)
Topic: LOOK AT MY ROOM

LEVEL:
AGE GROUP:
TIME:
DESCRIPTION:

LANGUAGE:

SKILLS: Speaking: describing a room.

ASSESSMENT
CRITERIA:
MATERIALS:
PREPARATION:
IN CLASS:

FEEDBACK:

ASSESSMENT
OF OUTCOME:
PORTOFOLIO:

13
ACTIVITY 6- ASSESSING A PROJECT PRESENTATION
SPEAKING ACTIVITY EVALUATION SHEET
Student’s name: Grade: Mark:
Total score: 16

Category Excellent (4) Good (3) Poor (2) Needs Work (1) Score
1.Vocabulary The student The student The student Inadequate use
Use makes use of a makes adequate makes some of vocabulary
wide range of use of inadequate
vocabulary vocabulary use of
vocabulary
2.Fluency The student’s The student’s The The student’s
message has message is student’s message cannot
easy flow and generally message is be understood
rhythm and understandable difficult to presenting
presents and presents understand many
normal few hesitations presenting hesitations and
hesitations and and pauses. awkward pauses that
pauses hesitations interfere with
and pauses. the ideas.
3.Accuracy The student The student The student The student
uses a variety makes few makes makes many
of grammar errors in frequent grammatical
structures grammatical grammatical errors which
which structures even errors makes the
facilitate the though the which message non
speech speech is makes it comprehensible
comprehension understandable. difficult to
understand.

4.Organization The student The student The student The student

of ideas presents all the presents most presents presents
information in of the lack of incoherence
a logical information in coherence in and no logical
sequence a logical the majority sequence of
sequence of ideas ideas
(PROJECT PRESENTATION)

How do you measure different aspects of a speaking activity?

Observations
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
14
ENGLISH SPEAKING TEST
Task Orientation
Opened: There is a situation and students are free to discuss which is the better choice, there is a final decision to
take. Students are able to talk and communicate as they wish, by using words and tenses they decide to use.
Level : Lower-Intermediate
Interactional Relationship
Interactional: Two ways interaction: There is an interaction between both students with no intervention from the
teacher.
Language Skills to be tested: Speaking
Goal Orientation
Students have to speak with each other, so the communication process happens. There is communicative purpose, a
decision that has to be taken.

Interlocutor Status and Familiarity

Student- Student (know)
Students- Teacher (know)

Topics
Places around the city.

15
Students A and B
Now you and your classmate are having a meeting in the city for your foreigner friend. However,
one of you got lost and can’t find the way to get to the place you guys agreed to meet. Decide
which student will be the lost person. Imagine that you’re having a phone conversation and the
lost person is asking for directions to get to the place.

16
Sample of Students’ Performance on task.

17
Activity 7
Round Table
Each person at your table should write one thing he/she has learned about assessing productive
skills.

18
BIBLIOGRAPHY :

Weir, C. (1990). Communicative Language Testing. Prentice Hall.

19
 Brown, D. (2004). Language Assessment, Principles and
Classroom Practices Longman

Bailey, K.M., & Savage, L. (1994). "New ways in teaching

speaking." Alexandria, VA: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other
Languages.

Burns, A., & Joyce, H. (1997). "Focus on speaking." Sydney:

National Center for English Language Teaching and Research.

Sophie Ioannou- Georgiu, & Pavlos Pavlov. “ Assessing young

learners”, Oxford

Jeremy Harmer - ” The Practice of English Language Teaching”,

Longman Publishing House,2001

Videos- assessing productive skills

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOmxqPZ7oBo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlLLddT5w0U

http://busyteacher.org/7082-top-10-ways-to-assess-your-students.html

http://www.open.edu/openlearnworks/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=57372&section=6

http://www.open.edu/openlearnworks/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=57372&section=7

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN9xq90JCfE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjmM1iN-m-E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4ogt0yI8xA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTGnJnuVNt8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfJkiqLRHF4

Assessment Quotes

20
„Assessment is the engine, which drives student learning.”

(John Cowan)

„When implemented well, formative assessment can effectively double the speed of student
learning.”

(William, 2007)

„Useful assessment generates data about what students know and are able to do, rather than
merely identifying student weaknesses.”

(Turner, 2014)

„Effective feedback occurs during the learning, while, there is still timet o act on it.”

(Jan Chappuis)

„Great teachers engineer learning experiences that put students in the driver`s seat and then
get out of the way.”

(Ben Johnson,, Euducator)

„Assessment data should be used in real-time as a way of driving teaching practice, rather than
being used at the end of the process to judge whether someone passed or failed.”

(Hekia Parata)

21