School: Education, Social Sciences and Technology

Degree Programme: Postgraduate Diploma

Course: PDTM 503- Assessment and Evaluation
Assignment
Student Name: Akamonwa Kalenga
Student Number: PDLM20221805
Due Date: 20th September, 2020

Assignment Question
Different terms are used to describe types of assessment in education. Two type of
assessment are known as informal and formal assessment. With the use of examples
Describe how you would apply informal and formal assessment in a classroom
environment.

joim@nrfateam.com
Introduction

In all contexts, assessment is intended to inform and improve learning and teaching. Because
of the characteristics of very young learners and of the teaching and learning process in
kindergarten, assessment should be carried out in normal everyday activities while learning is
happening. Therefore, it is essential for assessment tools to allow for continuous and on-
going assessment as learners/children develop and demonstrate their achievements over time.
This assignment explores two types of assessment and with the use of examples describing
how a teacher would apply informal and formal assessment in a classroom environment.

Assessment is a fundamental component of the teaching and learning cycle. It is intended to

inform and improve not only learning, but also teaching practices. Learning be it in
kindergarten, secondary or tertiary level is active and therefore, assessment should be carried
out while learning is happening, rather than as a snapshot of a final product or independent
activity. As learners or children in particular requires ample time and a variety of learning
opportunities to develop and demonstrate their achievements, assessment should be taken as a
continuous process in natural instructional encounters.

Assessments can be classified in terms of the way they relate to instructional activities. The
term classroom assessment (sometimes called internal assessment) is used to refer to
assessments designed or selected by teachers and given as an integral part of classroom
instruction. They are given during or closely following an instructional activity or unit. This
category of assessments may include teacher-student interactions in the classroom,
observations, student products that result directly from ongoing instructional activities

For the purpose of clarification, assessment is just one component in the evaluation of a
course and refers to the “general process of monitoring or keeping track of the learners’
progress” (ReaDickins, 2000). When dealing with assessment, formal assessment is
distinguished from informal assessment. Testing is widely used by EFL teachers as one of the
main instruments of formal assessment (Cameron, 2001). Tests are carried out under formal
exam conditions, composed of specially designed exercises for testing language
competencies (Allan, 1996) and measure a sample of an individual learner’s performance or
knowledge in a given domain within a specific timeframe (Brown, 1994). When informally
assessing young learners, a specific task is not necessarily needed, nor a percentage or mark
(Brewster, Ellis & Girard, 2002). This type of assessment may be based on a teacher’s
subjective opinion from intuition or continuous observation of students’ skills, level or
knowledge (Smith, 1995) and may include certain aspects of the learning process which
cannot be tested formally, such as attitude and cooperation (Brewster et al., 2002). It seems
reasonable to use informal types of assessment in the very young learner context (rather than
formal assessment) as non-linguistic factors are an essential part of children’s learning.
Therefore, this article will deal with an informal assessment method, namely assessment by
observation, for which an understanding of the principles underpinning assessment is needed.

Everything that happens in a classroom is potential evidence of student learning. Data,

whether linguistic or non-linguistic, can be collected using informal strategies which include
photographs, videotapes, tape recordings, conferencing, portfolio assessment and
observations. Each of these methods can be used simultaneously together with any other tool
to collect further data on student learning.

On-going informal assessment methods, like the ones mentioned above, are considered to be
of a formative nature (as opposed to summative) (Cameron, 2001). By monitoring and
recording students’ progress, individual learner’s needs are identified and future learning
targets can be established (Brewster et al., 2002). This means that assessment at this level
should focus on the process rather than the product, following Smith’s (1995, p. 4) statement
that young learners ‘have the privilege and right to be a product in process’.

In informal assessment conditions children do not feel threatened as everyday classroom

activities become assessment tasks (Cameron, 2001). It is important for children to be
observed and assessed as they learn because very young learners demonstrate their
understanding and learning by doing, showing and telling. Observation is a useful assessment
tool because it does not disturb ordinary classroom activities. Therefore, students should not
be aware that they are being assessed and possible feelings of anxiety or stress are reduced
(Brown, 1994).

As it is easy to fall into the trap of relying solely on rough impressions, it is advisable to
establish clear criteria for the observation to become systematic. These observations provide
important information to be used as feedback to modify or plan subsequent lessons, what
Cameron (2001, p. 231) calls a ‘continuous process of observe-notice adjust teaching’. For
example, an instructional activity suggested by a curriculum, such as a discussion of the
results of an investigation, can be used as an assessment conversation to find out about how
students evaluate the quality of evidence and how they use evidence in explanations.
In addition, Assessment conversations have the three characteristics of informal assessment
previously described: eliciting, recognizing, and using information. Eliciting information
requires the use of strategies that allow students to share and make visible or explicit their
understanding as completely as possible (e.g., sharing their thinking to the class, overheads,
and posters). Recognizing students thinking requires the teacher to make a judgment about
the differences among students responses, explanations, or mental models so that the critical
dimensions relevant for their learning can be made explicit (e.g., teacher compares students’
responses according to the evidence provided or responds to students by asking which
explanation is more scientifically accepted based on the information provided). Using
information from assessment conversations implies mainly helping students to achieve a
consensus based on scientific reasoning (e.g., universality of the explanations). The most
appropriate and scientifically-based consensus is not necessarily achieved in every
assessment conversation. The range of student conceptions at different points of a unit
determines the nature of the conversation. Therefore, more than one iteration of the informal
formative assessment cycle may be needed to reach a consensus that reflects the most
complete and appropriate understanding. The most known use of the information in formative
assessment would be, of course, to provide helpful feedback that clearly helps students to
improve their learning/performance Assessment conversations require teachers to be
facilitators and mediators of learning, more than providing students with the correct and
acceptable answer. I sum, successful classrooms emphasize not only the management of
actions, materials, and behavior, but also stress the management of reasoning, ideas, and
communication (Duschl & Gitomer, 1997).

Informal assessments, or formative assessments, are a staple of any modern classroom.

Unlike standardized tests such as the SAT, informal assessments can take on any creative
form the teachers chooses. Unique informal assessments for the classroom take into account
different learning styles to help the teacher better gauge each student's understanding of the
material.

In classroom environment, a teacher can apply this form of assessment by giving

pupils/students a task and follow their grasping parse. For example, once a teacher has
finished his/her lesson on a specific topic, a teacher should go ahead and give a brief
summary to the entire class. Immediately after the summary, then asking students to
participate in a special show and them telling all about that topic. The activity will give
therefore give an idea of what each child took away from the lesson.
Teachers have control over many aspects of assessment in the classroom. Therefore, the
formal assessments can best be suited to guide improvements in student learning which may
include the quizzes, tests, writing assignments, and other assessments that teachers administer
on a regular basis in their classrooms. Teachers trust the results from these assessments
because of their direct relation to classroom instructional goals. Plus, results are immediate
and easy to analyze at the individual student level. To use classroom assessments to make
improvements, however, teachers must change both their view of assessments and their
interpretation of results. Specifically, they need to see their assessments as an integral part of
the instruction process and as crucial for helping students learn.

Classroom assessments that serve as meaningful sources of information don't surprise

students. Instead, these assessments reflect the concepts and skills that the teacher
emphasized in class, along with the teacher's clear criteria for judging students' performance.
These concepts, skills, and criteria align with the teacher's instructional activities and, ideally,
with state or district standards. Students see these assessments as fair measures of important
learning goals. Teachers facilitate learning by providing students with important feedback on
their learning progress and by helping them identify learning problems (Bloom, Madaus, &
Hastings, 1981; Stiggins, 2002).

In addition, practitioners engage in both formal and informal assessment as learner’s progress
along the learning continuum. Much informal assessment occurs during a class or group
session when practitioners ask questions of individual learners attempting a learning activity
and when they engage the group in discussion or ask them to perform an action, for example
retrieve a file or throw a ball. Practitioners undertake informal assessments to understand how
well the learner is progressing towards achieving the learning intentions and success criteria,
and the assessment is often tailored to the individual learner. These formative assessments
provide the practitioner with evidence of the learner’s progress and concepts, knowledge and
skills not yet understood. The practitioner uses this evidence to adjust the learning program to
meet the learner’s needs.

Formative assessments may be conducted in a more formal manner. Formal assessments are
often written tasks that require the learner to respond in a particular way, for example to write
an essay, perform a dance, or create a movie. The response will be assessed according to a
rubric or marking scheme developed against the success criteria. A common type of formal
assessment is the written test. Writing effective written tests is a whole topic in itself and
advice about these will be provided in the coming months. Tests are usually timed
assessments and may comprise multiple choice, short answer, and extended answer questions
sometimes in response to case studies or scenarios. The practitioner selects particular types of
tests and questions depending on the purpose of the assessment, the depth of response
required and how quickly they wish to give feedback. Multiple choice tests can be marked
quickly and feedback given almost immediately but tests requiring extended responses take
longer to mark and the feedback will be slower in reaching the learners.

In addition, teachers can use observation as an assessment tool in early childhood classrooms
in an informal setting. In this regard, direct observation can be used by raters or teachers to
determine, through anecdotal writing what observable behaviors a child is demonstrating in
the course of learning, and therefore what strategies might work best for an individual child
in that child' s daily learning environment. Therefore, Observation is used in many forms in
elementary and school-age classrooms. Its effectiveness can be immeasurable in everyday
classrooms and can lead to success in meeting previously set goals for the age or
developmental area of an individual child. By using observations, and translating those
observations into valid assessment tools, in early childhood classrooms, a teacher can
determine if a child is meeting developmental expectations.

Conclusion

For assessment to be effective in very young learner classrooms it should support learning
and contribute to the teaching and learning process. Its major function is to compile clear
information on student learning from everyday situations and inform teaching to improve
future learning. It is important that teachers use assessment continuously and on an on-going
basis and that the selected assessment tool clearly shows the progress of the learner over time
as a tracking device. It is suggested that teachers find authentic ways of assessing their
students and adapt a tool or design their own recording tool to suit their style. Assessment
tasks vary from informal questions during a learning activity to a formal written tests at the
end of a learning program. Assessments of all types provide evidence for the practitioner to
make decisions, often in collaboration with the learner, about the next steps forward in the
learning program.
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