PISA 

is a triennial survey of 15year old students around the world that assesses th
e extent to which they have acquired key knowledge and skills essential for full par
ticipation in social and economic life. 
Receptive skills is a term used for reading and listening, skills where meaning is ex
tracted from the discourse. Reading and Listening are called receptive skills becaus
e when we listen and read something we receive the language, understand it and 
decode the meaning. 
Productive skills is the term for speaking and writing, skills where students actuall
y have to produce language themselves. Speaking and writing are called productiv
e skills because we use the language to produce a message through speech or wri
tten text.  
                                                                                       
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) presents a 
comprehensive descriptive scheme of language proficiency and a set of Common 
Reference Levels
(A1 to C2) defined in illustrative descriptor scales, plus options for curriculum desi
gn promoting plurilingual and intercultural education. 

“Inclusive education means the presence, full participation and achievement of

all learners in the general education system. It is directed to the full development
of human potential, sense of dignity and self-worth. Inclusive education is every
child’s right and should be free, compulsory, good quality and available in local
communities.” 
 • ‘Participation’ means all children should be able to participate
actively in classroom activities.
 ‘Achievement’ means that all children make good progress and achieve their
potential.
 Assessment is a formal and informal process which is used to collect
students' evidence for the purpose of developing learning
 Criteria based assessment means the process based on the comparison of
academic achievements of students with clearly specified, collectively
developed criteria previously known to all participants of educational
process and corresponding to the objectives and content of education,
promoting the formation of educational-informative competence of students.
 Formative Assessment is a type of assessment that provides feedback
between learners and teachers and allows adapting timely the learning
process without scoring and allocating marks.
 Feedback is an information about reactions to a product, a person's
performance of a task, etc. which is used as a basis for improvement.

Objectives of the criteria-based assessment system:

• To expand provision and functions of assessment in the
learning process;
• To create conditions for constant self-improvement of
learners by providing them regular feedback;
• To promote development of common standards,
qualitative assessment mechanisms and tools;
• To provide objective, continuous and reliable
information:
 to learners about the quality of their learning;
 to teachers about the learners’ progress;
 to parents about the degree of achievement of learning
outcomes by learners;
 to management bodies on the quality of the educational
services provided.
Principles of criteria-based assessment
• Interrelation of learning and assessment. Assessment is an integral part of
learning, it is directly related to the objectives and expected outcomes of the
subject programme.
• Objectivity, reliability and validity. Assessment provides accurate and
reliable information. It ensures the criteria and tools applied provide
assessment of learning objectives and expected outcomes.
• Transparency and accessibility. Assessment provides clear and
comprehensible information, as well as increases the interest of all
participants of learning process.
 • Continuity. Assessment is a continuous process that enables timely and
systematically monitor the progress of educational achievements of students.
• Focus on development. Assessment determines the direction of
development for educational system, schools, teachers and learners.
Formative Assessment (FA) is a type of assessment that provides feedback
between learners and teachers and allows adapting timely the learning process
without scoring and allocating marks.

Principles of Formative Assessment (FA):

• part of teaching and learning (“assessment for learning”);
• covers all learning objectives (the learning objectives for all grades are
shown in the course plans for subjects);
• assessment is not indicated;
• achievement of learning objectives is determined in accordance with
assessment criteria;
• feedback is provided on the progress of each learner;
• FA results are used to improve the quality of education, subject programme.

The interrelated elements of Formative Assessment

are the following:
• Introducing students with learning objectives and assessment criteria.
• Creating an optimal environment which can serve as an indicator confirming
what and at which level the students understood, or organization of their
other activities as well.
• Providing effective feedback promoting the development of students.
• Consistency which can serve as a source for student’s peer learning.
 • Student self-perception of himself as a “designer” in the learning process.

A learning objective is 

an outcome statement that captures specifically what knowledge, skills,
attitudes learners should be able to exhibit following instruction.

Feedback is an information about reactions to a product, a person's performance of

a task, etc. which is used as a basis for improvement.
Why is it important?
 Feedback provides a sense of engagement and interactivity, and allows
learners to take ownership of their learning.
 Effective feedback shows learners their current level of performance, and
lets them know what they need to do to reach a higher level.

EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK
• Timely
• Specific, not general
• Focus on process, not person
• Appropriate
• Given using descriptive language
• Not given using judgmental language
• Positive

Glossary:

Pre-writing is the first stage of the writing process.

Drafting is writing a paragraph or essay from start to finish, using notes about
ideas and organisation.

Reviewing/Revising is a process of rearranging, adding, or removing paragraphs,

sentences, or words.

Proofreading is the process of reviewing the final draft of a piece of writing to

ensure consistency and accuracy in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and
formatting.

An opinion essay is a formal piece of writing which requires your opinion on a

topic. Your opinion should be stated clearly. Throughout the essay you will give
various arguments on the topic and these will be supported by examples.

Linking words are the words used to show relationships between ideas and
paragraphs.
Explicit or implicit?
• A teacher explains grammar rules to students.
• A teacher gives an example, then asks students for explanations (“Why is
this tense/verb/article/grammar form … used here?”).
• A teacher asks students to compare two sentences and to explain common
features and differences of the two sentences.
• A teacher presents a grammar rule, then demonstrates an example.
• A teacher suggests students read a text with unfamiliar grammar
structures and asks them why these grammar structures have been used
(what actions they may express).

• A teacher explains grammar rules to students. - explicit

• A teacher gives an example, then asks students for explanations (“Why is
this tense/verb/article/grammar form … used here?”). - implicit
• A teacher asks students to compare two sentences and to explain common
features and differences of the two sentences. - explicit
• A teacher presents a grammar rule, then demonstrates an example. -
implicit
• A teacher suggests students read a text with unfamiliar grammar
structures and asks them why these grammar structures have been used
(what actions they may express). - explicit

1. Target language – grammar and/or vocabulary being practiced (e.g. when

teaching Present Perfect Continuous, the target language may refer to verbs used in
this grammar tense)
2. Concept checking questions (CCQs) – questions asked by a teacher to check
students understanding of instructions, usage of target language, comprehension of
new vocabulary
3. Controlled practice tasks – tasks done by students under a close teacher’s
supervision (e.g. choral drilling, doing grammar exercises, answering CCQs)
4. Freer practice tasks – opposite to controlled practice tasks; though having been
organized by a teacher, these tasks don’t require strict supervision while being
done (e.g. composing dialogues with key words, writing a story, describing
pictures in pairs)
5. Eliciting – a technique through which a teacher makes students explain
presented material (e.g. students explain why this or that grammar form should be
used in this case)

Types of CCQs
1. Yes/No question (Is a kitchen a room?)
2. 50/50 chance question (Is a kitchen a room or a building?)
3. Information question (What can you do in the kitchen?)
4. Discrimination question (Do you only cook in it?)
5. Shared experience question (Is there a kitchen in this building?)
 6. Context Clues - a form of information (such as
a definition, synonym, antonym, or example) that appears near
a word or phrase and offers direct or indirect suggestions about its meaning.
7. Total Physical Response (TPR) - a language teaching method built around
the coordination of speech and action; it attempts to teach language through
physical (motor) activity.
8. Differentiation - the process by which teachers adapt, modify, or change
their teaching styles and methods in order to meet the needs of all students.
9. Controlled practice - a stage in a lesson where learners practice new
language in a limited form under a teacher’s guidance. It can be compared to
free practice, which involves learners producing language using the target
content freely.

In mini-groups: develop a task based on TPR (“Action Stories”)

- The algorithm of using TPR:
 Pre-teaching key words
 "Listen, watch and do”
 "Listen and do” (the same order)
 "Listen and do” (jumbled order)
 Checking comprehension
- present your tasks through microteaching
- feedback

• Intensive listening focuses primarily on brief listening exercises.

While they usually only take a few minutes, they offer focused,
intense practice. This is because intensive listening focuses mostly on
form. When you do intensive listening practice, you’re paying most
attention to pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary, rather than
overall meaning.

• Extensive listening focuses on longer activities. These may vary from

something that’s a few minutes long to several hours long. Rather
than focusing on individual parts, extensive listening focuses on
overall understanding. With extensive listening, you don’t have to
translate each word or focus on grammar rules. Instead, you simply
have to try to understand the audio as a whole.

• Listening for specific information

• Listening for details
 • Listening for gist/global understanding

Listening for specific information is often factual in nature, for example, a name,
a place, a profession, an object, a number or a quantity. When you listen for
specific information, you need to have some idea of what you’re listening for
before you listen and while you’re listening.

Listening for details – Students listen for groups of words and phrases at
sentence level. It is the intensive listening for scanning
This is when we listen very closely, paying attention to all the words and trying to
understand as much information as possible.

Listening for gist/global understanding -It is extensive listening for skimming. This
happens when we listen to get a general idea about a topic.

• Scaffolding is a process through which a teacher adds supports for students

in order to enhance learning and aid in the mastery of tasks. The teacher
does this by systematically building on students' experiences and knowledge
as they are learning new skills.

• Learn new vocabulary in phrases - although learning new words and

their pronunciation is always beneficial, some words need to be learnt in
phrases to be of much use when speaking in English. For example, a cup
of coffee might be more useful than just learning "coffee"
• Focus on pronunciation. Although learning lots of vocabulary can boost
English skills, if these words aren't pronounced correctly it can be easy to
misunderstand what the student is saying. A top tip to ensure students
pronounce the words they've learnt correctly could be to try some tongue
twisters.
• Ensure they understand how English flows. With ESL students, an
important focus on how to develop English speaking skills is to get them
into the flow of how English is usually spoken. This is because often
their native language has a very different flow. Native speakers of
English link words together, often resulting in a sound disappearing, or a
new sound being made. There are often some syllables stressed that
wouldn't be in other languages or a different rhythm overall.
• Get them to practice self-talk. This involves getting them to talk loudly
in English to themselves. This could be before completing a task, such as
"shall we go and grab a coffee?" to "I need to go to the gym tonight."
• Encourage your students to download practice apps. This can break
down difficult language into manageable chunks that can be practiced on
the go at regular intervals.

Pre-writing is the first stage of the writing process.

Drafting is writing a paragraph or essay from start to finish, using notes about
ideas and organisation.

Reviewing/Revising is a process of rearranging, adding, or removing paragraphs,

sentences, or words.

Proofreading is the process of reviewing the final draft of a piece of writing to

ensure consistency and accuracy in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and
formatting.

An opinion essay is a formal piece of writing which requires your opinion on a

topic. Your opinion should be stated clearly. Throughout the essay you will give
various arguments on the topic and these will be supported by examples.

Linking words are the words used to show relationships between ideas and
paragraphs.

A pie chart is a circular chart divided into sectors, illustrating numerical

proportion. In a pie chart, the arc length of each sector (and consequently its
central angle and area), is proportional to the quantity it represents.

A bar chart or bar graph is a chart that uses either horizontal or vertical bars to
show comparisons among categories.

A table is a means of arranging data in rows and columns.

A line graph or line chart is a type of graph, which displays information as a

series of data points connected by straight line segments.