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Assessing Writing 91.12.04 by Cristina, Crystal, David, Rachel, Roy. I. Principles for assessing writing II. Existing writing assessment methods III. Comparison of traditional and alternative assessment IV. Sample elicitation and evaluation V. References. Principles. Reliability - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Assessing Writing
91.12.04
by Cristina, Crystal, David, Rachel, Roy
I. Principles for assessing writingII. Existing writing assessment methodsIII. Comparison of traditional and alternative assessment IV. Sample elicitation and evaluationV. References
Principles
• Reliability• Give writing assignments before real tests• Avoid unclear or too difficult instructions• Give instructions as specific as possible• Validity• Testing only writing ability, and nothing else• Set as many tasks as is feasible• Ensure samples long enough • Practicality--ensure ease of access (online writing)• Positive washback--give authentic writing tasks• Scoring• Holistic scoring• Analytic scoring
Holistic Scoring
NS Native speaker standard
NS- Close to native speaker standard
MA Clearly more than adequate
MA- Possibly more than adequate
A Adequate for study at this university
D Doubtful
NA Clearly not adequate
FBA Far below adequacy
Existing writing assessment methods
Traditional
1.Grammar and structure
2.Control Writing
3.Free Writing
Alternatives
1.Diary (日記 )2.Online discussion boa
rd3.Dictocomps4.Think-aloud writing5.Portfolio6.Peer evaluation
Traditional
I. Grammar and structure
a. Multiple-choice items b. Error-recognition items c. Re-arrangement d. Changing words e. Blank-filling
Error-recognition
a. choose the underlined words or phrases which are incorrect.
e.g. 1. It was a terrible accident at an air show in west a b c d
Germany yesterday.
2. One of the aircraft was crashed into two other
a b c
aircraft during the display. etc
d
Error-recognition
b.students are told that there is a mistake in grammar in each sentence and instructed to write the letter of that part of the sentence in which it occurs.
e.g. 1. It was/ a terrible accident/ at an air show /
a b c
yesterday.
d
2. One of the aircraft/ was crashed into/ two other
a b c
aircraft /during the display. etc
d
Re-arrangement
e.g. 1.She was wearing a ……………………….
new/ jacket/ leather/ red / lovely
2.Susan ………………………………………
the phone/ when already/ rang / suddenly/
finished/ had
e.g. I said if I (1) to discover the fire earlier,I (2) to succeed in (3)to extinguish it before it (4)to catch hold.
etc.
• (1)________________• (2)________________• (3)________________• (4)________________
Changing words
Traditional
I. Grammar and structure
a. Multiple-choice items b. Error-recognition items c. Re-arrangement d. Changing words e. Blank-filling
Traditional
• II. Control Writing
• a. Transformation
• b. Broken sentences
• c. Sentence and paragraph completion
• d. Notes
• e. Summary writing
• f. Chinese-English translation
Transformation
• Suitable for intermediate and advanced tests than elementary tests.
a. re-writing sentences according to certain
patterns
e.g. 1.No other living plant grows so tall and fast as bamboo.
Bamboo ______________________.
2.A stalk at Japan ‘s commonest bamboo has grown over a meter in only 24 hours.
It has taken_____________________.
etc.
Transformation
• b. giving them a word in brackets and use
the word to rewrite the sentence.
1. It is necessary to answer all the questions.(need)
_______________________________________
2. His angry out burst was completely unexpected.(took)
_______________________________________
**weakness: lack of context.
Broken sentences
Dear Cindy,Thanks/ lot/ your letter/ which/ arrive/ yesterday.1._________________________________________________Congratulations/ pass/ your entrance exams.2._________________________________________________You/ work/ very/ hard/ past/year/ but/now/ it/ all/be worthwhile3._________________________________________________I wonder/ if / you/ like/ stay/ me/ few days.4._________________________________________________I look forward/ hear/you/ very soon.5._________________________________________________Best wishes
Cathy.
Sentence and paragraph completion
a. Most of the students in my class were rather lazy and did not enjoy the course. Pauline, however,___________
__________________ __________________ __________________ __________________
b.
A:__________________
B:So do I . I generally watch for an hour or two every morning.
A:__________________
B: Immediately after I’ve finished my homework about eight.
Traditional
• II. Control Writing
• a. Transformation
• b. Broken sentences
• c. Sentence and paragraph completion
• d. Notes
• e. Summary writing
• f. Chinese-English translation
Free Writing
• Using Picture for Writing
• Essay Writing• Journal
• Choosing subjects : (Avoid very general abstract topic)
• Realistic writing task : (Think about the likely real life contexts in which your students )
• Writing for purpose• Specific instruction• Clear, simple, and
realistic
Using Picture for Writing
• You may want to use pictures to do any of the following tasks in your test:
• 1. to describe a scene, object or person• 2. to compare two scenes, etc.• 3. to tell a story• 4. to give instructions or directions• 5. to describe a process• Notes: 1. Cultural difficulty• 2. AGE
Essay and Journal Writing
1. The error count method
2. The analytic method
3. The impression (or multiple-marking) method
The Error Count Method
• The error count method involves counting up the number of errors which a student has made…and deducting this number from a possible maximum total
Flaws: 1. Completely ignores content 1. fails to take into account that some
errors are more serious than another
5 4 3 2 1
Fluency OGrammar O O
Vocabulary
Content OSpelling O
The Analytic Method
Comp 1 Comp 2 Comp 3 Comp 4
Marker A 2 1 4 2
Marker B 3 2 5 4
Marker C 3 1 3 1
Total 8 4 12 7
Alternative
• Portfolio:
• Dictocom
• Discussion board
• Think aloud writing
• Peer Evaluation
• Diary
Monday I have an exam today. I did not study…
Tuesday Go swimming!
Wednesday The exam result was better than I thought! I guess I’m just lucky…
Thursday
Friday I went to the see “Harry Potter” with my GF
Saturday
Sunday Visit Uncle Ronny
Comparison Strengths Weaknesses
Traditional
1.With many different kinds of tasks
2.Students practice a lot of similar tasks
and exercise before the real test
3.The objective of the assessment is easy
to be focused on
4.Both holistic scoring and analytic
scoring can apply to traditional
assessment
1. Possibility of negative
washback
Alternative
1.The stress on individual difference and
creativity can stimulate students’
washback more
1.Time consuming
2.Lack of validity
(ex. Dictocomps)
3.Lack of practicality
(ex.Online discussion)
4. Difficulty in scoring
Comparison of Two Assessments Traditional
Alternative
Set as many tasks as is feasible ˇ ˇEnsure samples long enough
Give writing assignments before real tests ˇAvoid unclear or too difficult instructions
Give instructions as specific as possible (restrict test-takers)
Test only writing ability, and nothing else ˇPracticality—ensure ease of access (online writing)
ˇ
Positive washback ˇHolistic scoring ˇAnalytic scoring ˇ
Sample 1
• --Translation
• 中譯英說明:請將以下短文中劃線的五個中文句
子,根據上下文譯成正確、通順、達意的英文。每題四分,共 20 分。
• 1. 你有沒有想過未來的旅館會是什麼樣子? You need not wonder any longer. A hotel in Japan will give you a preview. The name of this hotel is the Capsule Inn; its rooms rent for eleven dollars a night. 2. 每個房間附有一部收音機,一台電視機和一個鬧鐘。 3. 此外,所有房間都有空調。 But here any resemblance to a twentieth-century hotel ends. The rooms are small plastic capsules, and each capsule is about five feet high, by five feet wide, and by seven feet deep. Guests have to crawl into bed through a large porthole entrance. 4. 廁所及洗衣設施位於旅館的共同區域。 5. 信不信由你,這家旅館經常是客滿, perhaps because the price of the rooms is as small as the rooms themselves.
Sample 1
Strength:
A. Reliability— Students can practice many similar tasks before the real test
B. Validity— Students know what to write from Chinese sentences
Weakness:
Validity– Not only writing process but also concept transference are involved in translation tas
ks
Sample
Portfolio in assessing writing
Portfolio assessment is a cumulative and ongoing collection of entries that are selected and commented on by the students, the teacher and/or peers, to assess the student’s progress in the development of a competency
1. Positive Washback A. Teachers' individual teaching
B. Student’s individual improvement
(1) Writing to learn (2) Writing for self-realization
2. Reliability 3. Validity—possibility of lacking validity
4. Scoring—difficulty in scoring
5. Time consuming
References
• Brown, H. Douglas. Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy. 2nd ed. New York: Longman, 2001.
• Harris, David P. Testing English as a Second Language. USA: McGraw-Hill, 1969.
• Heaton, J. B. Classroom Testing. New York: Longman, 1990.
• Hughes, Arthur. Testing for Language Teachers. New York: Cambridge, 1989.
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