Some Ideas about Assessing Young Learners

Some Ideas aboutAssessing Young Learners

Objectives

By the end of this afternoon, we hope we can help you:

be clearer about assessment and its purposes for young learners;

share some fine test paper for young learners;

try out designing a test for young learners.

Warm-up

What is assessment?

Assessment is a set of processes through which we try to understand and get information about what children can do and about their knowledge.

Why do we assess our children?

For teachers *To meet the demands of NEC.  *To help children’s learning.For children *To feel good about what they have learnt. *To see what they next need to learn. For parents *To see whether their children have made

progress.

Discussion

Can our test paper help us achieve the above goals?

Discussion

What can we do? How can we improve our test paper?

Let’s share some test paper.

Paper from UK Paper from Cambridge Our tests

Does this test provide a meaningful situation? have linked parts? (so that children can build

meaning) focus on use as well as grammar, or only

grammar? have clear instructions and/or a model? give children a chance to express personal

meaning? develop the learning skills of the children?

What learning habits does the test encourage? Are these helpful for future study/lifelong learning?

What could we do to improve them?

A good test paper

provides meaningful situation and linked parts to help children learning and understanding, the items of a good test should has clear instruction, personal meaning, and as well as testing using of grammar, it should develop all 4 skills so that we can see what children can do.

Example Young Learner Questions

This is a flower.

Look and read. Put a tick (✔) or a cross (✗) in the box. Here is an example.

✔

This is a goat. ✘

This is a fly. ✘

This is a pineapple. ✔

Example Young Learner Questions

Look at the pictures. Look at the letters. Write the words.

s r s e dd r e s s

_ _ _ _ _ _

aektjc

b o n n e t t n o b n e

j a c k e t_ _ _ _ _ _

Insertion

e.g. Put the word in capitals into the right place in the sentence: She lives in an old farmhouse. (BIG)

Sentence completion

e.g. My room would be all right if …

e.g. He’ll be a good footballer if …

Split-Sentence Matching

e.g. Match the halves of sentences below: Would you mind my… to open the window?

Would you mind if I… opening the window? Would you like … open the window?

Example Young Learner Speaking Questions

Spot the difference

Example Young Learner Speaking Questions

Continue the Story

Practice!

Choose a unit in your group.

　编制单元测试题步骤

确定“目标” 创设情景 锁定任务 细化题目 检查完善

1. 确定“目标” 语言知识：语音、语法、词汇、功能、句型 语言技能：本单元各个知识点要求学生达到什

么水平？（用：听、说、读、写） 学习策略：本单元要求学生掌握哪一点学习策

略。 情感态度：积极？德育渗透 文化意识：本单元所隐含的跨文化内容（中、

外）

2. 创设情景 (Set up situations)

When Where Who What do these people do? Why to listen/read/write?

(A purpose for children to use the language.)

5. 检查完善 Share it with your partner. Check the list. Make improvement.

Check your paper

Can the activities check the main function and language points of the units?

Can students copy the answers directly on the paper?

Make it perfect!

Hope you enjoy the workshop today. Thank you for your co-operation.

Reference

PETT Cohort 3 handout and trainer notes, 2003. Leeds.

PETT Refresher Training, 2007. Macau.