01 02 03 Recap on assessing Real-life writing and Different ways - PDF document

01/06/2020 ASSESSING WRITING ONLINE Alberto Costa Pablo Toledo Agenda 01 02 03 Recap on assessing Real-life writing and Different ways of writing validity assessing 04 05 06 Developing and Ways of giving Supporting every assessing writing feedback online teacher 1

01/06/2020 Recapping Challenges of assessing writing What are some of the challenges teachers face when assessing their learners’ writing? e.g. knowing what to focus on 2

01/06/2020 Challenges of assessing writing Some ideas • Knowing what to concentrate on when making an assessment • Giving meaningful and motivating feedback to the learner • Knowing how much correction to give the learner • Encouraging learners to peer- or self- assess their writing • Using clear descriptors to assess writing Challenges of assessing writing Are we measuring skills that are relevant to real- life language use? 3

01/06/2020 Challenges of assessing writing Are we measuring skills that are relevant to real-life language use? Challenges of assessing writing Are we measuring skills that are relevant to real-life language use? 4

01/06/2020 What makes writing good? The reader understands the message Good spelling, correct grammar and clear punctuation Clear connection of ideas The register (formal/informal) and tone of the language is appropriate All of the above Real-life writing and validity 5

01/06/2020 Writing in Real Life There are three main things we need to bear in mind when we write. We need to know: • WHAT we are going to say; • HOW we are going to say it; • And the EFFECT our message will have on the reader. Validity Are we measuring skills that are relevant to real-life language use? 6

01/06/2020 A sample writing task Define what you want to assess Writing task at level Written production A2 in the CEFR scale Can write very short, basic descriptions of events, past activities and personal experiences. Validity Are we measuring skills that are relevant to real-life language use? context target reader text type topic purpose Write & Improve Beginner Workbook A note: A party 7

01/06/2020 Reliability How can we make sure that we measure all writing by the same standard? How can we make sure that we are using the same standard as other teachers? Reliability 1. Define what you want to assess • use CEFR descriptors 2. Select or design a task • an email requesting information at B1 • an opinion article at B2, • an essay evaluating abstract ideas at C1 3. Do a final check • task instructions • time available / number of words • explicit assessment criteria 8

01/06/2020 Criteria for Assessing Writing Content • How well the candidate has completed the task Communicative achievement • How appropriate the writing is for the task Organisation • How the candidate puts together the piece of writing Language • Vocabulary and grammar Different ways of assessing 9

01/06/2020 Share your thoughts How do you provide writing feedback that is formative and informative? Different ways of assessing • Are they assessing the same things • Are they assessing the same way? • What is relevant (and what is not) for each of them? • How do they decide what is relevant/irrelevant, good/bad, desirable/undesirable? 10

01/06/2020 Two classic functions of assessment Formative assessment Summative assessment Two orientations of assessment When and why Let’s cook better so We like they will what like it they’ve cooked Promotes an improvement Measures the of learning learning that has already happened 11

01/06/2020 Share your thoughts How do you provide writing feedback that is formative and informative? Giving formative feedback What we provide writing feedback for • To make learners aware of their own strengths and weaknesses in relation to the standards required in the exam • To inform the teacher of areas for development and/or revision • To encourage critical self-awareness in the learners 12

01/06/2020 Developing and assessing writing Assessing writing (summative) Exam item – Creative writing (Key for Schools 2020) 13

01/06/2020 CEFR Descriptor / Composite Level A2 – Creative writing Can write very short, basic descriptions of events, past activities and personal experiences. Components Knowledge of contextual Knowledge of adjectives Knowledge of some simple vocabulary and how to spell including possessive verbs including to be and to the words adjectives and their position have in the past tense Knowledge of how to sequence events and link them with basic Basic text organisation connectors like “ and ", “ but ” skills e.g. paragraphing and “ because ”. Developing [and assessing] writing (formative) You want to help your students to write a good story and you suggest the task below (Key for Schools 2020): 14

01/06/2020 Process Writing “Process Writing is an approach to teaching writing that allows the teacher and the students to go through the process of producing a text together.” tiny.cc/processwriting Writing / Revising Editing Pre-writing - Brainstorming Getting feedback from the Checking punctuation and ideas; teacher spelling Exchanging drafts with peers Publish the - Planning; Checking grammatical final version Reorganising ideas inaccuracies - Organising; Adding, changing or removing Proof-reading parts of the text - Selecting ideas. Changing words and expressions Formative assessment Process Writing in Action Some things you can do in the process writing stages: Writing / Revising Editing Pre-writing Publish the final version (Key for Schools 2020) 15

01/06/2020 Process Writing in Action Some things you can do in the process writing stages: Writing / Revising Editing Pre-writing Brainstorming ideas: Feedback from the teacher on: Language: • Picnic food • Sequencing Ideas/language • Checking punctuation • Weather and spelling • Relationship Publish the Exchanging drafts with peers: • Checking grammatical • Outdoor activities … • Pair/group writing final version inaccuracies/Proof- • Circle writing Planning/Organising: reading: • Series of events Reorganising ideas • Sequence of • Redrafting text Adding, changing or removing events… parts of the text • Peer editing • Changing words and • Final draft Selecting ideas: expressions. • Decide on what to include/leave out… Process Writing - Criteria Process writing is a good approach to ensure we meet the Cambridge criteria for assessing writing: Content • Have they done what they were asked to do? Communicative achievement • Is it informal or formal? Organisation • Is it in a logical order? Language • Is there a range of structures/lexis? • Is the language accurate? 16

01/06/2020 Developing [and assessing] writing (formative) You want to help your students to write a good story and you suggest the task below (Key for Schools 2020): Developing [and assessing] writing (formative) Suggestion I (Key for Schools 2020) ……………………………… ……………………………… ……………………………… ……………………………… ……………………………… ……………………………… ……………………………… ……………………………… ……………………………… ……………………………… ……………………………… ……………………………… ……………………………… ……………………………… ……………………………… 17

01/06/2020 Developing [and assessing] writing (formative) Suggestion II (Key for Schools 2020) Last Saturday I went to a picnic with my friends. First, we put the fruit, sandwich and orange juice in my bag, then we went to the park. When we arrived at the park, we ate on the floor. Then Tom and Lucy went to the lake and Michel and I saw them. Last ………… I went to a ……….. with my ……….. First, we …………………………, then we ……………….. . When we arrived at the …………., we ……………... Then…………………... Developing [and assessing] writing (formative) Suggestion III (Key for Schools 2020) Last Saturday I went to a picnic with my friends. First, we put the fruit, sandwich and orange juice in my bag, then we went to the park. When we arrived at the park, we ate on the floor. Then Tom and Lucy went to the lake and Michel and I saw them. …………………………………………………………………………….……………………… …………………………………………………………………………….……………………… …………………………………………………………………………….……………………… 18