Reference no: EM132392310
Assignment 1 -
This assignment is designed to give an overview of recent changes in testing, assessment and evaluation. Assessment is usually a controversial area, fraught with debates over different approaches, different paradigms and overtones of accountability. We need to understand the issues so that we can develop a clear position on such questions and how they relate to the profession, our educational institution, and our own classroom. This subject will also give you a good understanding of how to develop appropriate and useful classroom tests and how to develop and implement assessment programs.
Subject Learning Outcomes -
1. Outline the major features of a variety of assessment procedures, from informal classroom assessment through to formal standardised tests.
2. Discuss assessment procedures in the light of a range of generally-accepted principles (e.g. notions such as reliability, validity, proficiency, achievement).
3. Critically evaluate assessment procedures.
4. Select appropriate assessment procedures for given contexts and for different language learning objective.
Assessment - You may choose one of the following options to complete this task:
Option A: Creation and Design of a language test
OR
Option B: Sampling, diagnosing and designing written and speaking tasks
Description - OPTION A
You are required to design and create an examination based on the objectives of a syllabus or unit of work of an ESL/EFL course of study. You need to design and create (write) the test (inclusive of instructions, test items (questions) and scoring systems etc. Importantly you need to justify and explain all choices made in the design and creation of the test (provide a comprehensive rationale based on the literature). In order to help you meet the requirements of this major assessment piece the following points provide some guidance for the content of your discussion. Note that the following is a guide rather than a recipe, so you have some flexibility in how you write up your discussion.
1. Describe the learning context (students' age, level of proficiency, EFL/ESL, nature of the course, etc.). Explicitly state the objectives of the course of study.
2. Select two areas of language to assess (e.g., reading, writing, grammar, spelling, listening, oral interaction). Briefly describe the curriculum context over a period of several weeks during which time you would be teaching and assessing these areas of language (e.g., what will you be teaching during that time? What learning outcomes have been identified? What particular features/knowledge/skills will you be assessing?)
3. Decide on the type of test you will create to assess students' progress/achievement/proficiency in the selected area/s of language at some point in the program.
4. State explicitly how your test/examination will measure achievement/progress/proficiency based on the objectives of the course of language study.
5. Provide a description of the test as well as the actual test itself. Please include the actual test in the Appendix section of the paper.
6. Describe the process of how you created the test items (questions) and provide justifications on the types of items chosen (you must refer to the literature to back up all your choices).
7. Outline the criteria to be used in scoring the test.
8. Include a rationale for the test you have designed (eg what principles of assessment have guided the design of the test?). In other words justify all choices made in the design and creation of the test, e.g., type of test, type of items, number of sections, time limit, methods of administration, scoring systems, equipment used, etc.
Note: the test itself is not considered part of the word count.
Don't forget to make reference to readings you have done and the points where they have informed the above process.
Assignment 2 -
Subject Learning Outcomes - On successful completion of this subject, students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the role of critical literacy in postgraduate scholarship in specialised disciplines within the field of education.
2. Analyse critically, reflect on and synthesise information to solve complex problems within a specialised discipline.
3. Demonstrate professional leadership though interpreting and communicating applied knowledge and professional skills to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
Assessment - Critical reflection: presentation and final reflection
Description Prompt: "If you had to present to your peers in your own educational context, what are the three most critical components that you have learned in this subject and how are they particularly important to your context."
Write an 800 word written reflection responding to this prompt and prepare a 3-4 minute PowerPoint presentation containing 4 slides to be delivered in class.
Assignment 3 -
Subject Learning Outcomes - On successful completion of this subject, students will be able to:
1. Show an understanding of current research and issues in the field of teaching and learning second language literacy inclusive of critical literacy perspectives.
2. Describe the relationships between first and second language literacies
3. Be familiar with multimodal approaches to second language literacy development
4. Demonstrate an ability to identify and assist ESL/EFL students with various types of literacy difficulties, using a repertoire of different teaching strategies;
5. Design a literacy learning program for a particular learner group which draws upon multimodal literacy pedagogy and design, and integrates the macroskills of listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Assessment - Planned literacy sequence which integrates reading, writing and the teaching of multimodal literacy
Description Design a sequence of three innovative lessons (annotated) with a general introduction and a specific 350-500 word rationale for each lesson. Students are required to develop and justify three sequential annotated lessons plans that demonstrate ability to plan, teach and assess an area of multimodal literacy in an ESL/EFL/additional language setting.
The general introduction and the three introductory rationales:
- must provide details of the intended learner group (e.g., institutional setting, age, level of English language proficiency, etc.);
- course and overall lesson goals/outcomes;
- must be written in academic essay style and include references where appropriate;
- refer to and demonstrate understandings of concepts related to multimodal second/additional language literacy learning;
- reflect specific circumstances and needs of ESL/EFL/LOTE students or learners of an additional language.
Lesson plans must:
- be related to your current or intended ESL/EFL/LOTE/additional language teaching setting;
- include lesson outcomes or learning objectives (as appropriate for your context)
- include use of multimedia in support of specific multimodal literacy strategies;
- include annotated second/additional language literacy activities/strategies describing what the teacher will do, what the students will do, and, where appropriate, referenced to academic sources;
- be designed to cater for a range of English/additional language abilities;
- indicate assessment points and provide details of formative assessment processes;
- be presented in annotated tabular format with the covering introduction;
- reflect teaching periods equivalent to your current or intended teaching setting.
Please note this online e-book provides useful commentary on multimodal literacy practice: Pahl, K. & Rowsell, J. (2006). Travel notes from the new literacy studies: Instances of practice. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters (available as a UOW library e-book).
Format / Length / Duration 1,500 word Rationale + Annotated Lessons.
Attachment:- Assignment Files.rar