Unit 18 - Assessment types and Tasks

UNIT 18

ASSESSMENT TYPES AND TASKS

  

    This Unit made me to be clear of the term “Assessment”, which refers to judging students’ performance either in an informal assessment or a formal assessment. To accomplish it, there are many useful tools.

      In my case, the most important thing to do when starting a course is to use the diagnostic test to know their bases. Then after certain period of time I would add a formative assessment to know and be aware of students’ progress. So also a portfolio would be essential. However it will give me the chance to provide positive feedback for improving students’ outcomes.

     To this, it is also important to encourage students to assess themselves to become autonomous and have clear what they need to improve or information that they did not understand. As a result, assessing requires the participation of both, teachers and students. So as teachers we have to motivate them to carry out a self assessment.

References

Giffith University, Assessment matters, 2013

http://app.griffith.edu.au/assessment-matters/docs/assessment-methods/tasks

George Brown, Assessment: A Guide for Lecturers, 2001

http://www.bioscience.heacademy.ac.uk/ftp/Resources/gc/assess03Lecturers.pdf

Katie Lepi, The 6 Types Of Assessments - How They’re Changing, 2013

http://www.edudemic.com/the-6-types-of-assessments-and-how-theyre-changing/

Unit 17 - Practice activities and tasks for Language and Skills development

UNIT 17

PRACTICE ACTIVITIES AND TASKS FOR LANGUAGE AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

    

    The main idea of this Unit is the activities and tasks we choose to give learners opportunities to practice and extend their use of language and vocabulary.   There it mentioned two categories which are the Controlled activities and Free activities.

    To this, Controlled activities give student repeated practice of accuracy from the target language. So, I could adapt activities such as copying words or sentences to practice spelling, use drills, provide model language in choral drills or individual drills.

  Then, Free activities allow students to use whatever language they wish in order to complete a task. As a result, although it may us be clear on what students know or need to know we might have problems if we want to predict problems in specific language.

   

To sum up, Controlled practice will help students with a guide and support to use language accurately. So, I would rather us it by asking them to reproduce a dialogue, and give them a model, extra worksheet with vocabulary they may use, etc. for a correct outcome and with a wide language comprehension.

References

Porntip Bodeepongse, Practice activities and Tasks for Language and Skills development,

http://de.scribd.com/doc/14673118/TKT-Unit-16-Practice

Yesy’s space, Unit 17: Practice activities and tasks for language and skills development, 2012

http://yesyhd.wordpress.com/2012/05/18/unit-17-practice-activities-and-tasks-for-language-and-skills-development/

PART 3 - BACKGROUND TO LANGUAGE TEACHING / Unit 16 - Presentation Techniques and Introductory Activities

PART 3 – BACKGROUND TO LANGUAGE TEACHING

UNIT 16

PRESENTATION TECHNIQUES AND INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITIES

       Here I learned that Presentation techniques and Introductory activities are based on the ways used by teacher to focus learners’ attention on the meaning, use and sometimes form of new language. To we need to adapt the correct Introductory activities, to introduce or lead –in learners into the topic. Some of them can be warmers, like quizzes, games or pair work activities.

       Additionally, ice – breakers are essential to get students familiar with the content of the lesson. As a result, one of them I would apply is a mingling survey, where learners need to find information from others by asking or using questionnaires. It could be related also to interest, hobbies and even to find out what they have in common. However, as a guide we can show how to do it first and give some expressions that they can use.

      To sum up, it is relevant and meaningful to have a good start in each lesson to have a comfortable flow in each.  Additionally, the way we present those introduction activities or new language depends on the level, interest, age, and what level of language they know, to avoid misunderstandings and take advantage of all resources available.

References

Reach to teach, Ten Icebreaker Activities for the ESL Classroom, USA, 2014

http://www.reachtoteachrecruiting.com/blog/ten-icebreaker-activities-for-the-esl-classroom/

Teach this, Examples of warmers

http://www.teach-this.com/resources/introductions-socializing

Unit 15 - Approaches to Language Teaching

UNIT 15

APPROACHES TO LANGUAGE TEACHING

       In this unit I learned that an approach to language teaching can refer to our view of language and our view of how language learning takes place. In addition, I learned that approaches involve our beliefs about teaching, languages and language learning and also how we translate them into classroom practice. As a result, this unit analyzed 9 different approaches.

    First, the Presentation, Practice and Production which focuses on grammatical structures or functions. Here lessons move from the presentation stage to the practice stage and then to the production. As a result, Teacher has to input language and then add activities of miming, drills at the controlled practice, role plays, and information – gap- activities.

   Second, the Lexical approach focuses on lexis such as, chunks, collocations, idioms. Then the functional approach where functions are the most important aspects of language but at the Communicative approaches everything is based on communication, the use of interaction, and accuracy. Next we have the Grammar – translation which emphasizes on grammatical accuracy.

   On the other hand, the Total Physical Response is where students after comprehension is accomplish; they are exposed to the language.  Then the Guided discovery is when the teacher gives examples and later students work out their rules.  Following, the Content-based learning is ruled after all the previous one and all skills. Finally, the Content and Language Integrated Language is based on the acquisition and cognitive.

   As a result, we need to get aware of the needs and expectations of learning to adapt the correct approach since we might have to adapt each of them in different stages.  

References

Paul Shoebottom, A guide to learn English,  1996-2014

http://esl.fis.edu/teachers/support/method.htm

One stop English, Teaching Approaches, 2000-2014

http://www.onestopenglish.com/support/methodology/teaching-approaches/

Books

Jack C. Richards and Theodore S. Rodgers, Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching, 2001

Unit 14 - Learner needs

UNIT 14

LEARNER NEEDS

      

      In this Unit I understood that there are three types of needs students can have. Those are personal, learning, and professional. So, we have to be clear that many reasons influence those needs, which can be even the age, gender and even personality.

         In addition, it is important since each learner is unique, so with a different learning style, knowledge. To this we can have the advantage of the different kind of courses, such as medical or for students who want to go to an English –medium school or university, since those will help us to find any kind of material to focus on.

    Additionally, we can choose suitable pace of lesson, types of feedback, interaction patters, language skills, level of language, and approach to teaching and assessment. The best way to get this information is by asking the learners themselves. As a result, we will have variety, to do not get students bored or upset. What is more, we should never forget the need to praise them for them to become demotivated.

References

Rhonda Wynne, Learning needs analysis, 2012

http://www.assetproject.info/learner_methodologies/before/learning_analysis.htm

Simpson and Ure, Meeting learners’ needs,  1994

http://www.languageswithoutlimits.co.uk/sharedneeds.html

Unit 13 - Learner Characteristics

UNIT 13

LEARNER CHARACTERISTICS

         In this chapter I understood that a learner’s motivation, learning style, learning strategies, maturity and even past experiences, which are learner characteristics, influences on how they learn a language. So, it is important to identify the learning style each learner has to know and understand how they like to learn and how they want best. To this there are nine different learning which are visual, auditory, kinaesthetic, group, individual, reflective, impulsive, analytic, and autonomous. However it is important to know that learners may fit into more than two learning styles.

      Better still, we need to be aware of the suitable learning strategy, to use it correctly and in the right time, so that they become autonomous learners. To this, we can suggest our students to start some strategies, such as repeating words until they can remember them, asking for feedback, to use the target language as much as possible, to write each new vocabulary they learn to memorize, paraphrasing, and what is more to never be afraid of taking risks. It is essential since learners need to become responsible for their own progress.

      As a result, maturity in students means to growth in all aspect, either physical, mentally and emotional, which are different in each stage. As for example, children need to be active all the time since they have a short attention span but teenagers have a longer concentration time and can keep still. On the other hand adults can have a longer period of concentration since they are more conscious and have a higher cognitive skill.

    To sum up, as teachers we need to train them to become independent and build their confidence by focusing on form and let them mingle, walking around to speak, to learn from his or her classmates. 

References

Richard M. Felder and Barbara A. Soloman, Learning styles and strategies,

http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm

Rebecca L. Oxford, Language learning styles and strategies,2003

http://web.ntpu.edu.tw/~language/workshop/read2.pdf

Lillian L.C. Wonga and David Nunanb, The learning styles and strategies of effective language learners, 2011

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0346251X1100056X

     

Unit 12 - Differende between L1 and L2 learning

UNIT 12

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN L1  AND  L2 LEARNING

      In this unit I learned that there are many differences between the mother tongue (L1) and the second language (L2), which are important to know to help our future students.

      First, the main difference is that both are learned in different context since L1 learning starts when the learner is a baby and continuous through childhood and adolescence. What is more they learn it at the same time as their cognitive skills and are motivated because of their personal needs. On the other hand, L2 learning occurs at the classroom and also continuous in adulthood, but they are also developing their cognitive skills at that time. However, they may not be mature or fully developed

    Second L1 learners are being exposed to language while L2 learners focus on structure and interaction with the teachers, where they use controlled practice and are corrected. But in “real” life they will learn from their mistakes.

  

     In conclusion, L1 and L2 acquisition can be carried out in terms of cognitive, affective, linguistic and neurological factors. As a result, it focuses on an individual’s intellectual development and also in their emotions. Regarding to it, we need to build up their fluency, motivation and confidence to experiment with both languages, by also trying to give them individual attention and interacting with them. Additionally, by understanding the complex processes involved in L1 and L2 learning and understanding and investigating these processes will made us aware to adapt excellent language teaching tips though to combine them into the classroom. 

References

 (Anonymous), Second Language Acquisition, 2014

http://www.powershow.com/view/1ffdd9-MzA2Z/SECOND_LANGUAGE_ACQUISITION_powerpoint_ppt_presentation

Ahmad Moinzadeh, Salman Dezhara, Omid Rezaei, A Contrastive Study of L1and L2 Acquisition, 2012

http://ojs.academypublisher.com/index.php/tpls/article/viewFile/tpls02016670/4114

Books

1. Diane and Michael Long. 1991. An Introduction to Second Language Acquisition
   Research.Brown, H. D. (1994) Principles of Language Learning and Teaching
   
   Ellis, R. (1994), The study of second language acquisition.
   McLaughlin, B. (1991).Theories of second language learning.