Reflective practice: assessment of assignments in English for Specific Purposes (La práctica reflexiva: opiniones sobre la realización de trabajos evaluables en la enseñanza del inglés con fines específicos)

Galina Kavaliauskiene

Description

Abstract
The construct alternative assessment has been widely used in higher education. It is often defined as any type of assessment of learners who provide a response to an assignment. The key features of alternative assessment are active participation of learners in self-evaluation of their performance, and the development of reflective thinking through reflective thinking (Schön, 1983). The success of alternative assessment in language teaching is predetermined by student’s performance and demonstrates learner’s language proficiency in contemporary communicative classrooms. This paper aims at researching the influence of students’ evaluations of various assignments for their linguistic development in English for Specific Purposes (ESP). The study uses learners’ assessment of different assignments and learners’ in-course and post-course written reflections on benefits to language mastery. Learners’ assignments included were contributions to portfolios (dossiers), such as essays and summaries, oral presentations, short impromptu talks, creative tasks, tests, and self-assessment notes (reflections) on activities in learning ESP. Findings were obtained for two streams of the project participants. Results showed that self-assessment was beneficial for learners’ linguistic development. The context of learners’ reflections reveals that the attitudes to various assignments are affected by success or failure in students’ performance. Reflective practice might help teachers develop ways of dealing with previously identified difficulties and improve the quality of teaching.
Resumen
La evaluación alternativa ha sido muy utilizada en la educación superior. Ésta suele definirse como cualquier tipo de evaluación docente realizada como respuesta a la realización de un trabajo. Las características fundamentales de la evaluación alternativa son la participación activa del alumno en la autoevaluación de su rendimiento y el desarrollo del pensamiento reflexivo a través de la práctica reflexiva (Schön, 1983). El éxito de la evaluación alternativa en la enseñanza de lenguas está predeterminado por el rendimiento del alumno que queda demostrado mediante la competencia comunicativa de los alumnos que se registra en las clases actuales. El presente trabajo investiga la influencia de las evaluaciones por parte de los alumnos de diversos trabajos en el desarrollo del inglés con fines específicos. En el estudio se ha empleado una encuesta para determinar la utilidad de las distintas tareas realizadas en clase. Además se han incluido las reflexiones planteadas por los alumnos durante el curso y después del mismo con relación a su percepción de los beneficios que acarrea el dominio de una lengua extranjera en general y del inglés con fines específicos en particular. Entre los trabajos se incluyen las contribuciones realizadas al portafolio así como redacciones y resúmenes de presentaciones orales, conversaciones improvisadas, ejercicios creativos, pruebas y también apuntes de autoevaluaciones sobre las actividades de aprendizaje. Las conclusiones se desglosan atendiendo a dos grupos de participantes en el proyecto. Los resultados obtenidos confirman que la autoevaluación beneficia el desarrollo lingüístico de los alumnos. El contexto en el que se formulan las reflexiones pone de maniesto que la actitud del alumno ante cualquiera de las tareas programadas repercute en el éxito o el fracaso de su rendimiento. La práctica reflexiva puede servir de ayuda a los profesores de lenguas para desarrollar estrategias que les permitan afrontar dificultades concretas y mejorar la calidad de la enseñanza.

Sujets

• Self-assessment
• Assignment
• Portfolio
• Reflective practice
• Portafolio

Informations

• Publié par: erevistas
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2007
• Nombre de lectures: 7
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

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Reflective practice: assessment of
assignments in English for Specific
Purposes
Galina Kavaliauskiene*, Ligija Kaminskien˙ e** & Lilija ˙ Anusiene*˙
Mykolas Romeris University (Lithuania)* & Vilnius University (Lithuania)**
[e-mail], [e-mail] & [e-mail]
Abstract
The construct alternative assessment has been widely used in higher education. It is
often defined as any type of assessment of learners who provide a response to
an assignment. The key features of alternative assessment are active participation
of learners in self-evaluation of their performance, and the development of
reflective thinking through reflective thinking (Schön, 1983). The success of
alternative assessment in language teaching is predetermined by student’s
performance and demonstrates learner’s language proficiency in contemporary
communicative classrooms. This paper aims at researching the influence of
students’ evaluations of various assignments for their linguistic development in
English for Specific Purposes (ESP). The study uses learners’ assessment of
different assignments and learners’ in-course and post-course written reflections
on benefits to language mastery. Learners’ assignments included were
contributions to portfolios (dossiers), such as essays and summaries, oral
presentations, short impromptu talks, creative tasks, tests, and self-assessment
notes (reflections) on activities in learning ESP. Findings were obtained for two
streams of the project participants. Results showed that self-assessment was
beneficial for learners’ linguistic development. The context of learners’
reflections reveals that the attitudes to various assignments are affected by
success or failure in students’ performance. Reflective practice might help
teachers develop ways of dealing with previously identified difficulties and
improve the quality of teaching.
Key words: self-assessment, assignments, portfolio, reflective practice,
linguistic development.
IBÉRICA 14 [2007]: 149-166 14908 GALINA.qxp 22/10/07 16:26 Página 150
G. KAVALIAUSKIENE, L. KAMINSKIENE & L. ANUSIENE
Resumen
La práctica reflexiva: opiniones sobre la realización de trabajos
evaluables en la ensenanza del inglés con fines específicos˜
La evaluación alternativa ha sido muy utilizada en la educación superior. Ésta suele
definirse como cualquier tipo de evaluación docente realizada como respuesta a
la realización de un trabajo. Las características fundamentales de la evaluación
alternativa son la participación activa del alumno en la autoevaluación de su
rendimiento y el desarrollo del pensamiento reflexivo a través de la práctica
reflexiva (Schön, 1983). El éxito de la evaluación alternativa en la enseñanza de
lenguas está predeterminado por el rendimiento del alumno que queda
demostrado mediante la competencia comunicativa de los alumnos que se
registra en las clases actuales. El presente trabajo investiga la influencia de las
evaluaciones por parte de los alumnos de diversos trabajos en el desarrollo del
inglés con fines específicos. En el estudio se ha empleado una encuesta para
determinar la utilidad de las distintas tareas realizadas en clase. Además se han
incluido las reflexiones planteadas por los alumnos durante el curso y después
del mismo con relación a su percepción de los beneficios que acarrea el dominio
de una lengua extranjera en general y del inglés con fines específicos en
particular. Entre los trabajos se incluyen las contribuciones realizadas al
portafolio así como redacciones y resúmenes de presentaciones orales,
conversaciones improvisadas, ejercicios creativos, pruebas y también apuntes de
autoevaluaciones sobre las actividades de aprendizaje. Las conclusiones se
desglosan atendiendo a dos grupos de participantes en el proyecto. Los
resultados obtenidos confirman que la autoevaluación beneficia el desarrollo
lingüístico de los alumnos. El contexto en el que se formulan las reflexiones
pone de maniesto que la actitud del alumno ante cualquiera de las tareas
programadas repercute en el éxito o el fracaso de su rendimiento. La práctica
reflexiva puede servir de ayuda a los profesores de lenguas para desarrollar
estrategias que les permitan afrontar dificultades concretas y mejorar la calidad
de la enseñanza.
Palabras clave: autoevaluación, trabajos evaluables, portafolio, práctica
reflexiva, desarrollo lingüístico.
Introduction
Self-evaluation has lately become an important part of learning and teaching
foreign languages (FL). Methods of assessment are based on learners’
evaluation of their own learning which allows students to reflect on their
linguistic development. The importance and relevance of self-assessment is
demonstrated by a high number of publications in this area. Portfolio
IBÉRICA 14 [2007]: 149-16615008 GALINA.qxp 22/10/07 16:26 Página 151
REFLECTIVE PRACTICE
(dossier) assessment, as one of the ways of self-assessment, has become
widely used in educational settings. Its key features are: an alternative to
traditional testing, ways to self-evaluate one’s knowledge, skills and progress
in learning, and active participation of learners in the evaluation and
development of reflective and critical thinking through reflective practice
(Schön, 1983). Success in learning often depends on learners’ interest and
subsequent motivation to study. However, the learners’ perception of the
usefulness of various class activities has not been sufficiently explored.
There seems to be a discrepancy between teachers’ and learners’ views on
benefits of the same activity (i.e., quite often unpopular activities among
teachers, like grammar exercises or translation from L2 into L1, are perceived
by learners as beneficial to their learning).
The aims of this piece of research are: (1) to investigate learners’ perceptions
of the usefulness of various class activities; (2) to introduce self-evaluation;
and (3) to analyze learners’ reflections on their learning. In order to achieve
these aims the following techniques of research have been used: (i) a survey
on the usefulness of class activities; (ii) learners’ written reflections on
learning outcomes; and (iii) statistical treatment of their responses. Class
activities implemented were varied and included computer tasks, creative
assignments, discussions, PowerPoint Presentations, listening practice,
summary, and essay writing. Traditional testing of learner performance in
class activities was replaced by self- and peer-assessment. Student self-
evaluation and peer-evaluation was submitted either in anonymous or signed
form aiming in order to clarify whether anonymity might influence the
significance of the findings.
Literature review
Alternative assessment has been widely used in assessing the effectiveness of
education at tertiary level:
Portfolio assessment is one means of alternative assessment and refers to the
purposeful, selective collection of learner work and reflective self-assessment
that is used to document progress and achievement over time. (Douglas,
2000: 241)
The key features of alternative assessment are the active participation of
learners in the evaluation of their own performance and the development of
IBÉRICA 14 [2007]: 149-166 151writing. Traditional testing of learner performance in class activities was
08 GALINA.qxp 22/10/07 16:26 Página 152
replaced by self- and peer-assessment. Student self-evaluation and peer-
evaluation was submitted either in anonymous or signed form aiming in order to
clarify whether anonymity might influence the significance of the findings.
G. KAVALIAUSKIENE, L. KAMINSKIENE & L. ANUSIENE
Literature review
Alternative assessment has been widely used in assessing the effectiveness ofreflective thinking. The success of alternative assessment depends on the
education at tertiary level:
performance that shows what learners can do with language in
Portfolio assessment is one means of alternative assessment and refers to the
communicative classrooms. Self-evaluation is an important part ofpurposeful, selective collection of learner work and reflective self-assessment that
is used to document progress and achievement over time. (Douglas, 2000: 241)alternative assessment; it is usually presented in the form of reflections on
The key features of alternative assessment are the active participation of learnersone’s performance. Alternative assessments may include self-evaluation of
in the evaluation of their own performance and the development of reflective
performance in listening practice, written essays, oral presentations, orthinking. The success of alternative assessment depends on the performance that
shows what learners can do with language in communicative classrooms. Self-various contributions to either paper or e-portfolios. Alternative assessment
evaluation is an important part of alternative assessment; it is usually presented
is often understood as the utilization of non-traditional approaches ini