Sunday, March 4, 2018
About this blog and us
Nowadays there are many forms and methods for test planning. Education day by day is evolving and applying new strategies. The good news
is that, as the quality of exams improves, the quality and content of test-prep
classes likewise improve and develop students’ English proficiency through a
more skills-based focus and more authentic activities. This blog was made by Hilda Cruz, Alejandra
Vega and Tania Hernández, students from the Foreign Languages program at UNAH
(Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras) Enjoy our blog and share your
doubts or comments!
Video: Authentic Assessment: Examples & Overview
Authentic assessment in tests and test-preparation is necessary, because it focuses on the performance of the skills, or demonstrating use of a particular knowledge.
Summary
Teaching beyond the test is a
method for designing test-preparation classes in which teachers prepare
students to take a test but they break out from the traditional forms of language
learning, this way teachers make the learning process more meaningful. Focusing
first in the abilities of students and not a lot in what is the final grade of
a test in a piece of paper.
Let us understand some important
points about what a teacher can do to improve the way students receive the assessment
in this case the exam. As we already know an assessment is a tool that helps
teachers to evaluate the ability or knowledge of students, for this reason it
should be an effective process to get the convenient results. By teaching beyond
the test: which is a skills-based focus, the quality of the test and content improves
because this method takes away the pression of a piece of paper that serves
just for grading and focuses on the abilities of the students creating an unstressed
environment. The teacher develops a good concept of the test showing to
students that test is merely a stepping stone on their path to success. in the other hand as teachers it is necessary to
design a more effective class, based on clearly stated goals, developing the
four skills in students with essential knowledge, also we can have testing items
to measure skills making the test more meaningful, in other words making authentic
assessment which are assessments that are worthwhile, significant, and
meaningful. For many years teachers and
students lost the control of the exams, but this method measures the skills
that students need and prepares them for life after de exam.
Different
purposes for testing:
- Classroom tests allow teachers to assess students’ knowledge or abilities, usually in relation to content covered in the class, and to assign grades to students.
- Program or institutional tests are generally given for admission to special programs, for placement within programs, for monitoring students within a program, or for exiting students from a program.
- The large-scale, standardized tests, such as the TOEFL. These tests are high stakes in that the results are often used to make decisions that can significantly impact a test-taker’s education, career, or life.
Reasons why teacher should include adequate test items
in order to practice them on the class:
1.
Familiarity tends to lead to improved performance
2.
Decreased test anxiety
3.
Students develop an awareness of their strengths and
weaknesses and learn how to pace themselves
Teaching
Beyond the Test Activities
Closed-ended
activities: these activities are effective for introducing test items and they
are also appropriate for lower-level students.
Take
in it to the next level: these are activities that require higher-order skills such
as organizing and rephrasing.
Higher
order skills: activities that require higher-order skills help them to develop
abilities like analyzing and synthesizing.
Self-assessment
Having
students asses their performance helps them to develop a sense of where they
are and where they want to go.
Through self-assement students can:
Through self-assement students can:
- Identify their own skill gaps or where their knowledge is week.
- See where to focus their attention in learning.
- Track their own progress.
Discussion Questions
1. What does teaching beyond the test mean?
2. Which are the types of activities you can use for test preparation?
3. What are the different testing purposes?
4. What are the reasons teachers should include adequate test items in order to practice them in the class?
5. How does self-assessment help students in terms of test preparation?
Reflection
Working on this blog was an interesting way to get familiarize with the book’s content. We are not used to doing this type of tasks, but it was a fun way to learn. Moreover, the topic was interesting, it taught us how to prepare students for the test. As well as making a test that is more authentic and meaningful for them this way they will not only learn but acquire the knowledge we are teaching. Furthermore, we learned that with test preparation we can decrease student’s anxiety levels when taking the test. Therefore, this blog will help teachers how to teach beyond the test and how to prepare students for tests.
References
Cox, J. (2017). Teaching Strategies that Enhance Higher-Order Thinking. Retrieved March 4, 2018, from http://www.teachhub.com/teaching-strategies-enhance-higher-order-thinking
Watanabe, T. (July 11,2011) Los Angeles Times http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jul/11/local/la-me-test-prep-20110711
Standford University (Ed.). (n.d.). Student Self-Assessment. Retrieved from https://teachingcommons.stanford.edu/resources/teaching/evaluating-students/assessing-student-learning/student-self-assessment
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