How Young Learners Learn Languages and how to Test them ...

How Young Learners Learn Languages and how to Test them Shelagh Rixon

© Copyright ALTE 2012

OR … ‘I can’t describe the perfect YL test in 40 minutes but I can try to open discussion about

1. 2. 3.

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the ways in which we want to educate Young Learners in foreign languages realistic goals to match age and language level the test and assessment characteristics which we therefore need consciously to promote and to talk about with the learners as part of their learning to learn languages development.’


Two definitions of ‘Young Learners’

 Ages 6 to 12 app

(covers primary school in many contexts) – This is the least visited and researched age group for testing (but not for assessment in general)

 Ages 6 – 16 app

(covers compulsory schooling in many contexts) – Testing teenagers is more familiar than testing children

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Testing and assessment

Assessment -

an umbrella term covering

any systematic means of discovering and recording how well someone is able to do something, (including observation of normal classroom activity and scrutiny of work done)

Testing - more formal challenges, usually with the learner working outside the normal classroom modes. Includes exams. 4


Sources of information and ideas

 Two world surveys (Cambridge and British Council) with questions on assessment practices with Young Learners

 Examples of Young Learners Tests from the ALTE group

 Acting as volunteer Teachers Assistant in UK 5

primary school where ‘Assessment for Learning’ © Copyright ALTE 2012 is strongly practised

Cambridge ESOL Survey on Testing and Teaching: 55 countries, 36 L1s, 726 respondents

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The British Council 2011 Survey on Policy and Practice at Primary School Level: 64 countries, and counting .. Expanding Circle Algeria

Argentina

Azerbaijan

Brazil

Outer Circle

Denmark

Sri Lanka

Greece

Namibia Egypt India, South India

Poland Japan

France

China

Inner Inner Circle Circle UK USA UK USA

India, Tamil Nadu

Czech Republic

Serbia

Bangladesh Hong Kong

Venezuela

Spain

Yemen Bahrain

Senegal

Croatia

Sweden

Armenia Turkey

Taiwan

Russia

Zambia

Uganda

Georgia

India, Goa

Indonesia

Cyprus Italy

Israel

Sierra Leone Kazakhstan

Cameroon

Colombia

Peru

Lithuania

Kosovo Latvia

Palestine

Uzbekistan

Saudi Arabia

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Germany

Portugal

Qatar

Mexico

North Cyprus


Cambridge ESOL survey: the balance of assessment types by age group Assessment of students in respondents' context 90%

Percentage of respondents

80% 70% 60% 50%

Tested formally with standardised tests Tested informally in the class

40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Students aged 6-11

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Students aged 12-16


Cambridge ESOL survey: assessment types in primary and secondary schools Tests given in the textbook used Rank order in secondary

Tests produced by class teacher

number of respondents

400 350

Standardised tests & examinations

300 250

Self-assessment

200 150

Collection of students’ work in a file or portfolio

100 50 0 age 6-11

age 12-16 Total use

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in class

Observation & written description of learner performance Peer-assessment


Many assessment types, many purposes

e.g. accountability, certification, placement, selection Our focus today ‘Assessment for Learning’ which essentially means that …

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Testing and Classroom Assessment should work in harmony with teaching and to some purpose e.g.

     11

to enable current teachers to notice patterns in learning and behaviour and act accordingly to raise learners’ awareness of what they can do and need to do to sharpen learners’ metacognitive skills to introduce ways of demonstrating skills that also work as frameworks for teaching to inform other teachers what to expect from learners © Copyright ALTE 2012

To inform other teachers what to expect from learners?

The British Council survey revealed a depressing and not new waste of testing/assessment effort between primary and secondary school levels

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British Council Survey: Is information from assessment passed on from primary to secondary schools?

always

often

quite often

sometimes

rarely

Never 0

13

5

10

15

20

25

30


British Council Survey: Do primary and secondary school English teachers meet to discuss transition pupils?

14

never

27

rarely

16

sometimes

10

quite often

3

often

2

always

2 © Copyright ALTE 2012

… to introduce ways of demonstrating skills that also work as frameworks for teaching

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

High-status external tests have had an impact on teaching content and focus in some school systems



The introduction of oral tests of English from Cambridge (or Trinity College) has shifted the focus to speaking



The design of test tasks (e.g. interactive, not rehearsed recitation) can also shift teaching focus to a particular quality of speaking © Copyright ALTE 2012

My assumption for today That the Young Learners tests we are discussing are professionally constructed but that we are always striving to make them a ‘best fit’ for the age groups in the following ways:

 What we think our learners can achieve  The ways in which they can demonstrate it  In what particular areas we want our learners to achieve 16


Weir’s contribution

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Our Focus Today How to respect TEST-TAKER CHARACTERISTICS

Particularly AGE and choose from an appropriate range of COGNITIVE and LANGUAGE demands for the ages of the learners

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Moving from being able to claim and show this …



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‘Chunk’ use with children It is a common beginner strategy to speak in memorised ‘chunks’ such as: I like … My name is x My favourite ….. is ……. There is a …. At what point in oral testing do we require, set up challenges for, and reward ‘creative’ language use? 20


At the ‘higher’ levels of age and language level, what choices do we make?

 The next activity is a good example of one which sets up a richer interplay of challenge but still at a low (A1) language level

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DELF A1 Scolaire et Junior (12+) Dialogue simulé (ou jeu de role) (2 minutes environ) Instructions to the candidate: Vous voulez obtenir un bien ou un service (acheter un objet, passer une commande...). A partir des images que l'examinateur vous a remises, vous vous informez sur le(s) produit(s), le prix avant d'acheter. Pour payer vous disposez de pieces de monnaie et de billets fictifs. Vous montrerez que vous êtes capable d'utiliser les formules d'accueil, de congé et les formules de politesse de base.

You want to obtain a good or a service (buy something, ask for something ..) Using the pictures that the examiner has given you, find out about the products, and their prices before buying them. In order to pay you have some imitation coins and notes. You need to show that you are able to use the proper language for greetings and leave-taking and other basic social language. 22


Some ‘chunks’ but other challenges too.

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

The learner is expected to initiate and structure the role play



The examiner is the interlocutor and may prompt/support if needed



The learner has to manipulate mentally several visual sources of information



The learner is expected to use social formulae


Moving to being able to do this ….. (FCE for Schools Oral Test Part 3. Instructions for a group of 3 or 4 students interacting) Interlocutor: Now I’d like you to talk about something together for about 3 minutes. Here are some activities that students often do during their school day. First, talk to each other about why it might be important to do these different activities at school. Then decide which two activities are not important for students to do at school. Alright?

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SO, it’s not all language. Other challenges can be lessened or increased Discourse:  Maintaining interaction with other interlocutors (not ‘led’ by examiner) and ‘staying in the discussion’ Cognitive:  Considering hypothetical possibilities (not all activities may be part of the candidate’s own school experiences)

 26

Weighing advantages and disadvantages and expressing them in a reasoned fashion © Copyright ALTE 2012

Piaget’s Four Stages of Cognitive Development – a start but not the whole answer

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Sensorimotor

Sensory experiences – Birth to 2 years physical actions

Pre-operational

Beginning to represent 2 to 7 years the world in words and images, moving towards symbolic thinking

Concrete operational

Logical reasoning about concrete events begins. Child can classify objects into sets

7 to 11 years

Formal operational

Abstract reasoning and logic. Hypothetical thought

11 years onwards


O'Sullivan’s (2000: 71-72) test-taker characteristics add in some vital elements Physical/Physiologi

Psychological

Experiential

Personality

Education

cal

Age

Memory Gender

Examination

Short term ailments

Cognitive style

preparedness

Longer term disabilities

Affective schemata

Examination experience

Concentration

Communication

Motivation Emotional state

experience

Target Language-country residence

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Topic knowledge/ Knowledge of the world


Some vital roles of ‘Education’ For many educators (e.g. Donaldson, 1978) Piaget’s 4th (Formal Operational) stage is not an inevitable development driven by biological maturation. Much of primary education is devoted to fostering its development, giving access to the ‘unnatural’ world of academic discourse, and promoting metacognition as well as to developing World and General Knowledge.

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Applying what goes on in General Education to think Foreign Language and Testing … Language Learning … LanguageLearning Testing Generalabout Education Subject-specific input Influence of growing literacy

Varying quantity and quality of L2 Amount of L2 input is a very crude guide to the ‘level’ of external test that might be input realistically aimed at Is high literacy in L2 a goal? This may affect which language modes are tested and how, but BEWARE using written tests for oral purposes

Additions to General Knowledge/ Knowledge of the world

Is information and Affective Content also valued in language learning? (e.g. CLIL might be one strong case where content is important)

Issues of reliability and ‘fairness’ often mean that tests use information and cultural content supposed to be equally ‘known’ or ‘unknown’ to most candidates

Induction into academic modes of language use and recognised genres Guidance towards operating in certain cognitive and metacognitive

BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills)? CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency)? Or both?

A very important choice, especially in setting requirements for reading and writing tests

rote learning versus ‘learning by using’. Are learners aware of lesson objectives? Are learners able realistically to self-assess? Is reflection on learning encouraged? Do they receive individual formative advice?

A high degree of metacognition leading to ‘Test Wiseness’ is an advantage when facing high stakes tests. This is different from ‘over-preparation’ for tests.

.

modes 30


Aspects of General Education and how they may feed into Language Learning

 Subject-specific input  Influence of growing literacy  Additions to General Knowledge/ Knowledge of   31

the world Induction into academic modes of language use and recognised genres Guidance towards operating in certain cognitive and metacognitive modes. © Copyright ALTE 2012

Carry-over from General Education to Language Teaching … Language input (varying quality and quantity) Is developing high literacy skills in L2 a goal?

Is information and other content also valued in language learning? (e.g. CLIL might be one strong case where content is important) Is BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills) what you aim at in the foreign language? Or CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency)? Or both? Metacognition? Are learners aware of lesson objectives? Are learners able realistically to self-assess? Is reflection on language learning encouraged? Do learners receive individual formative advice?

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… and then into Language Testing

 

 



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Internationally, the amount of L2 input is a very crude guide to the ‘level’ of external test that might be realistically aimed at Goals for L2 literacy may affect which language modes are tested and how, but BEWARE of using written tests for oral purposes Issues of reliability and ‘fairness’ often mean that tests use information and cultural content supposed to be equally ‘known’ or ‘unknown’ to most candidates, that can be, banal and ‘empty’. BICS and/or CALP is a very important choice in terms of test cognitive demands A high level of metacognition leading to ‘Test Wiseness’ is an advantage when facing high stakes tests. This is different from ‘over-preparation’ for tests by simply practising past papers


Working towards known tests or assessment instruments – some interesting issues: The CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) and the related Portfolio Materials provide an excellent start point for metacognition and reflection. They offer great ideas for teaching ‘ I CAN ……..’

But …

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CEFR was not designed for use with children and young people

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

Many good ‘local’ Junior versions of the Portfolio have been produced BUT for more in-depth and detailed use there are issues:



Many school systems specify A1 or A2 for the end of primary schooling, but what about stages ‘on the way’? Levels need to be distinguished in a meaningful way within the current descriptions provided by the CEFR at the lowest levels.



The Japanese version of the CEFR (the CEFRJ) does divide the learning goals into 3 levels within each A band (e.g. A1.1, A1.2, A1.3) (Negishi, Takada, Tono 2011). Worth considering.


Test-wiseness and metacognition (‘thinking about learning’) If Test-Constructors can build in different challenges, Test-Takers benefit from being able to deconstruct them

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

In other words, to build ‘Test-Wiseness’ in a positive manner we need to link:

  

classroom learning classroom assessment and awareness of the demands of high-stakes tests © Copyright ALTE 2012

Metacognition in the classroom Much modern teaching attempts to offer springboards for developing

METACOGNITIVE SKILLS AND AWARENESS (even/especially for the younger learners) However what works for younger usually works for older and the UK strategy spans primary and secondary

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Extract from UK government Assessment for Learning Strategy

1.

2. 3.

Learning objectives made explicit and shared with pupils Peer and self-assessment in use Pupils engaged in their learning and given immediate feedback

My note: feedback = advice on what to do next, not just on ‘how well you did’ 38


This wall is mostly about Assessment for Learning

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WALT = We Are Learning To …

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WILF gets them from WALT into the teacher’s mind

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Not to speak of WAGOLL

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What A Good One Looks Like


Traffic lights in exercise books to signal to the teacher

 Red =

Help! I really don’t ‘get’ it

 Amber = I need some more support

 Green =

I’m confident with this

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‘Never be afraid to think about your learning’ Register/ Circle time. Each child says a sentence about what they found tricky, interesting, frustrating, confusing, in the last week about a school topic, or where they had a TRIUMPH in the past week. Often happens with maths e.g. ‘I think place value charts are really AWFUL’ but this approach could equally be applied to language learning

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Children sometimes are VERY aware of what they need to do in order to get the grades



Me: What’s that? (meaning can the child name the semi-colon punctuation mark)



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;

Child: That’s Level 5, that is! (meaning that he knows that using a semicolon correctly is one criterion for Level 5 work) © Copyright ALTE 2012

‘That’s great. You are all working at Level 5 this week’ ‘Levels 4 and 5’ are the Golden Treasure Assessment and Test Grades for all UK primary teachers and 10-11 year old children, and increasingly, they all know what they have to do to get there … It’s easy to mock but IF the test-wise teachers and children are talking about wise tests, the teaching-testing gap can happily be narrowed.

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Thanks 47


We would like to acknowledge the help of following colleagues in the two surveys: Hanan Khalifa, Cambridge ESOL Evelina Galaczi, Cambridge ESOL Roger Hawkey, Cambridge ESOL consultant Lucy Chambers, Cambridge ESOL Debbie Howden, Cambridge ESOL John Knagg, British Council Tom Poole, British Council 48


Thanks also to: Grange Farm Primary School and

Stanton Bridge Primary School Coventry 49


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A1

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Council of Europe Levels


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How Young Learners Learn Languages and how to Test them ...

How Young Learners Learn Languages and how to Test them ...

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