Assessment in foreign and second-language education
Not offered in 1995
Ms M Gearon
Clayton
This subject introduces practising teachers of foreign/second languages to the theory and practice of assessment of proficiency in a foreign or second language, and in particular to the assessment of communicative competence. General testing notions such as validity and reliability will be related to the assessment of second-language learning. Assessment procedures will be related to assessment purposes; task types, different reporting styles and washback effect of these procedures will be discussed. Examples of such procedures currently in use in Australia will be discussed and evaluated. The emphasis will be on practical applications to help teachers link assessment to curriculum aims and to improve the quality of their assessment procedures.
Assessment
Two major assignments totalling 6000 words (the first will involve the evaluation of an existing test or reporting format, and the other will involve the development of an assessment procedure and report format for a specific group of second language learners) * Participation in class discussions will also be taken into consideration
Prescribed texts
Hughes A Testing for language teachers CUP, 1989
Weir C Communicative language testing Prentice-Hall, 1990