Showing posts with label LECTURE. Show all posts

12 Jun 2024

Designing Courses & Assessment: Principles in Second Language Assessment

Document Author: Sam Barclay

Learning Objectives

Consider different purposes of assessment.
Consider validity as a multifaceted construct.
Consider reliability and factors that can impact it.
Apply these concepts to your own teaching context.

Activity: Associations

Brainstorm words associated with the terms "Teaching," "Testing," and "Testing/Assessment."


	Speaking Test Comparison

Why Assess?

List various purposes for assessment in language learning.

Focus on Purpose

Why is the purpose of a test important?
How does purpose relate to:
- Decisions you want to make?
- Information the test needs to provide?
- The design of the test itself?
Key Point: Purpose is connected to the representatives of the assessment task, meaning it should reflect real-world language use in the target domain.

Decision-Making with Assessment

Differentiate between high-stakes, low-stakes, and no-stakes assessments.
Provide examples of each.

Connecting Assessment to Learning Objectives

Effective Assessment: Aligns with learning goals and objectives.
- Learning Objectives define what students should learn.
- Assessment measures what students have learned.
- Instruction guides students' learning activities.

When to Assess?

Assessment can occur at various points throughout a course, not just at the end.
Consider alignment with course, unit, and lesson objectives.

Assessment Design

Qualities of a Good Assessment

Evaluation: Goes beyond simply measuring performance to provide feedback for improvement.
Fairness: Ensures all students have an equal opportunity to demonstrate their abilities.
Standardization: Maintains consistent administration and scoring procedures.

Designing an Assessment

Steps involved in assessment design:

Specifications
Item writing & review
Piloting & review
Implementation
Post-implementation review


	PURPOSE CONNECTED TO REPRESENTATIVENESS

Validity: A Multifaceted Construct

Validity: Refers to the extent a test actually measures what it claims to measure.
Key Points:
- Validity is multifaceted, with different types of evidence needed to support a test's validity.
- Validity is not inherent to a test, but rather depends on how it is used and for what purpose.
- Validity resides in the scores of a particular test administration, not the test itself.

Types of Validity

Content/curriculum/context validity: Assesses the relationship between the test content and the target language use domain.
Predictive validity: Measures how well test scores predict future performance in the target language domain.
Cognitive validity: Examines if the cognitive processes involved in tackling a task match the intended purpose.
Face validity: Pertains to the appearance of validity, ensuring tasks seem relevant to stakeholders.
Consequential validity (washback): Evaluates the social and institutional impact of a test on learners and teachers.

Building a Validity Argument

To demonstrate a test's validity, construct an argument.
- Identify claims made by the test.
- Gather evidence to support or refute those claims.
- Recognize that changes in population or usage may require a new validity argument.

Reliability/Scoring Validity

Reliability: Refers to the consistency and dependability of test results.
Key Points:
- Every test has a standard measurement error.
- Reliability is impacted by test factors (sampling, item quality, etc.), situational factors (time of day, etc.), and individual factors (test-taker characteristics, raters' consistency, etc.).

Factors Affecting Reliability

Consider how the following factors can impact reliability:
- Test factors (number of items, task transparency, etc.)
- Situational factors (test environment, time of day, etc.)
- Individual factors (test-taker anxiety, rater bias, etc.)

Example: Analyzing Speaking Tests

Analyze three descriptions of speaking tests from a reliability and validity perspective.
Consider factors like face validity, content validity, task types, number of raters, and rater training.

Designing Courses and Assessments: Session Two - Needs Analysis

This document outlines the importance of Needs Analysis (NA) in course design and explores different approaches to conducting one.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, you will have considered:

The definition and purpose of Needs Analysis (NA).
Why NA is important for course design.
The different components of a thorough NA.
Who should be included in the NA process.
How to identify and address constraints.
Various tools used to gather information for NA.
Examples of Needs Analysis in action.
Your own needs as a learner and how they influence course objectives.

Getting Started

Designing Courses and Assessments: Session Two - Needs Analysis

What is Needs Analysis (NA)? Consider working in pairs to develop a definition.

Definitions

Graves (2000): NA is a systematic and ongoing process for gathering information about learner needs and preferences, interpreting the data, and using it to make informed course decisions. It acknowledges that needs are multifaceted and can change over time.
Brown (2009): NA is the systematic collection and analysis of all information necessary to define a defensible curriculum. This includes both subjective and objective information relevant to the specific context and stakeholders involved.

Importance of Needs Analysis

Why is NA important?

- Ensures courses are relevant and engaging for learners, leading to higher motivation.
- Informs course design to ensure learners achieve their specific goals.
- Provides the foundation for developing learning objectives, teaching materials, activities, assessments, and evaluation strategies.
- Helps identify the gap between learners' current skills and their target goals.
- Informs potential curriculum changes and pinpoints existing problems learners face.

Target Situation Analysis (TSA)

A key component of NA is the Target Situation Analysis (TSA).

It focuses on the communicative needs learners will encounter in their target situation (e.g., vocabulary, grammar, discourse skills).
While a TSA is crucial, it might not be enough for a defensible course. Additional information about learner preferences and backgrounds may also be necessary.

Designing Courses and Assessments: Session Two - Needs Analysis

Target Needs vs. Learning Needs

Target Needs: What learners need to be able to do in the target situation (e.g., writing business letters, using specific vocabulary).
Learning Needs: What learners need to do to acquire the target skills (e.g., grammar practice, vocabulary building strategies).

Understanding Needs

Target Needs:
- Necessities (essential skills needed, e.g., writing business letters).
- Lacks (areas where learners need improvement).
- Wants (learner desires and motivations).
- Required knowledge.
- Present knowledge.
- Subjective needs.
Learning Needs:
- Preferences of different stakeholders (learners, teachers, administrators).
- Reasons for taking/running the course (compulsory vs. optional).
- Learner goals and expectations.
- Preferred learning styles (teachers and learners).
- Learner backgrounds and beliefs about teaching and learning.
- Preferred methodologies.

Process of Needs Analysis

There are different models for conducting a Needs Analysis. Here are two examples:

Graves (2000):

Decide what information to gather and why.
Determine the best way to gather it (when, how, and from whom).
Collect information.
Interpret the information.
Act on the information (make course decisions).
Evaluate the effectiveness of those decisions (potentially leading back to step 1).

Brown (2009):

Define the purpose of the NA.
Identify the target student population.
Choose approaches and syllabuses.
Identify constraints.
Select data collection procedures.
Analyze the data.
Interpret the results.
Determine course objectives.
Evaluate and report on the NA project.

Data Analysis: Qualitative vs. Quantitative Approaches

Most NA approaches are primarily qualitative (e.g., interviews, journals), but quantitative data (e.g., questionnaires) can also be valuable.

Triangulation

Triangulation is the process of using multiple data sources and methods to increase the credibility of your analysis. This doesn't just mean using more methods; it involves choosing methods that complement each other and reveal potential misalignment in perceived needs.

Sources of Information for Needs Analysis

Insiders: Students, teachers, course leaders, administrators, sponsors, governments, etc. (including artefacts like student work or policy documents).
Outsiders: Literature, applied linguists, domain experts

Adapting Coursebooks: Moving Beyond Coursebooks Sarah Khan, MA TESOL DCA Session 6

Adapting Coursebooks: Moving Beyond Coursebooks

Sarah Khan, MA TESOL

DCA Session 6

Aims of this Session

In this session we will:

Discuss the reasons why coursebook adaptation may sometimes be required

Analyze different types of adaptations
Consider some examples of adaptation
Consider use of authentic materials in English language teaching
Explore creative ways of using low cost or no cost resources to teach English
Discuss the use of available technology to teach English

Reasons for Adapting a Coursebook

Why Adapt a Coursebook?

There is too much/little material for time constraints.
Unsuitable for age/proficiency of learners.
Activity may require skills/knowledge that learners do not have.
Activities do not meet learner needs (linguistic, skills, content, strategies).
Does not apply important principles from applied linguistics (e.g. recycling).
You want to involve the learners in the curriculum design process.
There are important aspects of language learning not covered.

Other Reasons for Adapting a Coursebook

Littlejohn (2010):

There is too much/little material for time constraints.

Unsuitable for age/proficiency of learners.

Activity may require skills/knowledge that learners do not have.
Activities do not meet learner needs (linguistic, skills, content, strategies).
Does not apply important principles from applied linguistics (e.g. recycling).
You want to involve the learners in the curriculum design process.
There are important aspects of language learning not covered.

Basically, we adapt for two broad reasons:

To better motivate learning.
To improve the effectiveness of the materials/course.

To Fill Gaps in the Content:

Nation’s Four Strands (2009):

Form focused Instruction
Meaning focused Input
Fluency Development
Meaning focused Output

The syllabus The textbook:

Incomplete coverage of course goals and objectives.

Take account of how people learn/SLA theory:
Evaluate materials in relation to how the field of TESOL and education understands how learners:
Become more skillful readers, speakers, listeners, writers.
Acquire linguistic competence, grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, pragmatic competence, discourse competence, strategic competence.

Partial overlap with an examination that is developed separately from the course and textbook:
Mismatch between what students can do at the start of a lesson and the starting expectation of the texts and tasks they meet in the lesson.
Scaffolding may be needed.

Mismatch between textbook and the following:

Teachers’ familiarity or expertise with methodology of the textbook.

Teachers and/or students beliefs about language learning.

Local educational culture.

Issues relating to the following:

Class size
Classroom layout
Lesson length (longer or shorter)
Opportunities for practice
Cultural appropriacy of lesson topics

Scale of Adaptation (How much can be adapted?)

Activity level Adaptation:

Changes are made to an activity. The rest of the class, unit, and syllabus remains intact.

E.g., modifying the vocabulary and grammar of a text/changing an output activity to a 4/3/2 to promote fluency development.

Lesson level Adaptation:

Changing content of a whole lesson. This implies changes to activities as well, but units and syllabus remain intact.

E.g., adapting a reading session to promote better coverage of microskills and MFO (Rosenkjar, 2009).

Unit level Adaptation:

Changes are made to all the lessons in a unit. The syllabus remains intact.

E.g., changing the content of a unit because it is not appropriate (culturally, etc.) for a specific learner group.

Syllabus level Adaptation:

Changes to the syllabus as a whole. This will impact units, lessons, and activities.

E.g., adding a meaning focused input component (e.g., extensive reading) to a syllabus, to ensure balance and meet all the needs of the learners.

Four Key Questions

What is the objective of the activity?
What does the exercise actually get the learner to do/learn?
What do I want the learner to do/learn?
How can I get the exercise to do what I want it to do for the learner?

Important Questions to Ask:

Is there sufficient instructional content to meet the learning outcomes?
Is there sufficient input to help learners develop linguistic knowledge?
Is there sufficient practice? Controlled/Free?
Are there opportunities for students to use language in new contexts?
Have the subskills for a larger task been taught?
Do the materials offer sufficient challenge?
Is there sufficient variety to maintain motivation?
Are the activities structured to allow differentiation?

Considerations

What considerations should you keep in mind when adapting?
Are your changes quantitative (more) or qualitative (the nature of the task)?
Does your adaptation change the intended learning outcome? Is this okay?
How does your change affect the overall coherence of a lesson or the course?
Are there any unintended consequences of your change?
Will your change negatively affect a future lesson?

Terminology in Materials Adaptation

Localisation:

Graves (2000) – A textbook is written for everyone and it also written for no one. You must adapt textbooks so they meet the needs of the learners in your specific context.

Prabhu (1989) Because teaching must be matched to the learners’ current knowledge, course books will not be totally effective as they are not in touch with the state of this knowledge.

Supplementation:

Find the gap (syllabusdriven materials design)

I need something to practice X, where X is a point in your syllabus that is either not covered in the course book or is not dealt with adequately…If you know something readymade that will fit the bill, the problem is quickly solved. If not, you will need to design material specially for that purpose.

McGrath, 2016

Find the Gap:

Define the gap carefully.
Find language examples to use.
Produce activities to exploit language examples.
Produce materials to present activities to learners.

Adding or Omitting Content:

Add content for extra practice for important/difficult items.

Add content to enhance understanding of other content.

Add content to match state of the art in applied linguistics.

Omit confusing/unimportant parts.

Omit culturally inappropriate parts.

Extend an activity so that it meets other learning outcomes (e.g., add MFO to MFI).

Change the Sequencing of the Content:

Change the order of the content to help learner motivation.

Change the order of the content to help comprehension.

Change the order of the content to help learning.

Change the Format:

Change a speaking activity to a writing activity.

Change a reading activity to a reading while listening activity.

Change an individual task to a group task.

Change the nature of the task – a dialogue 🡪 fluency focused event.

Change the Presentation:

Change a paperbased activity to a computerbased activity.

Change a listening activity to a viewing activity.

Change examples from the familiar to the unfamiliar/known to the unknown (and vice versa).

Add or Omit Monitoring:

Add monitoring opportunities to check student progress.

Add tests to encourage students to do homework.

Omit tests to reduce pressure on learners.

Change a summative assessment to a formative assessment.

Key Questions about Your Chosen Book/Materials

Does it suit the environment in which it will be used (localisation)?

Does it meet the needs of the learners (personalisation)?

Does it apply sensible principles of teaching/learning?

Do its goals match the goals of the course?

Does the content match the proficiency level of the learners? (individualisation/simplification)

Is it interesting and engaging (personalisation)?

Does it include mechanisms for monitoring student progress?

Are the units an appropriate length to match the environmental constraints?

Does it include any behavior/topics that might offend the learners?

Are the materials up to date (modernisation)?

Examples of Adaptation

Example 1: Syllabus Level Adaptation

Example 2: Lesson Level Adaptation

Example 3: Lesson Level Adaptation

Using Authentic Materials

Moving Beyond Coursebooks:

Conceptdriven Materials Design

Discussion 1: Teaching Without Coursebooks

Using authentic materials

How can you teach with everyday simple materials that you or your students may bring to class?

Choose an everyday object and discuss your object/idea with the people on your table and make a list of educational and language points that you can teach using that object.

Syllabus Design (Graves, 2014):

Learners

Purposes for Learning

Principles of Language Teaching & Learning

Resources

Contextual Constraints

Principles of Language Teaching (Tomlinson, 2010: 9597):

The content and methodology of the teaching should be consistent with the objectives of the course and should meet the needs and wants of the learners.

The teaching should be designed to help learners to achieve language development and not just language acquisition.

The teaching should be designed so as to provide the learners with learning opportunities that will help them to develop educationally in the sense that they become more mature, more critically astute, more creative, more constructive, more collaborative, more capable, and more confident as result of the course.

The teacher needs to be able to personalize and localize the materials and to relate them in different ways to the needs, wants, and learningstyle preferences of individual learners.

Discussion 2: Working with Limited Resources:

Imagine

that you have been asked to teach in a context without access to coursebooks, internet, audio/video, and photocopying equipment. How might you approach the following?

Choose one of the following prompts and discuss:

1. Pronunciation practice

2. Group projects (focusing on content and language)

3. Speaking activities

4. Writing activities

You may continue to focus on the materials you considered in Discussion Task 1. Use the Padlet link to share your materials and language focus.

[https://padlet.com/sarah_khan/authenticmaterialsforenglishlanguageteachingandlearni40oe4l85gszz2uuh](https://padlet.com/sarah_khan/authenticmaterialsforenglishlanguageteachingandlearni40oe4l85gszz2uuh)

Moving Beyond Coursebooks

Discussion 3: Exploiting Technology

In your groups, discuss:

What technological devices and facilities are available in the context you have selected for your course?

What kinds of online tools can you use for language teaching?

Would there be any difficulties in accessing online learning?

Please discuss and make a list.

Teachers Using Their Own Materials

"I’m more encouraged to teach when I use my own materials … it carries with it my personality, my beliefs about language learning and language teaching … preparing my own materials is of course more convenient, because then I get to do reviews and changes … if I make it myself, it’s more, it’s easier to navigate around." [T2]

Tarrayo & Anudin (2021)

Next Steps

At this stage, you should have:

Your goals and objectives clearly written out.
Started evaluating books to select a suitable coursebook for your course (if applicable).

Now you should:

Create a content map for your course and indicate which units from the book you will use in your course (if using a book). Specify which units will be used in which weeks in the course.

Analyze the units in the coursebook that you wish to use and identify some opportunities for adaptation.

Indicate adaptations in your course map.

Coursebook Selection and Sequencing in the Curriculum

Recap

Coursebook Selection and Sequencing in the Curriculum

Take 10 minutes to share your course aims and objectives with your peers. Ensure that:

Your aims are clear and general (not vague or too broad)

Your objectives are SMART

Use this opportunity to clarify any uncertainties about your course.

Coursebook Selection and Sequencing

Aims of the Session

In this session, we aim to:

Consider different approaches to coursebook evaluation

Begin analyzing and discussing the content map in different coursebooks

Consider criteria for conceptualizing content (scope) what are you going to teach?

Consider sequencing of content in a syllabus in what order are you going to teach the content?

Analyze some ELT textbooks to notice content conceptualization and sequencing

Start developing a content map for your course

Process of Course Design

Materials in English Language Teaching

What types of materials can you use to teach English? Make a list with your group members.

Curriculum Planning

Language/linguistic content = input = what are we going to teach?

Process/Means = methodology in language teaching (related to teacher beliefs and the nature of language)

Output = Product = learning outcomes

Approaches to Coursebook Evaluation

1. Impressionistic Overview

Layout: clear, attractive; quality of visuals; sequencing

Presents a general introduction to the materials

2. The Checklist Method

Checks for the presence of certain items.

3. Indepth Evaluation

Content: how specific items about learners’ needs and syllabus requirements are dealt with, and how different aspects of language are addressed.

Consider combining all approaches to evaluate coursebooks.

Impressionistic Overview: Content Map in Coursebooks

When looking at the content map of a book, consider:

Linguistic level (graded materials)

Progression

Opportunities for practicing language skills

Interesting topics and activities

Motivating and inspiring materials

Recycling

Emphasis on fluency (through skills practice)

Emphasis on accuracy (through understanding of grammar)

Opportunities for individual study (to promote learner autonomy)

Promotes effective learning

The Checklist Method

Checking for the presence of certain aspects is:

Systematic

Cost effective (saves time)

Convenient format

Explicit (all categories are well understood)

Develop your own checklist. 'Borrow and adapt' (McGrath 2002). Cite sources appropriately.

The In depth Method

Detailed analysis of the coursebook and scrutiny of some units. This may involve piloting sample units that seem typical of the book.

Consider online analysis on publishers’ websites, discussions on professional boards, or asking publishers’ representatives.

CATALYST Test (Grant 1987)

Communicative

Aims

Teachability

Available addons

Level

Your impression

Student interest

Tried and tested

Perfect Coursebook?

Grant (1987:118) stated, “The perfect textbook does not exist, but the best book available for you and your students certainly does.” The textbook should:

Suit the needs, interests, and abilities of the learners

Suit the teachers

Meet the needs of the syllabus (including exams)

Coursebook Evaluation and Selection

When evaluating and selecting a coursebook for your course, consider:

What will be the content for your course? Why?

If using a coursebook, select one for your context and explain your choice.

How will you organize and sequence your content? Why?

Make a map of your course and show how you plan to use the coursebook (which units in which week).

Write at least 500 words to describe your scope and sequence plan.

Content: Scope and Sequencing

Making sensible, welljustified decisions about content is crucial in curriculum design. Poor content choices lead to poor learning outcomes, despite excellent teaching efforts. (Nation & Macalister 2009)

Conceptualizing Content

What do the students need?

What is the purpose of the course?

What content do you want your learners to use? (what to include and exclude)

Scope

Concerned with the breadth and depth of coverage of items in the course (Richards 2001)

What range of content will be covered?

To what extent should each topic be studied?

Sequencing within a Course

Common Criteria for Sequencing:

Simple to complex to improve learnability

Chronology (e.g., planning and brainstorming as the first stage of writing)

Prerequisite learning (e.g., simple sentence structure SVO for writing sentences)

Learner needs and interests

Recycling/spiral sequencing (language and skills)

Two Types of Sequence Design:

1. Linear

Lessons depend on what came before

Spiral: Provides easily monitored recycling of material, allowing learners who were left behind to catch up in the next cycle.

Matrix: Elements selected from categories of content, but not necessarily in a predictable order.

Revision Units: Include revision sessions within a linear syllabus.

2. Modular

Selfcontained modules with specific objectives and assessment at the end of each module.

Units: Shorter than a module, longer than a lesson, planned around a focus of instruction (also referred to as Scheme of Work).

Session 4: Incidental and Intentional Approaches to Vocabulary Instruction Vocabulary: Learning, Teaching & Assessing

Vocabulary: Learning, Teaching & Assessing

Session 4: Incidental and Intentional Approaches to Vocabulary Instruction

By Sam Barclay

Teaching & Assessing Vocabulary Session 2: The Role of Frequency in Word Selection and Learning

Teaching & Assessing Vocabulary

Session 2: The Role of Frequency in Word Selection and Learning

Presenter: Sam Barclay


	Teaching & Assessing Vocabulary	Session 2: The Role of Frequency in Word Selection and Learning

Review

Vocabulary is a crucial goal for language learners, alongside grammar, pronunciation, cultural knowledge, strategies, fluency, and discourse knowledge. Despite being overlooked in traditional approaches, vocabulary is now recognized as vital for language performance, necessitating a systematic teaching and learning approach.

Vocabulary Counting Methods

- Word Types: Counts each inflection as a new word.

- Lemmas: Includes the base word and its inflections.

- Word Families: Includes the base word, inflections, and derivations.

- Flemmas: Includes the base word, inflections, and derivations with the same form but different parts of speech.

Bauer & Nation’s (1993) Levels of Word Knowledge

1. Each form as a different word: Learners do not recognize inflections (e.g., book vs. books).
2. Inflectional Suffixes: Words with the same base and inflections are one item.
3. Frequent and Regular Derivational Affixes: Only orthographic alternations (e.g., -able, -er).
4. Frequent, Orthographically Regular Affixes: (e.g., -al, -ation).
5. Regular but Infrequent Affixes: (e.g., ante-, -ward).
6. Frequent but Irregular Affixes: (e.g., -ee, -ion).

Activity: Reflective Task

Reflect on your learning and teaching experiences. How would you advise a student who asks, “How should I study vocabulary?” or “Which words should I learn?” Write your answers and bring them to the next session.

Pre-session Reading

In preparation for the next session on defining vocabulary, read:

- Webb & Nation (2017) - Chapter 1

- Coxhead (2000) - Journal article

Discussion Questions:

1. What principles would you choose to select words to teach your students?
2. What role should word frequency play in our teaching?
3. How can we manipulate texts to promote the learning of high-frequency/academic vocabulary?
4. Is frequency the only metric for usefulness? Can you think of others?

Understanding Word Knowledge

- Vocabulary Size/Breadth: Number of words known.

- Vocabulary Depth/Quality: How well those words are known.

Word Knowledge Approach (Jack Richards, 1976; Paul Nation, 1990, 2001, 2013):

- Form

- Meaning(s)

- Frequency

- Collocations

- Register

- Syntactic behavior

- Associations

- Derivations

The Developmental Approach

Henriksen (1999) suggests vocabulary learning is incremental:

1. Partial to Precise Knowledge: Gradual improvement in word knowledge.

2. Receptive to Productive Knowledge: Learners typically know more words receptively than productively.

Frequency in Word Selection

- Zipf’s Law: Frequency is inversely proportional to rank.

- Nation & Waring (1997):

- Top 10 word families = 20% of language use.

- Top 50 word families = 35% of language use.

- Top 100 word families = 41% of language use.

- Top 2,000 word families = 80% of language use.

History and Word Lists

- Basic English (Ogden & Richards, 1925): 850 words.

- General Service List (West, 1953): Most common 2,000 words.

Types of Vocabulary

- High-Frequency Vocabulary:

- Paul Nation: 1K + 2K words.

- Schmitt & Schmitt (2014): 1K - 3K words.

- Dang & Webb (2017): 1K words as an initial goal.

- Mid-Frequency Vocabulary: Domain-specific after high-frequency words.

- Low-Frequency Vocabulary: Limited classroom attention recommended.

Academic and Technical Vocabulary

- Academic Vocabulary: Frequency and distribution important (e.g., AWL by Coxhead, 2000).

- Technical Vocabulary: Important for specific contexts (e.g., plumbing, science).

Lexical Coverage

- Reading:

- 95% coverage = 4,000 – 5,000 word families.

- 98% coverage = 8,000 – 9,000 word families.

- Listening:

- 90% coverage = >2,000 word families.

- 95% coverage = 2,000 - 3,000 word families.

Tasks

1. Complete the pre-session reading.

2. Complete Exercise 3 on page 136 of Schmitt & Schmitt (2020).

Areas for Research

- Derivational knowledge of learners.

- Strategies for understanding low-frequency items.

- Developing subject-specific word lists.

- Evaluating vocabulary coverage in textbooks.

Useful Tools

- Complete Lexical Tutor: [Lexical Tutor](https://www.lextutor.ca/vp/)

- AWL Highlighter: [EAP Foundation](https://www.eapfoundation.com/vocab/academic/highlighter/)

- PHaVe List Flashcards: [Quizlet](https://quizlet.com/br/389971142/the-phave-list-flash-cards/)

Designing Courses and Assessment (DCA) - Session 1

Sarah Khan

MA TESOL

Designing Courses and Assessment (DCA)

Session 1: Introduction to DCA - Environment Analysis

Introductions

Please tell us the name you would like us to use when we address you.

Talk to the people on your table about:

your context - You can use the most recent place where you have taught (before your Teaching Practice at NTU), or where you last studied.
your experience with course design
your experience with assessing students’ learning

Aims of this session

By the end of this session, you will have…

considered the learning outcomes associated with this module.
considered the module content and schedule.
been introduced to the assignment for this module.
received the assessment criteria associated with this assignment.
discussed various definitions of key concepts.
discussed the different aspects of a learning context.
identified the factors in the wider socio-cultural environment that affect course design.
discussed the importance of various constraints in course design.

Module Overview

DCA Learning Room on NOW

https://now.ntu.ac.uk/d2l/le/content/959079/Home

Module Aims

What do you expect to do in this module (Designing Courses and Assessment)?

In this module you will develop awareness of the principles of syllabus and course design. You will apply your knowledge and understanding to design an English language course for a group of learners and outline strategies for evaluating the effectiveness of your course. You will also develop a relevant assessment plan and a suite of assessment tools for the course you design. You will be expected to ensure that assessment practices are valid, reliable, and practical.

Module Learning Outcomes

In groups, discuss one learning outcome given to you. Explain to the class what you think it includes.MA TESOL: Designing Courses and Assessment (DCA) - Session 1 Overview Course Materials for MA TESOL: Session 1 Introduction to DCA Designing Courses and Assessment (DCA) - Session 1: Introduction and Environment Analysis MA TESOL DCA Course - Session 1 Materials and Activities Session 1: Introduction to Designing Courses and Assessment (MA TESOL)

Module Learning Outcomes

Demonstrate systematic knowledge of context analyses and apply this knowledge to a principled analysis of a specific context.
Critically analyse principles in syllabus and course design to create a context specific English language course and develop relevant strategies for conducting an impactful needs analysis.
Systematically analyse and modify ELT materials for critical issues such as the native speaker fallacy and linguistic imperialism.
Demonstrate critical understanding of teaching and learning in developing innovative courses with cutting edge technology that can be used for language provisions in real contexts.
Demonstrate a critical understanding of formative and summative language assessment to support language learning and whole person development.
Creatively apply knowledge of teaching and learning to develop an effective course plan for a specific context.
Demonstrate a critical understanding of teaching and learning by providing scaffolded learning opportunities to promote learner autonomy and collaboration.
Demonstrate effective written and spoken communication and academic literacies.

Module relevance to MA TESOL

After you finish this course, how will you use the knowledge you gain on this module?

Module Schedule

https://now.ntu.ac.uk/d2l/le/content/959079/viewContent/11549071/View

Module assessment

https://now.ntu.ac.uk/d2l/le/content/959079/Home?itemIdentifier=TOC

Jigsaw reading task:

In groups, read the assessment brief.
Divide the reading amongst yourselves.
Read and summarize the information for the rest of the group.

There will be a quiz after your discussion.

Assessment brief quiz

Please work in groups to discuss your answers and complete a quiz. You will have 20 seconds to read the question, discuss and enter your response. You will need a smartphone or laptop and be connected to the wifi to complete the quiz. Choose a name for your group.

Ready?

Marking criteria for DCA assignment

https://now.ntu.ac.uk/d2l/le/content/959079/viewContent/12352040/View

Knowledge and understanding of key concepts and principles
Development of a language course, assessment plan, and sample instruments
Use of secondary literature to underpin the development of the course and assessment(s)
Communication of ideas
Structure and presentation

Key Concepts

Curriculum & Syllabus: What’s the difference?

Complete the following statements and share your definitions:

Curriculum is …

A syllabus is …

What are the differences?

Curriculum is broader- applies to the philosophy, purposes, design at the programme level (covers courses, units and lessons). Includes planning, enacting & evaluating (methodology and materials used, assessment).

Syllabus = describes what will be taught in a course (process of planning).

Theoretical meaning of syllabus = specific way to conceptualise what language is, how are languages learned → materials selection- Approach to learning languages

Practical meaning of syllabus = actual plan for a course

Curriculum = syllabus design, methodology, assessment, resources, etc.

Curriculum design

Nunan (1988):

“It is important that, in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of a given curriculum, all elements [design, implementation, assessment, etc.] are integrated, so that decisions made at one level are not in conflict with those made at another. For instance, in courses based on principles of communicative language teaching, it is important that these principles are reflected, not only in curriculum documents and syllabus plans, but also in classroom activities, patterns of classroom interaction, and in tests of communicative performance.”

Imagine you are about to begin designing a curriculum at your institution. Where would you start? Why?

The Learning Context

Take 30 seconds to think about what this picture shows. What does this picture mean to you?

CONTEXT (n)
CONTEXTUALIZE (v)

Environment Analysis
Chapter 2: Nation & Macalister (2009)
Environment Analysis (Tessmer, 1990); Situation Analysis (Richards, 2001); Constraint Analysis

“Environment analysis (Tessmer, 1990) involves looking at the factors that will have a strong effect on decisions about the goals of the course, what to include in the course, and how to teach and assess it.”
Nation & Macalister (2009)

What are some factors in the learners and teachers’ environment/context that can influence curriculum design?

Think like a course designer. When designing a course, why is it important for you to consider the factors in environment design?

To ‘problematize’: Consider the effects of a factor on the course. If that particular factor is excluded from the course design, would the course still be useful?

Environment Analysis

Nation & Macalister (2009)

Factors in the wider situation:

Learners
- Age
- Gender
- Language proficiency
- Learning difficulties
- SEBD (Social, Emotional, and Behavioural Difficulties)
- Need for learning in English
- Education
- Immigration
- New refugees
- Summer camp in a foreign country
Teachers
- Teachers’ education, training, and qualification
- Teaching experience
- Teachers’ beliefs
- Teaching styles
- Motivation to teach
- Teachers’ job satisfaction
- Teacher’s role in the school
Other stakeholders in learning
- Family
- Guardians
- Local agencies

Context Analysis, Graves, 2000

Different settings:

EFL (English as a Foreign Language)
ESL (English as a Second Language)
ESP (English for Specific Purposes)
EAP (English for Academic Purposes)
EGAP (English for General Academic Purposes)
ESAP (English for Specific Academic Purposes)

“Course Design, like teaching, like architecture, is a grounded process. ….when you design a course, you design it for a specific group of people, in a specific setting, for a specific amount of time; in short, for a specific context.”
Graves (2000)

Defining your context = pre-course needs assessment

Environment Analysis

Environment Analysis: Factors in the wider situation

Think about your context:

Is there a historical background behind the use of English in your context?
How do the learners and the teachers perceive English?
What (if any) opportunities are available to people to use English outside the classroom?
What (if any) benefits are there for the learners to learn English?

World Englishes

Kachru’s circles of English (1985)

Context in ELT

Native speakers: Cook, 1999: “people who use the language they were born and raised with.”
World Englishes (Kachru, 1985)
- Indian English
- Chinese English
- West African English
- Singapore English
English as a Second Language (ESL)
English as a Foreign Language (EFL)
English as an International Language (EIL), McKay (2002)
English as Lingua Franca (ELF), McKay (2002), Jenkins (2000), Seidllhofer (2004)
Linguistic Imperialism (Phillipson, 1992)
Native speaker fallacy (Canagarajah, 1999)

English as an International Language

Language Attitudes--Whose English?

Labels---Native vs Non-native teachers

Barriers to change

McKay (2002): teachers should be taught “to think globally but act locally when teaching English as an international language.” “…decisions regarding teaching goals and approaches be given to local educators.”

Socio-cultural context

National culture/ sub-culture
Language in society
Role of the first language (L1)
Role of English in the country/society
Language policy & goals
Societal set up
Gender segregation
Role of the teachers
Role of other stakeholders and significant others
Attitudes towards target language & teachers

Cultural context in ELT

What may seem to be a norm to you might be difficult to understand for a teacher from a different context.

Indicate one (or more) aspects in your context that could be a problem for a foreign teacher.

Mode of delivery

Face to face teaching and learning (Location, Description, etc.)
Online learning (Full time/Part time)
Blended Synchronous Learning (see Warnecke & Lomine, 2011)
Hybrid/Flexible learning
MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses)

Analyzing and understanding the learning context

(Adapted from Holiday, 1994)

The Learning Context

Individuals
Classroom culture
Local culture
National culture
Personal differences
Group dynamics
Regional differences
Political context
Learning style
Group motivation
Status of teacher and students in community
Religious context
Learning strategies
Classroom environment
Attitude and behaviour of parents
Social context
Personal motivation
School environment
Local environment
National environment

The importance of context

Please read on environment analysis, reflect on the discussion in class, and apply your understanding of environment analysis, to answer the following questions:

What context are you interested in for project? Why?
What is the role of English in your chosen context?
What kind of English language course are you going to work with? Why?
What are some important constraints (about the learners, teachers, the situation) for your course?
What will be your suggestions/decisions about dealing with these constraints?

You may refer to Table 2.1 in pp. 16-17, Nation & Macalister, 2009.

Post session task

Prepare for seminar discussion:

Work in groups.
You will be given a case study on language curriculum design to read and discuss with your group members before class.
You must prepare a summary to share with the class. Talk about important aspects of course design in the case study you have read. Give your personal response to the case study. What are your thoughts about course design after reading and discussing the study.
You must be prepared to answer questions from the class in session 3.

Source: Nation, I. S. P. & Macalister, J. (2011). Case Studies in Language Curriculum Design: Concepts and Approaches in Action Around the World. Routledge

Your teacher will tell you via TEAMS and NOW Learning Room about your group and which chapter you should read and discuss.

Pre-session task for Week 3: Curriculum design case studies; Syllabus types

Labels

12 Jun 2024

Designing Courses & Assessment: Principles in Second Language Assessment

Designing Courses and Assessments: Session Two - Needs Analysis

Learning Objectives

Getting Started

Definitions

Importance of Needs Analysis

Why is NA important?

Target Needs vs. Learning Needs

Adapting Coursebooks: Moving Beyond Coursebooks

Reasons for Adapting a Coursebook

Other Reasons for Adapting a Coursebook

The syllabus The textbook:

Scale of Adaptation (How much can be adapted?)

Activity level Adaptation:

Lesson level Adaptation:

Unit level Adaptation:

Syllabus level Adaptation:

Terminology in Materials Adaptation

Localisation:

Define the gap carefully. Find language examples to use. Produce activities to exploit language examples. Produce materials to present activities to learners.

Coursebook Selection and Sequencing in the Curriculum

Aims of the Session

Vocabulary: Learning, Teaching & Assessing

11 Jun 2024

Teaching & Assessing Vocabulary

Session 2: The Role of Frequency in Word Selection and Learning

Presenter: Sam Barclay

Vocabulary Counting Methods

Bauer & Nation’s (1993) Levels of Word Knowledge

Activity: Reflective Task

Pre-session Reading

Discussion Questions:

The Developmental Approach

Frequency in Word Selection

Sarah Khan

Designing Courses and Assessment (DCA)

Introductions

Aims of this session

Module Overview

Module Aims

Module Learning Outcomes

Module Learning Outcomes

Module relevance to MA TESOL

Module Schedule

Module assessment

Assessment brief quiz

Marking criteria for DCA assignment

Key Concepts

Curriculum design

The Learning Context

Environment Analysis

Context Analysis, Graves, 2000

Environment Analysis

World Englishes

English as an International Language

Socio-cultural context

Cultural context in ELT

Mode of delivery

Analyzing and understanding the learning context

The importance of context

Post session task

Further Reading

Define the gap carefully.
Find language examples to use.
Produce activities to exploit language examples.
Produce materials to present activities to learners.