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Designing Web-Based Integrated Tests for Language Teachers

Designing Web-Based Integrated Tests for Language Teachers. Deniz Gokcora (gokcora@ucc.edu) Institute of Intensive English Union County College Best Practices Showcase (NJEDge.NET) March 10 th, 2006. Web-Based Test Items (WBTI). Collection of proficiency-based test items

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Designing Web-Based Integrated Tests for Language Teachers

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  1. Designing Web-Based Integrated Tests for Language Teachers Deniz Gokcora (gokcora@ucc.edu) Institute of Intensive English Union County College Best Practices Showcase (NJEDge.NET) March 10th, 2006

  2. Web-Based Test Items (WBTI) • Collection of proficiency-based test items • Four different skill areas • ACTFL Guidelines (Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Superior) • Student-centered • Contextulaized • Task-based • A variety of question formats • Total of 170 pedagogical items (exc. J,C, N)

  3. Characteristics of a Proficiency-Oriented Classroom PAIR / GROUP WORK • PERSONALIZATION • COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES • INFORMATION GAP • SKILL INTEGRATION • TEACHER AS FACILITATOR • INTEGRATION OF LANGUAGE AND CULTURE • MEANINGFUL TASKS • AUTHENTIC MATERIALS • CONTEXTUALIZATION • PRIMARILY TARGET LANGUAGE USE • (From collaborative work at the Defense Language Institute.)

  4. What kinds of reading objectives do you have for your students? • guessing vocabulary from context • skimming information • getting the main ideas • noting the discourse markers (however, whereas, etc.) • predicting what the text is about using previous knowledge or the title • ability to form hypothesis about the text based on contextual information (inferencing) • Etc.

  5. Types of Authentic or Modified Texts* Minimal Texts Reading Skill – to recognize memorized elements: • Numbers, names, street and traffic signs • Money denominations, receipts • Office/shop designations • Addresses • Pictures with simple captions • Maps *Adapted from Lee & Musumeci, 1988

  6. Brief Texts of a Formulaic NatureReading Skill – to skim and scan: • Travel and registration forms • Plain and train schedules • TV/radio program guides • Menus, memos • Simple newspaper headlines • Table of contents • Phone and e-mail messages • Ads and notices with limited and basic vocabulary • Tables

  7. Informational TextsReading Skill – to skim, scan, decode, classify: • Ads and labels • Factual accounts of events and people • Instructions and directions • Descriptions of people, places, and things • News reports and summaries • Introductory and concluding paragraphs • Information transfer • Invitations • Technical papers

  8. Attitudinal TextsReading Skill – to infer, guess, hypothesize, interpret: • Political, social commentary (editorials) • Analyses, apologia • Opinion pieces • Certain literary texts • Biography with critical interpretation

  9. Advanced DiscourseReading Skill – to analyze, hypothesize, extend: • Highly individualized argumentation • Personalized perspectives on current events, politics, economics, culture and society, etc. • Philosophical discourse • Stream of consciousness and inner dialogues • Unstated assumptions

  10. Considerations for Establishing Proficiency-Based Tests* • Select texts of different styles (notes, letters, essays, ads, etc.). • Use authentic texts but manipulate the difficulty level of the questions. • In selecting test items, think of authentic tasks. • Limit the number of questions per text. • Make sure the language of the items is not difficult to comprehend. • Try to use a variety of methods for testing. * From CARLA Assessment Advisor Elana Shohamy (1985)

  11. Types of Proficiency-Based Test Formats to Accompany the Texts • Multiple Choice • Short-Answer • Listing/Classification • Matching • Note-Taking/Summary • Making a diagram or a Table (transfer of information) • Producing a Recall Protocol

  12. The 3-Step Process of the WBTI • (a) Gateway to Items- VBTI Templates based on ACTFL Guidelines in a variety of skills and levels showing functions, topics, text type • (b) The Items • (c) Pedagogical Grids show the item objectives (processes), contextualization, addressee, etc. Template----Item---- Pedagogical Grid

  13. Novice Level Reading • Novice level template (money,#) • Example item (Yellow Pages Ads) • Example item (Japanese) • Example item (Ramada Express) • Novice level template (geography) • Example item • Novice level template (clothing) • Example item

  14. WBTI Pedagogical Grid • ACTFL Topics • Item Types • Contextualization (meaningful task) • Cognitive Processes of items • Example grid (novice reading)

  15. Intermediate Level Reading • Intermediate level template (Rest.) • Example Item • Example Item (Norwegian) • Intermediate level template (health) • Example Item

  16. Advanced & Superior Reading • Advanced Template • Example Item • Superior Template (abstract topics) • Example Item

  17. Writing Items at Different Levels • Novice template • Example • Intermediate template • Example

  18. Characteristics of Spoken Texts • Sounds of a language vary (assimilation, elision, etc.) • Accent • Suprasegmentals (intonation, stress) • Speech rate • Hesitations (let me see, umm…) • Discourse structure (lectures, compare with written discourse) • Non-verbal signs

  19. Suitable Texts Pre-recorded • Broadcasting companies • The internet • Teaching materials Recording off-air (radio stations, TV) Recording live target-language use • Semi-scripted texts • Impromptu (unscripted texts) recording • -monologues, interactive texts (dialogues, interviews) , academic texts

  20. Communicative Testing • Authentic texts (semi-scripted) • Communicative purpose (p. 90) • Authentic tasks (meaningful) You read an article about a journalist and listen to a program, notice mistakes in the article, write to the newspaper.

  21. What equipment to use? • Marantz PMD670 Professional Solid-State Recorder

  22. Listening Items • Intermediate Level Template • Example Item • Example questions • Monologues (TV commercials, announcements, voice mail message, descriptions, etc.) • Interactive texts (free discussions, interviews, role plays) • Academic texts, academic lectures

  23. Some Websites from ESL • Dave Sperling’s ESL Café (http://eslcafe.com/) • Purdue OWL (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/esl/index.html) • Randall’s ESL Cyber-Listening Lab (http://esl-lab.com)

  24. Government-related initiatives • GLOSS by DLI (materials and tasks at a variety of ILR levels) www.lingnet.org • LangNet (need a password from the National Foreign Language Center) -located at the University of Maryland

  25. References • Buck, G. (2001). Assessing Listening. Cambridge: CUP. • White, G. (1998). Listening. Oxford: OUP. • ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines in Listening. 1989.

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