ENG 345: Week 12

            In Brown chapter 23, Brown talks about Language Assessment. He talks about formal and informal assessments and their purposes for each. There are a lot of different things to consider when dealing with assessments, such as practicality, reliability, validity, authenticity, and washback. Brown talks about the different types of validity, which are content, face, and construct. When I took Spanish in high school, we had a few quizzes during the semester that tested listening by watching an English movie in Spanish. However, it was really testing reading comprehension because there were subtitles and we had a multiple-choice worksheet that could be solved if you had already seen the movie. This is an example of perhaps a reliable test, but it is not valid. Brown continues to talk about the different kinds of tests, which are proficiency, diagnostic, placement, achievement, and aptitude. Each kind of test serves a different purpose for the language teacher. Brown ends the chapter with talking about current issues with language assessments and some possible ways to help with the solution. It is important for teachers to make a test as authentic as possible and to be testing what is meant to be tested. Teachers should use their own tests as much as possible and continue to make changes on it from year to year.

            In Brown chapter 24, Brown talks about classroom-based assessment. He talks about the difference between norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests. It is important to use both types of tests, depending on the purpose that a teacher uses the test for. Brown then talks about the steps to test construction. Brown gives ways to help with making a test that really goes along with the standards of the course and to try and make it as authentic as possible. It is important for teachers to go through their own test and pretend that he or she is a student and make sure that every item is worded carefully, the directions are clear, and there is enough time for students to finish the test. It is also beneficial for teachers to edit their test and make changes to it. Brown ends the chapter talking about alternatives in assessment, which are portfolios, journals, conferences, observations, and self- and peer-assessments. Brown stresses that these should not be viewed as alternatives meaning optional compared to the traditional test. Teachers should have ongoing assessments throughout classroom time in multiple and in a variety of different ways.

ENG 345: Week 10

           In Brown chapter 26, he talks about being a socially responsible teacher and how to develop a personal set of ethics for language teaching. Brown also brings up the guidelines for dealing with controversial issues in the classroom. Controversial issues will come up in the classroom, it is only a matter of time. It is really important how you handle these situations and that you don’t let anyone feel inferior because of their beliefs. One of the main themes of this chapter is making sure the first language is still a part of their identity while learning their second language. I remember learning French in high school and all my teachers promoting French so much and teaching lessons on why it is so important to learn French and how it is one of the “best” languages to learn. It definitely makes an impact on students, whether positive or negative, and it should still be taught in the context of the real world.

            In Kumar chapter 11, he talks about ensuring social relevance. He talked about what English means as a global language and therefore, how it should be treated. No one can own English if it is a global language. He also talks about the “standard” of English and all of the different varieties of Englishes. Kumar then talks about appropriate teaching materials. Materials should have activities that will make sense to people of all different cultures and backgrounds. It should include target culture materials and native culture materials.

            In Kumar chapter 12, he talks about raising cultural consciousness. He talked about the complexity of culture and how it is hard to define and hard to describe. Everyone has their own culture that they are a part of and it is important that while learning another language they continue to have an identity in their own culture. Kumar gives the example of the Color Purple from Robinson, where your culture lens (blue) and another person’s culture lens (red) can be overlapped (purple).  Neither can be changed to another color, but you can learn and grow as person by knowing more about another person’s culture, which in turn you learn more about your culture. I thought the microstrategies at the end of the book were really helpful and I think it is fun if you give language learners a chance to display their culture within the context of another culture, especially in a multicultural classroom.