ENG 345: ch 33, 34, 35

In our TESOL testing and assessment classes, we are learning about how important it is to have a mix of assessments for our students.  We decided it is best to include regular testing as well as alternative assessment to see where our students are at in terms of their language learning.  These articles helped me to see different ways of assessing writing and other means of language.

The two most important things I found in these articles was that (1) Students need to have practice and skills in self-editing and peer editing and (2) Students need to receive constructive and personal feedback to improve their writing.

Self-editing and peer editing needs to be taught.  This can happen with teacher modeling as well as worksheets that show students what they need to look for.  Even if the students do not pursue academic English, it is a survival skill to be able to proofread, and edit writing for grammatical errors, as well as content  errors.  However, students aren't born with this skill. By explicitly showing them what to look for, they will be able to make these connections and use this knowledge in the future.

Personal and constructive feedback is important for students to improve their writing.  Simple words such as, "elaborate" or "vague" may help an L1 student who is a more advanced writer, but typically ELLs and students that aren't as advanced in writing need more personal feedback from teachers.  Having the students double space their typed papers will allow teachers more room for examples and more personal corrections and feedback.

I thought that dialogue journals was an excellent idea to get the students writing without value judgments from teachers.  It allows the teachers and students to make personal connections with one another while the student practices writing in English.  Practice, as we all know, is a huge part of language learning.  These dialogue journals will help the teacher and student be on equal levels, allow the student to practice and the teacher to make a connection with them in a non-stressful environment.