Job Discussion Forums

carolj · Joined: 23 May 2007 Posts: 3

Hi, I'm new, and I'm doing a bit of research on alternative assessment. What are the latest developments in this area?

Girl Scout · Joined: 13 Jan 2005 Posts: 525 Location: Inbetween worlds

I suggestion you do a little more "research" before you ask an open ended question like that. You might also think about getting an education too.

phis · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 250

Ouch! I felt that and it wasn't even aimed at me. Maybe you should change your screen name, there was nothing 'Girl Scoutish' about your response.

fluffyhamster · Posted: Thu May 24, 2007 1:12 pm Post subject:

One alternative to assessment is non-assessment. Smile

saint57 · Posted: Thu May 24, 2007 2:22 pm Post subject:

I don't believe I've ever seen a catfight on this forum. Please proceed!

natsume · Joined: 24 Apr 2006 Posts: 409 Location: Chongqing, China

Welcome to Dave's, carolj!

We take great pride in the warm welcome we give all newbies to the newbie forum!

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

What exactly does the OP mean by "alternative assessment"?
Is this some new TEFL buzz-phrase I should be aware of?

tedkarma · Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 12:14 am Post subject:

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 1:19 am Post subject:

Alternative assessment is what you do when you know that traditional assessments will show up your students lack of progress- you look for alternatives.

Or maybe it's just a buzzword for exams that aren't gap fills? or expressing results in new ways without numbers or letters. (maybe through interpretive dance?)

Jeez I need a drink,
Justin

tedkarma · Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 4:03 am Post subject:

Or it might be a test that shows how much we improved our students' "self-esteem" and how much better they feel about not being able to use the language well?

Shimmeringstar · Joined: 18 Mar 2007 Posts: 34 Location: Kagoshima, Japan

By "alternative assessment" do you mean things like activities, presentations, games, or good-old-fashioned observation? There are countless ways to assess student progress. It really also depends on the age of the students... rather than exams, you can have them do presentations. They can write in journals. If they're older and you have the equipment, you can have them make videos. Design posters, brochures, or newsletters. Produce a class newspaper. Write stories. Have the students make scrapbooks about themselves. Or, make a class book with a page for each student (they must design the page themselves). The list goes on and on... any of these sorts of projects can be a form of assessment. Simply design a rubric to grade the projects by, and you have something other than an exam to use for grades. I hope this helps!

MELEE · Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2007 4:47 pm Post subject:

In an attempt to say something productive:

I suggest the OP take a look at ALTE's Can Do Statements.

Google it.

It's been a tough week, Justin, I just made myself a paloma, here, have one too.

tedkarma · Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2007 9:30 pm Post subject:

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

Is the OP still out there?!?

In my MA program we did portfolios instead of a... what's it called??...program-wide final exam. The portfolios consisted of fairly lengthy papers detailing our teaching philosophies, re-worked projects from past classes, original materials, CVs, etc. The finished products are really impressive! (and HEAVY!!)

I tried a portfolio project in one of my writing classes in my first post-MA job, when I was still young and idealistic... Given that we only had eight-week terms and the writing class only met for one hour each day, the students really didn't have much to include! I do see ways it could have been better organized (different types of writing, collaborating with other teachers, etc.), so hopefully if I am presented with a similar opportunity--it really requires a lot of freedom to design your own course--I will get a better result.

d

fluffyhamster · Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 7:25 am Post subject:

You could just be like Jack Black in 'School of Rock', you know, something along the lines of 'You guys rock'. But if it's a private gig you're teaching, try not to let slip how much you appreciate their supplementing your beer funds.