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Generally I agree with what the teachers have said but assessment must be a two-way process and must be ready to be updated or modified to suit changes in teaching and learning.

Assessment must be continuous to ensure that the students understand what is being taught and if any points need to be revised whilst periodic testing can be used as a rule to measure progress throughout the term/year.

Assessment isn’t just a tool to measure how well the students are progressing but is also a tool to measure whether the teacher is giving the correct information in an effective manner. If one or two students aren’t progressing well the problem may lie with the students. Conversely if many of the students in a class aren’t progressing then the problem may lie with the teacher’s method.

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I hadn't realised that there were different types of assessment, other than constructive and destructive (?), so thank you for this article.

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When I was at school French was compulsory and I hated being forced to learn something I didn’t want to and thus I was a very poor student, which I now regret. Conversely, I happily studied German as my chosen career path meant working in Germany.

The method of teaching 40 years ago concentrated on yearly exams (reading/written and aural/oral) and were very heavy on the grammar. This left me feeling very unsure of my linguistic prowess and did not do much to fill me with confidence. Later when living in Germany I found that the grammar wasn’t quite as important as was the matter of being understood. As an adult I have studied Italian and Spanish at a basic level with the emphasis on communication than grammar.

Now I know that language teachers will argue that grammar is important to understand sentence structure and word order but surely being understood is more important with correct grammar coming second if you are a tourist or simply an L2 occasional speaker? If you wish to (more) fluent then correct grammar is indeed more important than simply being understood.

So should we tailor our teaching to the wishes of our students, i.e. should communicating take precedence over grammar for occasional L2 speakers and vice versa for those who wish to be fluent?

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What Types Of Assessment Do You Use? (4.5)

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What Types Of Assessment Do You Use? (4.5)

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The type of assessment(s) carried out by the teacher will depend upon the age group of the students and their reason for attending the course.

For younger students formative assessments, for more advanced students and adults then both formative and summative assessments with self and peer assessments as appropriate. Continuous assessment would be carried out by teachers for all age groups.

For compulsory school courses then I would imagine that all 4 skills, vocabulary and grammar are tested. But for voluntary language courses, where the student simply wishes to improve their understanding or communication, then I would imagine that vocabulary, speaking, listening and possibly reading will be tested.

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The sample questions either have more than one answer or are unspecific in what is actually required. Therefore the student may provide an answer, which whilst correct, may not be what the teacher was looking for. If the teacher then marks the answer as wrong the student will be confused and possibly demoralised.

To avoid this, the teacher must be clear in what is required and state as much in the question and the teacher should have the test/questions proofread by another teacher.

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I would use a quick review session at the start of the lesson to firstly focus the students minds on the lesson and secondly to see if the students remembered, and hopefully understood, the previous lesson. I like the idea of Plickers and look forward to using it to record progress during the lesson. At the end of the lesson the 3-2-1 one method looks useful too.

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The majority of us communicate more by speaking than writing and as such it is possibly easier to assess using formal and informal assessments with dialogue and role-play. But to speak, and therefore communicate effectively, the learner must know the other 4 skills – or should that be 5 skills if we include grammar?

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Live samples – I will use role play, dialogue, group presentation and perhaps poetry.

Recorded samples – Vocaroo is new to me and looks very useful.  I like the idea of WhatsApp messaging too.

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Observation - Classroom Speaking Assessment (4.10)

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Observation - Classroom Speaking Assessment (4.10)

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Good preparation by the teacher who gave clear and concise instructions and then gave a model presentation as an example of what she expected from them.

I would use this type of assessment but only if the students were capable of doing so. It would depend upon their level of L2 and also could they be trusted to provide a fair assessment of their peers without showing favouritism.

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Assessment Criteria And Feedback On Speaking (4.11)

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Assessment Criteria And Feedback On Speaking (4.11)

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I think that verbal feedback is better than written feedback especially if the feedback is an informal assessment. It can be done immediately and is more personal. Written feedback might not be suitable for young leaners.

The use of Band Descriptors will provide a guide or benchmark for both the teacher and the learner. If the class is large the teacher may struggle to apply a standard to all pupils without a guide or benchmark. The learner can see how they are progressing and what they need to do and where their weaker areas are.

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We learn from our mistakes so getting the students to correct their own mistakes ought to reinforce their learning. The use of correction codes will make this a quicker task for the teacher. This probably won’t work with young learners where written or verbal correction may be better used.

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I chose the Secondary level writing piece as I thought that this would be the more challenging. I corrected the content first as the student had managed to convey the meaning in their writing which is half the battle. Next I corrected the spelling, punctuation and grammar. If the meaning is understood then poor spelling, punctuation and grammar can be overlooked. If the learner can convey their message so that it is understood then the spelling, punctuation and grammar can be improved later and not the other way around.

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Once again, many thanks for the links.

If you want to know more about this week’s topics or you have completed the activities with time to spare, have a look at the links and videos below.

Articles, webinars, blog posts, publications and teaching tips to help you develop in the professional practice of assessing learning.

Read an article by Marie Delaney talking about inclusive assessment practices.

Watch this short video introduction to the CEFR. The website includes a graph showing how international English exams relate to the CEFR levels and there are other useful links below the graph.

Council of Europe speaking assessment criteria (pdf).

Council of Europe Tools for Language Teaching (pdf). This includes information on using the CEFR for assessment and language portfolios.

Read more about testing and assessment, including problems with tests.

An article about evaluating speaking.

An article about providing feedback as formative assessment.

Read this article about lower stakes assessment with some practical suggestions about how to conduct it.

Various videos about assessing learning from Reading University (not English-specific and based on tertiary level learners)

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Next I will be attending a CELTA course (Dec 17) in London and then I will be participating in the third part of this MOOC course. I will look at other courses on here and at the British Council in the future.

It’s time to consider how you will continue your professional development after this course.
Continue learning with the British Council

Join the global community. You can still engage with people all over the world to develop your understanding of language. If you haven’t already, join the community on our TeachingEnglish Facebook community with over 3.7 million fans.

Use our other resources. The British Council has a wide range of free resources for both teachers and learners of English. On the TeachingEnglish website you can download lesson plans and resources for use in classrooms and get information about professional development, conferences and qualifications.

On the LearnEnglish website you can find hundreds of pages of audio, stories, games and video content and over 2,000 interactive exercises to help you improve your English or to use with your students.

Take another course. You can take an online teacher training course with the British Council. We have a wide range of online courses to help you with your professional development, tailored to different language levels and different career stages.

Join another four-week Teacher Development MOOC as part of the British Council Teaching for Success program. The Classroom and the World, starts on Monday 4th December.

You can find out about British Council MOOCs for English language learners and for teachers here. You could direct your learners to some of these courses, or try them yourself!

What’s next for you?

Look back at the notes that you have made in your journal and join the discussion by adding your comments below.

How will you continue your professional development after you complete this course?

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(Both) All and everything!

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Thanks for another great course. See you on the next one!

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“Diversity – a range of different things”.

Diversity in the classroom environment should reflect the different styles of learning to allow for the different abilities due to different levels of intelligence.

I agree with most of the teachers interviewed but I’m not quite sure about the musical metaphor.

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Valuing Diversity In The Classroom (3.2)

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Valuing Diversity In The Classroom (3.2)

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Ask me in a year’s time!

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The activities will be useful for making students aware of issues that they may not be aware of or only know a little about. Making students more aware of other people’s differences will break down barriers in society and remove the ignorance which breeds fear, discrimination and racism.

However, cultural and religious sensitivity needs to be considered as well as whether the students have covered the subject matter in their L1 studies. Would it be appropriate for the students’ first exposure to the subject matter to be in an L2 class?

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Differentiation in the classroom is the tailoring of instruction to meet individual needs. This can be achieved by grouping students by the level for some tasks but bringing them all together for others to avoid jealousy or elitism. Flexible grouping, i.e. changing the students between different groups occasionally, as well as the use of differing content, processes and products.

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Varying tasks and media will prevent the same old format being used in the classroom which will inevitably bore the students and inhibit their learning. By changing the format and using different media as well as realia the students will feel that they are learning and enjoy doing so with new activities.

Both the teacher and the students should be involved in the decision making process. The teacher ought to determine the majority of the tasks to ensure that they are suitable for the level of the students. Students if given a choice of tasks will feel empowered and will be more open to learning.

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The teacher uses the blackboard with flashcards stuck on to give the instructions to the students. To practice the process part of the lesson she employs art and craft materials.

Although the focus of the lesson is on the process writing, listening and reading skills are also practised. Lessons like this can prove to young learners that learning isn’t always boring and can be fun.

Other examples to practice process writing could be writing recipes, tourist advice for their own town/city, i.e. how to do get from the airport to the town/city centre by public transport, or writing an instruction guide for a piece of equipment, i.e. how to use a toaster or kettle, etc.

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Warmer:

Introduce the topic using pictures (realia or flashcards) to describe regular routines and time expressions followed by audio or video on the topic to provide listening practice.

Presentation:

Then introduce relevant vocabulary and check the students understanding of the form with drilling.

Controlled practice:

Next give the students a text to read and answer questions on worksheets.

Freer practice:

In groups (2/4) get the students to discuss their routine in a past event/timeline and then describe this to the class.

Homework:

To practice their writing skill, either exploring further what was discussed in the freer practice or another past event, i.e. holiday, etc.

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Allowing the students to suggest topics for lessons can firstly give the teach fresher ideas that will interest the students more than a topic that the students might feel was ‘forced’ upon them and secondly if the students feel that they have some control over their teaching they will be better placed to learn.

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I had not heard of the term scaffolding with regard to language training so this is something I will look into and educate myself with.

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I would allow the students to sit where they like initially as they will naturally pair up, however that may need revising if there are weaker students paired together. I would use pair work initially in controlled practice and then group work in freer practice with the pairs being with whom the students are sat next to (elbow friends).

I like the idea of jigsaw training this is something else I have not heard of before that I will have to look into.

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For the Prepositions I would use flashcards and gap fill together and identifying mistakes in a piece of text.

For the Food I would use flashcards and realia and if appropriate real food items for younger learners and recipes and menus for more advanced learners although I have seen some other excellent suggestions on here too.

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Tiered instructions, apart from giving more advanced learners something extra to do, can allow less advanced learners initially to complete the basic task and then, when they are more confident, to attempt something extra to improve themselves.

A difficulty here would if the less advanced learners tried to do too much too soon and if they did not succeed in the extra task they could lose confidence in their abilities. Close monitoring will alleviate this, hopefully.

With regard to the choice of outcome, initially the teacher ought to decide the content. As the learners become more advanced and known to the teacher then the learners could decide some outcomes for themselves.

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Content: prop (mobile phone), blackboard, coursebook, cards on wall, demonstration, interviewing, game (running dictation), reading, gap fill.

Process: elicitation, drilling, vocabulary pre-teach, scaffolding, pairs, groups (8s), whole class.

Product: asking Sts questions, feedback, confirmation of lesson’s aims.

Other ways differentiation could be applied would depend on what other resources and materials the teacher had available to him. If available, then more pictures on the board and walls, the use of flashcards.

The Extension Wheel Strategy mentioned by Juanita sounds very good, a sort of pictorial brainstorming.

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I can’t think of anything to add at the moment but I think that this is a useful tool to conduct periodic reviews and then add to it as the need arises.

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I look forward to trying many of the new things covered this week which I had not heard of before. This has been a very enlightening week.

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If you want to know more about this week’s topics or you have completed the activities with time to spare, have a look at the links and videos below.

Articles, webinars, blog posts, publications and teaching tips to help you develop in the professional practice of using inclusive practices.

Reconcilable Differences? Standards-Based Teaching and Differentiation is an in-depth article by Carol Ann Tomlinson about the challenges and opportunities of differentiating in systems where standards-based teaching and testing is important. You can watch her in action in this sample video from an MEd programme.

News articles and quizzes at different levels The free version of this site requires registration to participate in quizzes. You or your students can decide which level of text to access, but everyone can read the same story. News stories are updated daily.

Practical suggestions for differentiation.

The British Council’s Teaching English site has a number of short courses looking at different aspects of working with children with special educational needs. For example, this Inclusive Assessment Approaches course helps you check your learners progress while being aware of their needs. You can see the full range of courses on offer on this page.

Bookmark this huge resource of articles and weblinks on differentiated instruction.

Thank you for more excellent links.

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Great week, see you next week.

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Firstly, a teacher should be an SME (subject matter expert) in whatever their chosen field. Secondly, knowing the subject isn’t simply good enough if you cannot convey that information to your students, i.e. you must know how to teach your particular subject. Thirdly, the EFL/ESL teacher must be prepared to refresh and improve their style or method of teaching to keep up with changing technology and topics/lifestyles that would be used to teach scenarios in our classes.

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I would imagine that depending upon the age of the students then there would naturally be a greater amount of knowledge for adults compared to that of young learners. However, this may differ due to the ethnic/religious background of the student(s) with respect to L1 and L2 and also with someone who has travelled more widely than another who has not, irrespective of their ages. Travel broadens the mind and a child with parents or grandparents who speak a language which is not L1 to the country they live in will influence the young learner.

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Like many here I tend to agree with both teachers. To take Paola’s analogy further - if words, i.e. vocabulary, are the bricks with which we build the wall then grammar and its rules are the foundation that the wall is built upon. But the bricks require mortar otherwise the wall will be unstable. The context of the vocabulary will bind those bricks together otherwise the vocabulary will be meaningless random words.

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I think the list is a good start and no doubt many will come up with excellent additions. I especially like Chahida’s idea of adding synonyms and antonyms.

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Well, seeing that I have yet to find my first teaching post and thus teach my first class, I felt that I had to say that I’m not very confident. The courses that we do give us the tools to ply our trade there is no substitute for experience. So, until then I will remain not very confident.

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In this age of the internet I would imagine that online dictionaries and thesauruses will be used by most teachers if they have access to them otherwise good old-fashioned hardcopy books will be used. Help and advice from colleagues, both mentor and peers, will be invaluable even if they are used as a sounding board.

Websites that I particularly like are learnersdictionary.com (Merriam Webster), englishgrammar.org, englishgrammar101.com and learnenglish.britishcouncil.org.

With regard to ‘incidental teaching’ if the answer is a simple and quick one then deal with it there and then. If it is not simple or quick to answer then if there is time do so at the end of the lesson, otherwise find time to clarify the point at the beginning of the next lesson with that particular class.

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The teacher is miming and asking individual students to check the understanding of the class.

I feel that, if it were possible, the teacher ought to have taken a photo of each story page and projected them on to the wall or a screen as most of the students cannot see what the teacher is pointing to.

Older students may feel that the approach used by the teacher in the video may be too childish for them. Explaining the context of the word or phrase and when to use it/them may be more beneficial to an older student using real-life situations and pictures/videos/realia.

Reading this forum I’ve just discovered TPR!!! Wow, this is very enlightening.

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The list is fairly comprehensive but I add that the use of open and closed questions to check understanding will need to be occasionally reinforced with pictures/videos and miming.

Facial expressions and body language are one indicator and the level of response from the class are another. If they know you will see it in their expressions and body language and hear it in their responses. If they don’t understand it will become apparent.

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It is important for learners to have plenty of practice in class because it is far better to make mistakes in class as they can be corrected before they become a habit. Habits are hard to break once they are fixed in the memory.

Many language learners can be shy to use new L2 language in public but less shy in front of fellow students. L2 language is a skill that needs to be practiced to avoid skill fade.  As the saying goes “practice makes perfect”.

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The primary students were practising the present perfect tense with “have got”/”have not got” questions about pets using closed questions. The secondary students were practising the past simple tense (although the board said present perfect) with a questionnaire using open questions.

Closed questions would be better suited to young/new learners wot hope questions retained for more advanced learners. As the students’ progress the topic of the open questions can be expanded as their vocabulary increases.

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For new/young learners I would say getting the basics right is key, so their pronunciation must be corrected and reinforced. For more advanced learners I would say communication is more important than correct pronunciation and accent. After all someone speaking L2 is a foreigner but practice might soften their accent. No one cares about accent if they can understand what the L2 speaker is saying.

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Pronunciation Techniques In The Classroom (2.14)

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Pronunciation Techniques In The Classroom (2.14)

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That was an eye-opener! I hadn’t considered intonation and rhythm before. John Kay’s points on rhythm and intonation are very good indeed. Something I will use.

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As I am newly qualified and yet to attain my first teaching post I am looking forward (nervously) to everything. But I will admit that I am hesitant with regard to teaching grammar. I don’t know what age group will suit me but teaching young learners, teenagers and adults all have their pros and cons, I suppose.

Tips and advice that I have gleaned from this forum over this course and the last course are invaluable, so thank you everyone!

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If you want to know more about this week’s topics or you have completed the activities with time to spare, have a look at the links and videos below.

Articles, webinars, blog posts, publications and teaching tips to help you develop in the professional practice of knowing the subject

English grammar reference for researching language you are going to teach

Ways to check understanding with a focus on concept questions

Vocabulary practice activities

Downloadable interactive phonemic chart with some fun activities to use in class

Search a variety of articles about pronunciation for your particular interest

Once again, more great links. Many thanks!

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Another great week with very interesting points in the video. See you next week.

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Hi, I'm Steve from the UK. I recently finished an online TEFL course and I am looking for my first teaching role. Hopefully, this course will help to improve the skills that I learnt on my course.

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Seven Tips For Your Future Learn Course (1.2)

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Seven Tips For Your Future Learn Course (1.2)

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I have recently been learning basic Italian and I am currently learning basic Spanish.

My extrinsic motivation is that I would like to work in one of these countries and if I am unsuccessful then I still hope to visit on holiday. I get a buzz out of being able to converse with a local in their own language – even if it is only to order some food /drink or to ask directions and then understand them.
My intrinsic motivation is that I have found a basic level aural course on Audible (spoken word) that I can listen too when I go for a walk every day. This course has no requirement for books or to write anything down and I have progressed quicker at a basic level whilst being able to do another activity.

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I like Jingli’s idea about asking the students what topics they want to learn and what they expect from the teacher. Giving this as aan activity for a group presentation is a good idea.
I also like Bulara’s idea of the “See Who I Know” activity which will make YLs more comfortable as adults may not be quite so shy.

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I started using Padlet on the previous course as a notebook to record my comments and found it very useful to look back on. When I get my first teaching post I will definitely use it to record my thoughts and to monitor my own progress although it will be a while before I make this a public journal.

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Video Q&A Your Questions For The Educators (1.6)

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Video Q&A Your Questions For The Educators (1.6)

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As a new teacher my fear is that I will be dropped in the deep end with a class (or classes) who know very little, if any, L2 and where I know very little of the student’s L1. How do I make them understand basic teacher’s commands and instructions? Would be the best approach in that scenario be to learn the student’s L1 to initially give my instructions and commands and then by the 2nd lesson use only the student’s L2 (my L1)?

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To echo Danilo’s comments, whilst JK Rowling and Harry Potter are well known in popular culture it would be wrong to assume that every student has seen the films or read the books. Indeed one of the students in the video states that he does not like to read! Perhaps the best way to approach this would have been to briefly mention Harry Potter in another lesson to see the reaction and then to give the lesson shown in the video safe in the knowledge that the majority of the class have at least seen a film or read a book in the series.

Her rapport is easy and relaxed so I will presume that she has known the class previously. The students react to her well without the need for the teacher to work hard to elicit information from the students.

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The best method I found as an Instructor was to start by leading by example with good-timekeeping, a good attitude and a smart appearance as no one will respect you if you don’t respect the student’s by adopting this initial approach. First impressions count!
Once the lesson is underway then a relaxed but professional attitude, showing knowledge of your subject without being condescending, being polite and showing respect to your students will win most of them over. You won’t always please all of them, so don’t try. Humour is best used sparingly at first until they get to know you and vice versa. Once you all know each other then humour and self-deprecation are to be used as often is suitable.

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I agree with Patrice’s approach to praise. Too much praise will dilute any real praise given and should be used to reward the students when praise is actually due.

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Problems With Speaking Activities (1.10)

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Problems With Speaking Activities (1.10)

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From my own experiences of speaking foreign languages, when either on holiday or if working in that country, I tend to be shy and speak quietly at first. After some success my confidence grows and then I speak louder. At the end of the holiday I am brimming with confidence but always I am very conscious of making mistakes and looking foolish to the locals.
I have found that locals respond better if you attempt to speak their own language even if you make a hash of it grammatically. How many of us speak our own language (L1) perfectly and grammatically correct all the time?
Therefore I can understand and sympathise with students who might be shy and unsure of their own oral ability. I agree with many of the posts below and see that role play and small group (pairs) work before a wider classroom discussion is the best way to encourage shy and less confident students.

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The teachers ensure that the classroom atmosphere is friendly and open to encourage the students to participate and learn. If learning is seen as something fun or enjoyable then the students will be more relaxed and will learn quicker than if the atmosphere is oppressive and unhappy.

Younger students will be quite happy to learn through games but role play may not work with very young students. Teenagers may not want to play games as they feel that the games are childish. Teenagers are on the cusp of adulthood so role play and discussion may be more appropriate. Adults will feel that games are beneath them so role play with realistic scenarios and discussion of everyday topics may be more suitable for them.

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I like the idea of asking the students about their likes AND their dislikes at the beginning of the term/year to determine which topics to use for the lessons. Clear goals and instructions are paramount as is giving the students enough time to prepare. Allowing the students to work together not only encourages weaker and shy pupils to participate but allows them to practice with their partner/group before they have to do so in front of the rest of the class.

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This is a difficult one as all three items are vital. I think that attitude is the most important out of the three as a teacher with the right attitude can influence the student’s attitude creating a rapport and fostering enthusiasm by example.

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If you want to know more about this week’s topics or you have completed the activities with time to spare, have a look at the links and videos below.

Articles, webinars, blog posts, publications and teaching tips to help you develop in the professional practice of understanding your learners

EFL author Scott Thornbury discusses rapport

Useful tips on motivating teenagers

Carol Read reveals the secrets of teaching children in this video

Watch a series of teacher development videos about teaching speaking. You’ll need to register with the British Council TeachingEnglish website (for free) to get access.

Motivating speaking activities for low levels