Dr Simon Chan
Faculty of Education, HKU ssychan@hku.hk
Enhancing the Learning-Teaching- Assessment Cycle through
Assessment of/for/as Learning
in the Primary English Classroom
Warm-up Reflections
• Assessment is a fundamental part of teaching and learning.
• It is bad to ‘teach to the test’.
• Our students are only interested in right vs wrong answers.
• Our students can best prepare themselves for assessment through repeated practice.
Overview of the Workshop
• Introduction to the Learning, Teaching and Assessment (LTA) cycle and Assessment of, for and as Learning
• Introduction to the LPF and how we can use it to link assessment with teaching and learning
• Sample assessment-integrated teaching sequence reflecting principles of
– Genre-based pedagogy – Learning to read
– Reading to write
– Assessment for and as learning
• Learning from the public exam marking criteria: How we can best prepare our students for assessment of learning
[p.84, English Language Education Key Learning Area Curriculum Guide (Primary 1 – Secondary 6) (CDC, 2017)]
LTA Cycle in Reading Hands-on Task 1
• Discuss with your partners and share:
–the reading skills that you teach your primary students
–how you teach such skills
–the reading skills often tested in the TSA/Pre-S1 assessment
–sources of reading texts you use to teach
those reading skills
Major reading skills targeted in KS1&2:
• Eliciting:
– Specific information (including texts like tables and other graphic organisers)
– Connection between ideas – Gist and main ideas
– Referencing
– Dictionary skills – Inferencing
– Sequence of events
– Language features like simile, metaphor etc.
• Reference: EDB’s English Language KLA guide (CDC, 2017) http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/curriculum-development/kla/eng-
• represents the growth of learners on a
developmental continuum (i.e. across key stages) as they work towards the Learning Targets and Objectives of the English
Language curriculum;
• is made up of Learning Outcomes (LOs) organised under the four language skills and divided into eight levels of attainment;
• helps teachers better understand and articulate learners’ performance; and
• helps teachers plan strategically how to
enhance the English Language learning, ………
1 ………
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2
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3
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4
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5 ………
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6
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7
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ATM
8
Learning Outcomes
What is the Learning Progression Framework (LPF)?
The LPF:
LOsorganised & presented under the four language skills
LOsfor each language skill expressed in the form of Outcome Statements (a
general description of learner
performance)
Pointersprovide specific
examples of what learners are able to do in demonstrating the LOs.
Underlying Principles elucidate some of the learning objectives which do not lend themselves to the description in terms of 8 attainment milestones but are essential to English language
Outcome Statements
Underlying Principles
Exemplars
Exemplars illustrate the expected student performance.
ATMs
Figure Illustrating the Structure of the LPF for English Language
Aspects of Progression shown in the Productive and Receptive Skills
Speaking Writing
• Content, Organisation and Communication Strategies
• Language
• Pronunciation, Stress, Rhythm and Intonation
• Content
• Organisation
• Language and Style
Underlying Principles Underlying Principles Productive
Skills
The outcome statements show the progression in terms of:
Reading Listening
The outcome statements show the progression in terms of:
• Depth of processing information, ideas and feelings
• Text complexity
• Range and application of strategies
Receptive Skills
Sources of Texts
• Textbooks
• TSA past papers
• Other exercise books etc.
How about readers?
How to Have a Green Day
Connecting learning experiences between GE Programme & Reading Workshops (KS2 Module:
Taking care of our earth)
Highlights of the book:
• broad cross-curricular content knowledge that allows students to link their learning experiences from English to General Studies (i.e. Reading across the curriculum)
• students could learn about the text type features of an information book and learn to become an independent reader with the help of glossary
Suggested activities:
KS1: Poster/signage design
KS2: ‘Bring Your Own Bag’ Campaign (Canvas bag design)
Promoting Values Education via Reading Workshops
Green tips are organised in chapters
Book title: How to Have a Green Day Author: Jenny Alexander
Publisher: Pearson Education Limited ISBN: 9780582461772
Sample Teaching, Learning and Assessment Sequence
• The following teaching sequence requires you to participate in the capacity of both a KS2
teacher and student. I’ll tell you when to switch your role.
Student Role: Teacher Role:
Completing the lesson activities based on a TSA reading text and task
Critically examining the lesson activities
Designing activities based on a new text
Pre-reading
• ‘Firing up’ the reading text for our learners
Using the LPF to Promote AfL in Reading Demo: 2018-TSA-ENG-6ERW2 Part 2
Step 1:
We’re going to watch a short video. When the video is paused, answer the question.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWY7W- lw5X8&list=PL9eQLvg85ZQR2qrUixbMSedJKbCS RG4t0&index=14
Jot down your answers
on any sheet of paper
Using the LPF to Promote AfL in Reading Demo: 2018-TSA-ENG-6ERW2 Part 2
(00:08) 1. Guess what smells good.
(00:15) 2. What is this video about?
(00:25) 3. Why do we add yeast when making bread?
(00:40) 4. Why do we need to grow wheat to make bread?
(01:18) 5. What is needed to make the wheat grow?
6. Where do we take the wheat to? Why?
(01:34) 7. The dough is made from __________, ____________, & _______________
Who do you think
is the video produced for? Why?
Rationale and Criteria for Using Videos in the Teaching Sequence
• Multimodality of meaning expression
• Videos as texts for building target language tasks
• Potential for introducing the grammar structure and vocabulary in the main reading text
• Potential for catering for learner diversity Task for teachers:
Can you suggest a possible video (type) for leading in the text ‘How to have a green day’? What task would you
suggest to go with the video text chosen?
How about this one?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vZvDkYoI3HU
Above is the first part of a text we’re going to read.
• What is this text about?
• What is the text type of the text? What do the heading and the subheading suggest about it?
Using the LPF to Promote AfL in Reading Demo: 2018-TSA-ENG-6ERW2 Part 2
Now read the text quickly and circle the words that we’ve come across in the previous questions.
You’ll have 1 min.
Do NOT go for details!
What tense(s) is/are used in the text? Why?
Some Food for Thoughts
Pre-reading Strategies:
• ‘Firing up’ the reading text and task (engaging students with the task) with multi-modal means
• Facilitating the subsequent reading process by…
– Activating students’ schemata of /providing
support for both content and language they are going to encounter in the reading text
– Familiarising the students with the target genre of the text, and its typical language features
Why can it be important to
make the students aware of Text Grammar
Hands-on Task 2: ‘Firing up’ the Text
• Read pages 6-10 of the book ‘How to have a green day’. What type of text is it and what is its purpose?
• What language feature(s) does the writer use to fulfil such a purpose?
• Is/are that/those feature(s) found in the subsequent pages?
• Text Type: Procedural
• Language features:
– Imperatives
– Conditionals If/When…, imperative – etc.
While-reading
• Integrating the teaching, learning and assessment of reading by means of
understanding reading questions critically, and therefore providing appropriate guidance
Let’s read the text in detail and answer the questions together.
1. According to the article,
where do people buy bread?
A. supermarkets
B. department stores C. farms
D. mills
What are the keywords in the question?
Are the keywords found in the text?
Many people like eating bread and it is sold in bakeries, supermarkets and convenience stores.
Please refer to the Reading LPF and find out…
1. According to the article,
where do people buy bread?
A. supermarkets
B. department stores C. farms
D. mills
Which LPF pointer(s) is/are targeted in this item?
• locate specific information by identifying key words (ATM 2), i.e. sold, supermarkets
• deduce information and ideas by using semantic clues (ATM 4), i.e. the antonyms ‘buy’ and ‘sold’
2. How many kinds of
bread does the article mention?
A. 2 B. 3 C. 4 D. 5
What are the keywords in the question?
Why not 2?
In Hong Kong, people like white bread and hotdog buns. The pictures below show some other kinds of bread.
2. How many kinds of
bread does the article mention?
A. 2 B. 3 C. 4 D. 5
Which LPF pointer(s) is/are targeted in this item?
• locate specific information by identifying key words (ATM 2), i.e. kinds of (Are croissants, bagels key words here too?)
• follow ideas by understanding the use of simple cohesive devices (ATM 2),
i.e. other
3. Put the following pictures in the correct order.
Where in the text are the four steps mentioned?
Some keywords to learn first:
How do we know their meaning?
3. Put the following pictures in the correct order.
Which LPF pointer(s) is/are targeted in this item?
• work out the meaning of words by using semantic (pictorial) clues (ATM 4)
• locate details which support the main ideas from different parts of a text (ATM 4)
• follow ideas by recognising simple text structures and understanding the use of cohesive devices (ATM 4) What are those devices?
1. 2. 3. 4….
4. Who gets grain from the wheat?
Which sentence(s) should we read to get the answer?
Who are they?
1. Farmers grow wheat on farms.
4. Who gets grain from the wheat?
Which LPF pointer(s) is/are targeted in this item?
• follow ideas by understanding the use of simple cohesive devices (ATM 2),
i.e. the pronoun they
• process simple sentences by identifying meaningful chunks (ATM 2)
i.e. get/take grain from the wheat
5. What does the word ‘ground’ in
the article mean?
Is ‘ground’ a noun or a verb in the text? How do we know?
For the two meanings under
‘verb’, which one is correct?
5. What does the word ‘ground’ in
the article mean?
Which LPF pointer(s) is/are targeted in this item?
• process some compound and complex sentences (ATM 3)
i.e. passive voice
• work out the meaning of words and phrases by using syntactic clues (ATM 4)
i.e. collocations ‘is ground’, ‘into flour’
grind the grain into flour
make something into small pieces
6. This article is about ____________.
A. different types of hotdog buns
B. where mills are C. farmers’ job
D. the making of bread
Are the keywords in A, B, C & D mentioned in the text?
Apart from the title of the article, what tells us the main idea of it?
Types of bread From wheat to bread
6. This article is about ____________.
A. different types of hotdog buns
B. where mills are C. farmers’ job
D. the making of bread
Which LPF pointer(s) is/are targeted in this item?
• locate details which
support the main ideas from different parts of a text (ATM 4)
• follow ideas by
recognising simple text structures and
understanding the use of cohesive devices
(ATM 4)
What are some possible pedagogic
implications from the above demo?
Assessment of/for/as Learning
While-reading Strategies:
• ‘Teaching’ Vs ‘Assessing’ students (assessment of learning )
• Apprenticing the application of specific reading LPF outcomes using the reading items as the context (e.g. identifying the semantic and
syntactic clues) (assessment for learning )
• Actively involving the students in the reading process (i.e. not just the final product!) and in
evaluating such process through scaffolding Q&As (i.e. realising the assessment as learning)
Post-reading
• Communication of quality feedback
Assessment for/as Learning
Post-reading Strategies:
• Providing constructive and specific feedback based on the students’ performance in the reading task (assessment for learning)
• Actively involving the students in identifying their strengths and weaknesses in their grasp of the specific reading strategies (assessment as learning)
Hands-on Task 3:
Designing an LPF-informed Reading Task
• Read pages 6-10 of the book ‘How to have a green day’ again. Can you suggest setting some
assessment items targeting the following reading foci: specific information, inferencing, main ideas?
What syntactic and/or semantic clues would you identify in the text to guide the students to answer those questions? Share your plan with the rest of us!
Read P.6-7. These are tips on:
A. Eating breakfast B. Watching TV
C. Getting dressed D. Saving electricity
Reading skill targeted: Main ideas
Read P.9. Before bottles and jars are recycled, they need to be_____________________.
A. kept in boxes
B. wrapped with old newspapers C. put on breakfast dishes
D. cleaned with water
Reading skill targeted: Specific information
What’s wrong with a ‘running’ or ‘dripping’ tap (p.10)?
Reading skill targeted: Inferencing
Reading-to-Write Task:
You are entering a recipe design competition
organised by Hong Kong Bakery. Design a dish using one of the following four types of bread as the main ingredient and write a recipe for the dish:
- white bread - hotdog buns - croissant
- bagel
Hands-on Task 4:
Brainstorming Teaching Ideas for Writing
• With reference to the writing LPF, brainstorm some strategies to help your students attempt the writing task on the previous slide
according to the three domains of content, organisation, and language and style.
Pre-writing
• Helping learners to build content, organisation and language for the writing task
Assessment for/as Learning
Content:
1. Guiding the students to read a sample recipe carefully to identify the purposes and rhetorical structures
E.g. Do you know the
purpose of writing recipes?
How many parts are there in a recipe? What are they?
Check your answers with the sample recipe text.
2014-TSA_ENG_6ERW1_Part 3: Possible to build
47
Assessment for/as Learning
Content:
2. Developing graphic organisers WITH the students
E.g.
Ingredients Steps
tomatoes Cut into slices
Assessment for/as Learning
Organisation:
1. Providing an appropriate writing frame
E.g. (Name of the dish)
Ingredients:
___________
___________
___________
___________
Steps:
1. ________________________________________
2. ________________________________________
3. ________________________________________
Function?
Function?
Function?
Assessment for/as Learning
Language and Style:
1. Use of ‘sentence-making tables’
To be filled in with reference to the sample recipe with the students, e.g.
Function: Pattern: Example:
Listing
ingredients
(how much/many) + (of) + noun
3 tomatoes
30 g of white sugar
Explaining steps
Cut…
Add…
Cut the tomatoes into slices Add sugar into the bowl Describing
the dish
It’s + adjective It’s yummy /delicious /tasty!
Text Grammar Achieved!
While and Post-writing
• Quality assessment for and as learning
Assessment for/as Learning
Additional Strategy for AfL and AaL:
Providing quality and timely feedback through the ‘Two Stars and a Wish’ format:
Why not 2 Stars &
2 Wishes, 1 Star & 2
wishes etc.?
Hands-on Task 5: Designing a Reading to Write Task:
• With reference to the book ‘How to have a good day’, design a writing task appropriate for your KS2 learners, in which they can
recycle their understanding of the reading text(s).
• How would you apply the strategies
introduced just now to guide the students to write their essay?
Assessment of Writing
Hands-on Task 6: Understanding the Writing Marking Criteria
1. With reference to the TSA Writing Marking
Criteria, can you identify some specific aspects targeted in each of the domains?
2. Read the student exemplars and grade the students according to the criteria.
3. What can be some pedagogic implications for our building the learning-teaching-assessment cycle?
A Wrap Up
Possible Strategies to Establish a
Learning-Teaching-Assessment cycle in Writing:
• Developing graphic organisers (e.g. mind-maps) with (not for!!) the students
• Use of writing frames
• Use of sentence-making tables
• Collaborative writing during which the students provide each other with qualitative feedback (i.e.
assessment as learning)
Possible Strategies to Establish a Learning-
Teaching-Assessment cycle in Writing (Cont’d):
• Explaining clearly to students the learning objectives and assessment criteria to enable them to make informed
decisions about their own learning direction;
• Designing task-specific assessment rubrics;
• Providing opportunities for peer assessment and self-
assessment (e.g. through the ‘Two Stars and a Wish’ method);
• Guiding students throughout the assessment process, discussing or negotiating with them the success criteria, providing sample work for discussion or illustration of the expected standards, and explicitly introducing metacognitive strategies (e.g. goal setting, the use of reflection tools such as K-W-L charts) that enhance the depth and quality of students’
self-reflection;
• Providing opportunities for students to practise self- monitoring skills; etc.
E-resources for Building Learning- Teaching-Assessment Cycles
• E-books by publishers
• The Star Platform: https://star.hkedcity.net/en/
• Kahoot!
• Mentimeter etc.
