My Own Glossary

By Licda. Guiselle Weelkly

Throughout the document  of A practical Guide to Assessing English Language Learners I have studied several words that have impacted my learning process, the same I will share at this moment:

•  Washback:   a positive or negative perception.

• Benchmark: a reference to evaluate or check by comparison.  

• Bolsters: encourage, or reinforce, tool that provide structural support.

• Procrastination: it's posponed, do it later.

• Whining: to utter a plaintive, high-pitched, protracted sound, as in pain, fear, supplication, or complaint.

•  Cue: it's a reminder. 

• Feasible: something you can do easily  or conveniently. 

• Blots: a dark mark of stain, on something that is otherwise good. 

•   Procrastinate: To postpone.

• Genre:  a class or category of artistic endeavor having a particular form, content, technique.

• Jeopardy: To put something at risk.

• Assessment:  It's always a great word to know, it's the act of assessing, appraisal, evaluation.

• Evaluation: The process of examining a system or system component to determine the extent to which specified properties are present.

• Testing: It's the act of subjecting to experimental test in order to determine how well something works.

• Conerstone: The back bone of something ( el meollo , el principal).

• Hamper: To obstruct something.

• To gauge: To evaluate students ability.

• Decipher: succeed in understanding something.

• Allayed: refers to to put (fears, etc.) to rest; quiet; calm.

• Germane: closely or significantly related; relevant; pertinent.
   
  
   
  

Tests for Young Learners

Synopsis

By Licda. Guiselle Weelkly

Tests for Young Learners

The following is a summary of general approaches to tests the young learners learning abilities as well as to give suggestions as to how this may be done.  
The ages that it takes into consideration are from five to twelve years old.


Teachers can drop into the mistake of not considering the children's learning styles, causing damage to them, maybe by insensitive, inapropiate testing.  


Whenever young children are going to be tested their test must provide an opportunity to develop positive  attitude towards assessment and also to help them recognize the value of assessment. 

The following are  three recommendations that will help to make young learners experiences better as they go forward in their learning process as well as in their tests.


1*  A special assessment is when  the testing becomes  an integral part of assessment,  and assessment an integral part of the teaching programme.


2* Feedback from tests should be immediate and positive.


3* Self assessment by the children should become part of the teaching programme.

Particular Demands

As teacher we need to make sure that our tests are valid and reliable, therefore,  seeking positive backwash is more important than ever.  Here the  crucial elements are  the writing of full specifications and the choice of appropiate test techniques.

It will be appropiate to take into account the followings:

• Young learners have a relatively short attention span.
• Children enjoy stories and play.
• Children respond well to pictures, attractive typography  and colors.
• First language and cognitive abilities are still developing, they should feel comfortable handlying the tasks in their own language.
•  Include tasks that relate with  interaction between two or more children, remember they learn through social interaction.

  The aim here is to include easy tasks at the beginning of a test in order to give students the confidence to tackle the more difficult ones,  also be a sympathetic teacher so that they can sense the idea of familiarity with you,  encouraging a peaceful, respectable environment.