Overview

Our institute has raised the requirements for foreign language learning graduation so there is a critical need for initiatives and learning strategies to increase students learning performance and language proficiency. While having all the resources in hands, the faculty continues to support students learning in order to match the new set of requirements. It is critical to undertake new initiatives in teaching and diagnostic assessment in order to help students reach the actual zone of development in the field of foreign language education. The Foreign Language Learning Program at this institute is rigorous and fast-paced; new students must quickly adapt and develop a strategic approach to the process and achieving expected outcomes.

Hence, a well-organized and engaging curriculum equipped with a diagnostic assessment, achievement tests, and student learning strategies is one of the driving factors influencing adult learners' language performance. This Diagnostic Language Learning module highlights the knowledge and skills needed to perform all aspects of diagnostic assessment following specific guidelines and protocols for second language learning.

With the completion of this learning module, students will be able to translate the ideas and principles of this course into their own approach to learning a foreign language. Students will be able to use the course content in order to learn about their learning and share their learning preferences with educators. In turn, educators will implement diagnostic and differentiated instruction into classroom instruction and provide constructive feedback to teaching teams.

Module Duration and Assignments

This learning module will take approximately 8 weeks starting with the first semester. Students will work on this assigned module every week in English. The window to complete each assigned module opens on Friday morning and closes on Wednesday. Provide answers to open-ended questions and write down 300-500 words essays are due on Monday. Students provide feedback on at least one classmate’s posting.

The teaching team will grade the 4 modules with the best scores per student.

Questions: 30%. Automatically graded in Sakai. Teachers acquire the points from the Gradebook in Sakai.
One update: 50%. Students must address the topic in no less than 250 words; graded by the teaching team. Teachers assign 50 points for completed work, 30 points for incomplete work, and 0 for no work.
One peer comment: 20%. No less than 50 words. Teachers assign 20 points for completed work, 12 points for incomplete work, and 0 for no work.

All three parts are counted together for 20% of the area studies subject.

Grading scale

100-90 (A)

89-80 (B)

79-70 (C)

69-60 (D)

59-0 (F)

Obectives

For Learners

Demonstrate the knowledge and skills needed to perform all aspects of diagnostic assessment following specific guidelines and protocols.
Acquire diagnostic and differentiated approaches and adapt the knowledge learned to foreign language learning.

For Educators

Students will enhance their knowledge of assessment in education, particularly, foreign language education.

Students will deepen their foreign language assessment skills through knowledge of the diagnostic assessment.

What is DA?

For Learners

Activity A: In a group of two or three, students discuss the following questions and later share their thoughts with the whole class.

What is the role of assessment in learning?
What are your thoughts about the diagnostic assessment?

Activity B: Students will watch the following video describing the details and examples used for diagnostic assessment. Peer feedback must be completed before midnight, Wednesday.

Media embedded November 21, 2020

How important is a Diagnostic Assessment?

Activity C: Watch the following video to further explore DA and its critical role in learning.

Media embedded November 21, 2020

Make a comment: How important diagnostic assessment tool is for learners? How could you apply your knowledge to the workforce or other aspects of your lives?

Write an update: Share your experiences on assessment and learning. Please respond to two other peer updates.

For Educators

Learners should be able to learn the following:

Definition: DA is an assessment tool, not a testing tool that is aimed at answering four questions:

1- What can a learner do?

2- What can he/she not do?

3- Where should he/she be in the learning progress?

4- How to help him/her achieve the learning goals?

As a result, the DA is not t used to test learners or assign a level to a learner.

In a way, DA is a teaching tool because it is referred to during the learning process to scaffold learners’ skills and knowledge and redirect their learning if needed. The DA itself is not a teaching tool. Therefore, students are not to be challenged to work with text beyond their level during the DA sessions in the same way they are during the teaching process. The DA aims to describe the learner’s level.

Formative Vs Summative Assessment

For Learners

Activity A: Before you watch the video, please share your thoughts about types of assessment? What is the difference between formative and summative assessments?

Media embedded November 21, 2020

Please read the following definitions of summative and formative assessments:

1. Summative Assessment:

a. Refers to the assessment of learning and summarizes the development of a learner at a particular point in time.

b. After a period of instruction, (e.g. a unit for two weeks), a learner test a test and the

teacher marks the test and assigns a score/level.

c. The test aims to summarize learning up to that point in time.

*Example of summative assessments at our Institute would be the unit test or the final DLPT test.

2. Formative Assessment:

a. Diagnostic testing is a range of formal and informal assessment procedures used by educators during the learning process in order to modify teaching and learning activities to improve student achievement.

b. It typically involves qualitative feedback, rather than quantitative feedback such as grades, that focuses on the details of content and learner performance.

c. It is commonly contrasted with summative assessment, which seeks to monitor educational outcomes, often for purposes of external accountability.

*Examples of formative assessment in our institute would-be the Diagnostic Assessment interview, some forms of assistance offered during teaching hours or SA hours.

Make a comment: Share your thoughts on formative and summative assessments. How could you apply these assessments to the workforce or other aspects of your lives?

Write an update: Write about assessment based apps? To what extent, these apps are effective in measuring learning progress. Include at least one type of media in the update and respond to three other peer updates.

For Educator

A- Our objective here is to prepare our students for the topics and the relevant details of the role of formative and summative in learning.

B- Teacher tasks students in pair or group the class for discussion. Then, she/he has students share their viewpoints with the class. If the class is big, grouping might work better, so that one person from each group can report.

ZAD Vs ZPD

For Learners

What is the zone of actual development (ZAD) and zone of proximal development (ZPD)?

Activity A: Please click on the following link and read through the article. Be prepared to share the gist of the paper with your peers and discuss the topic of ZAD and ZPD.

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1081990.pdf

Activity B: Please watch the following video of Vygotsky's Theory of Cognitive Development. Then share your ideas with your fellow classmates.

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Make a comment: How does this theory help diagnostic assessment?

Write an update: Write an update on other relevant theories in the field of diagnostic assessment. Include at least one type of media in the update and respond to two other peer updates.

For Educator

Help students understand the definitions of ZAD and ZPD. Also, encourage students to explore the theory behind it and how it contributes to the DA and their academic performance. It is important the students consider how they could apply their knowledge to the workforce or other aspects of their lives.

Barsch Sensory Preferences

For Learners

Check the following video:

Activity A: In a group of two or three, students discuss the following questions and video. Later share your thoughts with the whole class in the form of a presentation, artwork, or video.

What do you know about the learning styles?

How is relevant learning styles are in learning?

Media embedded November 23, 2020

Activity B: The following files will help you find out their sensory preferences. Later, share your thoughts in groups.

1_20Barsch_20Survey.pdf

1_20Barsch_20Scoring.xlsx

Here is how to find out your preferences

https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/udl/cresource/q1/p01/activity-barsch-inventory/#content

Additional Resources:

Media embedded November 24, 2020

Make a comment: share your comment on the following question

What did you think of the TedX video?

Write an update: use the above or your own resources and make an update on the strengths and weaknesses of sensory preferences. Challenges and solutions. Also, investigate the Barsch Sensory Preferences assessment and compare it to any similar assessments in education. Include at least one type of media in the update and respond to two other peer updates.

For Educator

Encourage students to share their thoughts with the class.

Through group learning, they will be able to reflect on the sensory preferences and its impact on learning and academic performance.

Personality Types

For Learners

Activity A: What is MBTI? Discuss your thoughts with your peers.

Definition: The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is developed by Katharine C. Briggs & Isabel Briggs Myers

Application of Jung’s Personality Theory: Preferences as innate (inborn) predispositions. Preferences are shaped by environmental influences (education, parenting, culture, etc.)

Nature (MBTI) vs. Nurture (Environment). MBTI looks only at normal behaviors. There are no right or wrong answers, and no better or worse types. Avoid stereotyping. All types have potential strengths and possible pitfalls or blind spots.

They are not ‘TRAITS’ (behavioral habits). We usually do not use both preferences with equal comfort. Most of us have a preference for one or the other.

Activity B: Please go through the following charts and share your thoughts in groups.

JakeBeech, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:JakeBeech

Activity C: Watch the following videos to further explore MBTI and its significance in diagnostic assessment.

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Activity D: Check your MBTI scores and tell the class if you agree with it.

3_20MBTI_20Survey.pdf

3_20MBTI_20Scoring.xls

Additional resource:

https://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/

Make a comment: Share your thoughts on personality types in education.

Write an update: Write about other metrics and online assessments in the field of education. Include at least one type of media in the update and respond to tw other peer updates.

For Educator

In this session, students will able to learn about MBTI and its relevancy in learning.

Educators should focus on the following after students take their MBTI tests:

“Your type description suggests that your favorite part is X. Can you give me an example of using your (extrovert or intuition, etc.) in your TL learning? How does that work for you? Effective? If not, how would you like to make some adjustments? How do others experience that?

When/How do you use your non-preferred functions? How comfortable are you when you use these?

Can you identify what has caused you the stress with regards to your study?

Are there things you can change about that? Any room for growth to be successful in the program?

Motivated Strategies of Learning Questionnaire

For Learners

Activity A: What is Motivation Learning Strategies (MSLQ)? Share your thoughts with the class.

MSLQ measures students’ motivational orientations and their use of different learning strategies (Pintrich, Smith, Garcia, & McKeachie, 1991). It is based on the social-cognitive view of motivation and self-regulated learning (Pintrich, 2003). Students’ motivation is directly linked to their ability to self-regulate their learning activities (Eccles & Wigfield, 2002). Motivation/Learning strategies are not fixed traits.

“Motivation is dynamic and contextually bound and that learning strategy can be learned and brought under the control of the student” (Duncan & McKeachie, 2005, p. 117).

The MSLQ questionnaire has

A total of 81 items, 7-point Likert scale: 1 (not at all true of me) ----------------------------- 7 (very true of me). It has two categories:

(1) Motivation scales (31 items)

(2) Learning strategies (50 items)

In diagnostic assessment, educators focus and administer only Part I Motivation scales.

4_20MSLQ_20Survey.pdf

4_20MSLQ_20Scoring.xlsx

Make a comment: Share your thoughts on the above questionnaire and its role in learning.

Write an update: Write an update on the pros and cons of the MSLQ in education. How relevant is MSLQ in your language learning and your future career? Include at least one type of relevant media in the update and respond to two other peer updates.

For Educator

Students will be able to learn about the MSLQ.

Students will be able to work in groups and discuss the role of MSLQ in learning.

Students will make informed updates on the topic and share it on the blog.

Reflection

For Learners

Students share their thoughts in the form of a reflection paper. Your paper should be between 1000 and 1500 words. You have also the option to respond with a presentation, artwork, or video reflecting on the following questions:

What interesting points or concepts have you learned in this module?

How can these concepts help you in your language learning?

What interesting points or concepts have you learned from this module? Also, provide innovative and creative ways of application of DA. Also, respond to your two other peer reflections and provide your input.

For Educator

The teacher assesses all diagnostics assessment-related big ideas that are reflected in students' presentations, videos, insights, blogs, comments, updates, and perspectives. Students will be to provide innovative and creative ways of application of DA. The reflection paper should be between 1000 and 1500 words.The teacher will analyze student reflection for further improving this learning module.

References

Dornyei, Z. (1994). Motivation and Motivating in the Foreign Language Classroom. The Modern Language Journal, Vol. 78, No. 3 (Autumn, 1994), pp. 273-284.

Duncan, T. G., & McKeachie, W. J. (2005). The Making of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire. Educational Psychologist, 40, 117-128.

Eccles, J. S., Wigfield, A. (2002) Motivational beliefs, values, and goals. Annual Review of Psychology, 53, pp. 109-132.

Ehrman, M. E. (1996). Understanding Second Language Learning Difficulties. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

Leaver, B. L. (2003). Individualized Study Plans for Very Advanced Students of Foreign Languages. Salinas: MSI Press.Pintrich, P. R. (2003) A motivational science perspective on the role of student motivation in learning and teaching contexts. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95, 667-686.

Leaver, B. L. , M. Ehrman and B. Shekhtman (Ed.), Achieving Success in Second Language Acquisition (pp. 92-130 ). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Pintrich, P. R., Smith, D. A. F., Garcia, T., & McKeachie, W. J. (1991). A manual for the use of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, National Center for Research to Improve Postsecondary Teaching and Learning.

K. Shabani, M. Khatib, and S. Ebadi (2010) Vygotsky's zone of proximal development: Instructional implications and teachers’ professional development. English Language Teaching, 3 (4) (2010), pp. 237-248

Quenk, N., Hammer, A. L., & Majors, M. S. (2001). MBTI Step II Manual. CPP, Inc.

Introduction to Diagnostic Assessment

Learning Module

Abstract

Keywords

Overview

Obectives

For Learners

For Educators

What is DA?

For Learners

For Educators

Formative Vs Summative Assessment

For Learners

For Educator

ZAD Vs ZPD

For Learners

For Educator

Barsch Sensory Preferences

For Learners

For Educator

Personality Types

For Learners

For Educator

Motivated Strategies of Learning Questionnaire

For Learners

For Educator

Reflection

For Learners

For Educator

References