Page 210 - Teaching English at Primary Level: From Theory into the Classroom

Formative Assessment and Feedback

Figure 14.1
Learner-Developed
Assessment Task

Classroom Insight: Feedback Game
At the end of his lessons, Simon often plays a • I would really like to remember ...
game with his young learners in which each • I’m still confused about ...
of them rolls the dice and answers a ques- • An ‘aha’ moment that I had today was
tion based on the number rolled. The ques- when ...
tions are related to their understanding of In lower levels, he carries out this activity
the topic discussed. in the students’ L1, while in higher grades,
He also uses special ‘starters’ to identify learn- when their English language proficiency is
ing incidents: high enough to be able to express their ideas,
• Today I learnt ... opinions, and attitudes in a comprehensible
• One word to sum up what I learnt is ... manner, he encourages learners to use En-
• I already knew ... glish.

An important element of assessment through which learners receive infor-
mation about their language learning is feedback (Kerr, 2020). As Boyd (2020)
points out, while the teacher can give feedback in a variety of ways (to the
whole class or individually, in oral or written form), it is important to give it
directly after the task when the learners still pay attention. Feedback may be
‘strategic’ – the teacher focuses on a particular language point which needs
improvement. It is especially important to deal with one point at a time as YLs
will find it hard to absorb multiple language points. In addition, pupils need
to be shown explicitly what they can do to improve, such as a task or activity
which will help them practice the language point. Sometimes teachers can

210