IITU Offered School Teachers Criteria for Evaluating Foreign Children
On March 5, 2022, teachers of the Department of Languages of the International Information Technology University held another consultation for teachers participating in the project to improve literacy among foreign children aged 5 to 17. This course is jointly developed by the Akelius Foundation, UNICEF and IITU. It has been implemented in Kazakhstan since September 2021 in 9 pilot schools and is available on the Akelius platform. The total number of levels is five: A0, A1, A1.1, A2 (basic) and B1 (intermediate).
The participants of the seminar in the "Aquarium" format discussed the possibilities and forms of criteria-based assessment, and also pointed out its advantages over formative assessment. Assistant Professor, Candidate of Philology Dinara Aliyeva noted the importance of assessment in general, and emphasized that criteria-based assessment is the most correct, since it can be used to consider the results of a students’ work from different angles and motivate them to study harder.
“Without evaluation, you can’t see the achievements of children, or the results of your work as a teacher. Children are always waiting for the opinion of the teacher: they are interested in what grade they received. Lack of evaluation discourages them and breeds chaos. Without evaluation, we cannot move forward. It is important to evaluate children on merit. Criteria-based assessment is the best way to do this - with such a system, children will develop their abilities and develop them. Criteria system is aimed at awareness. So, we will see interest in the lessons and a positive attitude in the eyes of the children,” Dinara Asylkhanovna believes.
Assessment criteria, she says, are needed for all four components: reading, writing, speaking and listening. Tasks on the Akelius platform such as filling in the gaps, multiple choice, sorting, additions, and others correlate well with the criteria-based assessment system.
Assistant Professor, Candidate of Philology Oksana Bublikova raised the issue of how to draw up the criteria correctly. As an example, she named the parameters that she and her colleagues specially developed for foreign children. During the discussion, the teachers supported these criteria and noted the possibility of combining formative and criteria-based assessment in their lessons.
In addition, the workshop facilitators noted that the best assessment system is self-assessment, which ends with the teacher's assessment. IITU teachers named several methods suitable for self-assessment - "Traffic Light", "Tree of Success", "Talking Drawings", "Ladder of Success".
“The teacher in this case evaluates not only the work of the children, but also their own assessment. If the assessment of the teacher and the assessment of the child match, then we give feedback: "Well done, you evaluated yourself correctly!" If self-esteem is incorrect, then the teacher writes a request: “Be kinder to yourself” or “Be stricter to yourself.” We need a relaxed atmosphere in the classroom - an atmosphere of success. Do not announce failures at the lessons, always say goodbye to the students on a good positive note, so that they have enthusiasm and a desire to study further, ” Oksana Vasilievna advises.