Download or read book Assessing Foreign Language Training Needs of Adults written by Kaarina Yli-Renko and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A study investigated the foreign language needs of employees in Finland's Ministry of the Interior as a basis for developing a language training policy. Both individual employees and department heads were surveyed about perceived language training needs. Results suggest that foreign language proficiency is very important to the ministry's functioning, with the need for language skills increasing in the future. The most important languages were found to be Swedish, English, and German, with French, Russian, Norwegian, and Danish also mentioned as needed. The language proficiency of personnel was found to be insufficient, with the greatest amount of training needed in Swedish and English oral proficiency. The employees felt they needed a higher level of language proficiency for the performance of their work than the department heads felt was required. The findings suggest that self-assessment may give more realistic information about language training needs than official assessments. (Author/MSE)
Download or read book Identifying the Needs of Adults Learning a Foreign Language written by René Richterich and published by Oxford ; New York : Pergamon Press. This book was released on 1980 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Analyse et identification des besoins en langue. Définition du rôle joué par l'identification des besoins dans le système unité/crédit. Suggestions pour de nouvelles méthodes d'identification.
Download or read book Resources in Education written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 764 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Second Language Educational Experiences for Adult Learners written by John M. Norris and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2017-04-21 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cover -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Series Editors' Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- List of Illustrations -- 1 Introduction: Foundations for Designing Second Language Educational Experiences -- Part 1 Second Language Acquisition and the Language Learner -- 2 Second Language Learning Theories -- 3 Learner Individual Differences-Static -- 4 Learner Individual Differences-Dynamic -- Part 2 Second Language Instruction, Assessment, and Educational Design -- 5 Language Pedagogical Approaches -- 6 Teaching Language Skills -- 7 Assessment in Support of Language Learning and Teaching -- 8 Approaches to Curriculum and Materials Development for Language Education -- 9 Instructional Sequencing and Language Learning Progressions -- Part 3 Second Language Educational Innovation and Support -- 10 Localizing Language Education -- 11 Supporting Teachers in Utilizing Language Learning Materials -- 12 Monitoring and Improving Language Instruction -- 13 Implications for Technology-Mediated Language Learning and Instruction -- References and Suggested Readings -- Index
Download or read book New Trends in Foreign Language Teaching written by Raúl Ruiz Cecilia and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2019-01-15 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Language teaching approaches, methods and procedures are constantly undergoing reassessment. New ideas keep emerging as the growing complexity of the means of communication and the opportunities created by technology put language skills to new uses. In addition, the political, social and economic impact of globalisation, the new demands of the labour market that result from it, the pursuit of competitiveness, the challenges of intercultural communication and the diversification of culture have opened new perspectives on the central role that foreign languages have come to play in the development of contemporary societies. This book provides an insight into the latest developments in the field and discusses the new trends in foreign language teaching in four major areas, namely methods and approaches, teacher training, innovation in the classroom, and evaluation and assessment.
Download or read book A Principled Approach to Language Assessment written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2020-09-19 with total page 113 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The United States is formally represented around the world by approximately 14,000 Foreign Service officers and other personnel in the U.S. Department of State. Roughly one-third of them are required to be proficient in the local languages of the countries to which they are posted. To achieve this language proficiency for its staff, the State Department's Foreign Service Institute (FSI) provides intensive language instruction and assesses the proficiency of personnel before they are posted to a foreign country. The requirement for language proficiency is established in law and is incorporated in personnel decisions related to job placement, promotion, retention, and pay. A Principled Approach to Language Assessment: Considerations for the U.S. Foreign Service Institute evaluates the different approaches that exist to assess foreign language proficiency that FSI could potentially use. This report considers the key assessment approaches in the research literature that are appropriate for language testing, including, but not limited to, assessments that use task-based or performance-based approaches, adaptive online test administration, and portfolios.
Download or read book Handbook of Second Language Assessment written by Dina Tsagari and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2016-03-07 with total page 460 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Second language assessment is ubiquitous. It has found its way from education into questions about access to professions and migration. This volume focuses on the main debates and research advances in second language assessment in the last fifty years or so, showing the influence of linguistics, politics, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and psychometrics. There are four parts which, when taken together, address the principles and practices of second language assessment while considering its impact on society. Read separately, each part addresses a different aspect of the field. Part I deals with the conceptual foundations of second language assessment with chapters on the purposes of assessment, and standards and frameworks, as well as matters of scoring, quality assurance, and test validation. Part II addresses the theory and practice of assessing different second language skills including aspects like intercultural competence and fluency. Part III examines the challenges and opportunities of second language assessment in a range of contexts. In addition to chapters on second language assessment on a national scale, there are chapters on learning-oriented assessment, as well as the uses of second language assessment in the workplace and for migration. Part IV examines a selection of important issues in the field that deserve attention. These include the alignment of language examinations to external frameworks, the increasing use of technology to both deliver and score second language tests, the responsibilities associated with assessing test takers with special needs, the concept of 'voice' in second language assessment, and assessment literacy for teachers and other test and score users.
Download or read book Task Based Language Education written by Kris van den Branden and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2006-10-05 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Task-based language teaching (TBLT) has been attracting the attention of researchers, curriculum developers, teacher trainers and language teachers for many years. However, much of the available literature and research has been from a psycholinguistic perspective, driven by the desire to understand how people acquire a second language. Far less research has been carried out as to whether TBLT works for real teachers and real learners in a classroom environment. This book aims to offer a unique contribution by uniting a discussion of task-based pedagogical principles with descriptions of their application to real life language education problems. It provides an account of the many challenges and obstacles that the implementation of TBLT raises and discusses the different options for overcoming them. The book contains a substantial body of research from Flanders, where the implementation of TBLT has been a nationwide project for fifteen years in primary, secondary and adult education.
Download or read book Becoming Fluent written by Richard Roberts and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2015-08-14 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How adult learners can draw upon skills and knowledge honed over a lifetime to master a foreign language. Adults who want to learn a foreign language are often discouraged because they believe they cannot acquire a language as easily as children. Once they begin to learn a language, adults may be further discouraged when they find the methods used to teach children don't seem to work for them. What is an adult language learner to do? In this book, Richard Roberts and Roger Kreuz draw on insights from psychology and cognitive science to show that adults can master a foreign language if they bring to bear the skills and knowledge they have honed over a lifetime. Adults shouldn't try to learn as children do; they should learn like adults. Roberts and Kreuz report evidence that adults can learn new languages even more easily than children. Children appear to have only two advantages over adults in learning a language: they acquire a native accent more easily, and they do not suffer from self-defeating anxiety about learning a language. Adults, on the other hand, have the greater advantages—gained from experience—of an understanding of their own mental processes and knowing how to use language to do things. Adults have an especially advantageous grasp of pragmatics, the social use of language, and Roberts and Kreuz show how to leverage this metalinguistic ability in learning a new language. Learning a language takes effort. But if adult learners apply the tools acquired over a lifetime, it can be enjoyable and rewarding.
Download or read book Diagnosing Foreign Language Proficiency written by J. Charles Alderson and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2005-08-22 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book addresses the need for tests that can diagnose the strengths and weaknesses in learners' developing foreign language proficiency. It presents the rationale for, and research surrounding, the development of DIALANG, a suite of internet-delivered diagnostic foreign language tests funded by the European Commission. The word 'diagnosis' is common in discussions in language education and applied linguistics, but very few truly diagnostic tests exist. However, the diagnosis of foreign language proficiency is central to helping learners make progress. This volume explores the nature of diagnostic testing, emphasizing the need for a better understanding of the nature of appropriate diagnosis. The book starts with a debate about how diagnostic testing might most appropriately be developed. Charles Alderson argues that the field has neglected to construct diagnostic tests, partly because other forms of testing have dominated the field. Alderson examines how proficiency has been diagnosed in the key areas of language: reading, listening, writing, grammar and vocabulary. The value of self-assessment is discussed and exemplified as a key component in developing learners', and teachers', awareness of the complexity of language learning. The book ends with a consideration of and recommendations for future developments in the diagnosis of foreign language proficiency.
Download or read book Improving Foreign Language Speaking through Formative Assessment written by Harry Grover Tuttle and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-10-02 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Want a quick way to get your students happily conversing more in the target language? This practical book shows you how to use formative assessments to gain immediate and lasting improvement in your students’ fluency. You’ll learn how to: Imbed the 3-minute formative assessment into every lesson with ease Engage students in peer formative assessment successfully Teach students to give each other formative feedback Help struggling students make significant gains Create and coach small groups for differentiated speaking practice Assist students in incorporating current grammar lesson into meaningful conversations Analyze your own use of language in the classroom to avoid vague feedback that can stifle student conversations Grade oral improvement positively The authors provide formative assessments for 17 language functions with step-by-step lesson plans, aligned to ACTFL guidelines. Each plan includes a wealth of conversation and extension activities. There are ready-to-use checklists including the "I Can" log that helps students plot their own progress. Research has confirmed that when teachers use formative assessment, students can learn in six to seven months what would normally take a school year to learn. You’ll find yourself using this book every day because of the gains your students will achieve in foreign language fluency.
Download or read book The Cambridge Guide to Second Language Assessment written by Christine Coombe and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2012-01-30 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The Cambridge Guide to Second Language Assessment aims to present in one volume an up-to-date guide to the central areas of assessing the second language performance of English by speakers of other languages. This volume provides snapshots of significant issues and trends that have shaped language assessment in the past and highlights the current state of our understanding of these issues"--
Download or read book Foreign Language Learning and Nonlearning written by Irene Kristiansen and published by . This book was released on 1992 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Enhancing Beginner Level Foreign Language Education for Adult Learners written by Ekaterina Nemtchinova and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2022-12-30 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is an authoritative text that explores best classroom practices for engaging adult learners in beginner-level foreign language courses. Built around a diverse range of international research studies and conceptual articles, the book covers four key issues in teaching language to novice students: development of linguistic skills, communicative and intercultural competence, evaluation and assessment, and the use of technology. Each chapter includes teaching insights that are supported by critical research and can be practically applied across languages to enhance instructional strategies and curriculum designs. The text also aims to build intercultural competence, harness technology, and design assessment to stimulate effective learning in formal instructional settings, including colleges, universities, and specialist language schools. With its broad coverage of language pedagogy at the novice level, this book is a must read for graduate students, scholars, researchers, and practitioners in the fields of language education, second language acquisition, language teaching and learning, and applied linguistics.
Download or read book Useful Assessment and Evaluation in Language Education written by John McE. Davis and published by Georgetown University Press. This book was released on 2018-03-01 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The specific—and varied—ways in which assessment and evaluation can impact learning and teaching have become an important language education research concern, particularly as educators are increasingly called on to implement these processes for improvement, accountability, or curricular development purposes. Useful Assessment and Evaluation in Language Education showcases contemporary research that explores innovative uses of assessment and evaluation in a variety of educational contexts. Divided into three parts, this volume first examines theoretical considerations and practical implementations of assessment conducted for the purpose of enhancing and developing language learning. Part 2 addresses novel assessment development and implementation projects, such as the formative use of task-based assessments, technology-mediated language performance assessment, validation of educational placement tests for immigrant learners, and the use of assessment to help identify neurolinguistic correlates of proficiency. The final section of the book highlights examples of argument-based approaches to assessment and evaluation validation, extending this critical framework to quality assurance efforts in new domains. Adding to research on traditional and conventional uses of testing and evaluation in language education, this volume captures innovative trends in assessment and evaluation practice that explicitly aim to better inform and enhance language teaching and learning.
Download or read book Research in Education written by and published by . This book was released on 1971 with total page 1138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Current Issues in Language Evaluation Assessment and Testing written by Christine Coombe and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2016-03-08 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Current Issues in Language Evaluation, Assessment and Testing: Research and Practice is a collection of research papers, most of which were presented at the 17th World Congress of the International Association of Applied Linguistics (AILA), which was held in 2014 in Brisbane, Australia. The volume comprises 15 chapters presenting current research projects and discussing issues related to language testing and the development of language assessment instruments in a variety of contexts around the world. This anthology will be of use to both new and seasoned researchers within the field of Applied Linguistics and TESOL. Teacher educators, language teachers, and language assessment professionals will find this volume equally useful as the papers present current trends in testing and evaluation.
