Reacting to the New Version of Compulsory-stage English Curriculum Standard in Mainland China: An Innovative Model of Formative Assessment
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61173/0n2zcy63Keywords:
educational reform, English language teaching, language assessment, formative assessmentAbstract
Currently, the educational reform in compulsory-stage English teaching in China is attracting more front-line teachers’ attention. The new compulsory-stage English curriculum standard published in 2022 requires teachers to make pedagogical accommodations to adapt to the changes in English curriculum conceptions. This article makes a focal reaction to one of the major shifts in the curriculum conceptions: integrating formative assessment into classrooms and systematically introduces an innovative formative assessment model, as well as its associated one-pager for English teachers to learn how to skillfully implement this model in classrooms. The introduced model is now in the phase of theoretical assumptions, and future practice-based research needs to be conducted to examine its effectiveness in reality. In addition to this future direction, some other potential research directions are also discussed in this article.References
Bowen, R. S. (2017). Understanding by design. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Brown, J.D., & Hudson, T. (1998). The alternatives in language assessment. TESOL Quarterly, 32(4), 653-675. Chen, J. (2015). Formative assessment as a vehicle for changing classroom practice in a specific cultural context. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 24, 753–762. Espinosa Cevallos, L. F. (2015). Effective use of performancebased assessments to identify English knowledge and skills of EFL students in Ecuador. Jiang, Y. (2014). Exploring teacher questioning as a formative assessment strategy. RELC Journal, 45(3), 287-304. Kirmizi, O., & Komec, F. (2016). An investigation of performance-based assessment at high schools. Üniversitepark Bülten, 5(1-2), 53. Poole, A. (2016). ‘Complex teaching realities’ and ‘deep rooted cultural traditions’: Barriers to the implementation and internalisation of formative assessment in China. Cogent Education, 3(1), 1156242. Tyler, A. (2010). Usage-based approaches to language and their applications to second language learning. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 30, 270-291. Wang, Q. (2022, August 30). 2022 年 版 英 语 新 课 标 解 读 [video]. Bilibili. https://www.bilibili.com/video/av302584621/ Xiao, Y., Cai, Y., Ge, Q., & Yang, Y. (2023). The potential of using formative assessment to enhance academic achievement in the Confucian-heritage culture: A comparison between Hong Kong and Shanghai. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 32(6), 867-876. Appendix A Criteria to evaluate the effectiveness of the PMMFA Criteria for the formative assessment model - This model should be able to ● Balance the requirements of summative assessments (heavily focus on assessing students’ reading and listening skills, as well as the accuracy of vocab and grammar) - the most important one ● Effectively integrate all four topic areas so that students can implicitly know the learning content from a macro level - (align with what to teach) ● Help students to get prepared for the future intercultural communication (be more familiar with both Chinese cultures and Western cultures) - (align with why to teach) ● Create more chances for students to develop their critical thinking and dialectical thinking - (align with how to teach) ● Enrich the opportunities of using technology for students (help students to be more familiar with current online learning resources) - (align with how to teach) ● Allow students to actively assess their learning processes and outcomes - (align with how to assess) ● Create an immersive learning environment as much as possible for students - (align with how to teach) Appendix B The major shifts from the old standard to the new standard Curriculum Conception: why to teach English; what to teach; how to teach; how to assess (Wang, 2022) Version of 2011 (old) Version of 2022 (new) Why to teach “语言是交流的工具, 也是思维的工具” - language as a tool for communication and thinking. “ 工具性和人文性的统一 , 文化的象征 ” - not only a tool, but also a symbol of cultures What to teach Four skills + vocab & grammar; topics are Not Clear Four skills + vocab & grammar; topics are clear. “ 主题包括人与自我 , 人与社会 , 人与自然 ; 每个主题内容下包含 有多个子主题 ” - topic areas include “human and self, human and society, human and nature; each area includes different sub-topics.
Dean&Francis ISSN 2959-6122 How to teach “ 强调学习过程 , 指导学生进行体验 , 实践 , 参与 , 探究和合作 ” - emphasizes the process of learning, guide students to learn by doing some kinds of activities (learning by doing) “ 学思结合 , 用创为本 ” “ 注重真实情境的应用 ” - combination of learning and reflection; encouraging students’ creativity. Emphasizes the usage of authentic scenarios. “ 信息技术与英语教学的融合 ” - technology-based learning environment How to assess “ 形成性评价和终结性评价 ” - combination of formative assessment and summative assessment “ 教学评一体化 ” - integration of teaching, learning, and evaluation. Use the results of evaluation to guide future teaching and learning. Emphasizes the importance of formative assessment Summary: ● Subject-related topics are becoming clearer. ● Began to emphasize the notion of authenticity, which was totally missed previously. ● Technology-based instructions under AI generation. ● Put formative assessment into a more important position. Appendix C Product of the research Part I: The PMMFA Section 1: In this section, the FA/students should follow the reading - reflection - resembling - reviewing - repetition (5R) pattern. ● Reading - Thoroughly read a teacher-prepared reading passage for students ● Reflection - students reflect on the assigned passage ● Resembling - Imitating the reading passage to write something related students themselves - just imitate the structure ● Reviewing - Peer review process (work in groups of 4, exchanging essays and provide feedback for each other) ● Repetition - students find topic-related materials for their group members and repeat the first 4R Section Reflection: Students need to submit a learning reflection at the end of the 5R pattern. In the reflection, students need to include: ● Their feelings towards the 5R pattern AND the feelings towards the peer-review activity ● Any problems/difficulties they encountered AND how to overcome in the future - what worked for you ● Any possible suggestions/expectations for teachers Section 2: In this section, the FA should happen in a community-based environment (learning English in our community) - finally create a “Driving Question Board” (DQB) ● Teacher preparation: effectively use the walls and/or the blackboards in the classroom and provide questions that students need to answer/comment ● Students use sticky notes to provide responses to the teachers’ questions and replies to other students Section 3: In this section, the FA/students should follow the pattern of CAPP. ● Choice: Choose a specific event based on the teacher-determined topic area that they want to focus ● Analysis: Analyze the events in groups of 4 - after school ● Presentations: Present the result - freedom of choosing multimodal tools (posters, PPT presentations etc.) ● Peer Feedback - students provide feedback on two things: ○ Other groups’ works ○ Evaluating behaviors of their group members and themselves Section Reflection: Students need to complete a survey provided by teachers, aiming to evaluate the following aspects: ● Self Performance during the activity ● Evaluating their group members ● Suggestions for future CAPP activity pattern Part II: Associated one-pager https://docs.google.com/document/d/1US9BwAaKyw1DMgNz3_jtWF6KfS17egX1ZPKHWJtD7dQ/edit?usp=sharing
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 by the authors.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
