a presentation about teaching and testing in TESOL

1. Teaching and Testing
in TESOL

2. Teaching is a process of passing
explained information on given
subjects or disciplines that are
worldwide accepted as valid and
not contested.
- It is the activity that helps
students to achieve the objectives
of the lesson, course, syllabus or
curriculum.

3. Tests are the types of activities that
allow you to see if the students
have achieved the objectives of the
lesson, course, syllabus, or
curriculum.
Test is one of the procedures that
can be used to assess student's
performance. It has a specific
objective to measure.

4. Washback / backwash : is the
influence of testing on teaching
and learning.
-the extent to which a test
influences language teachers
and learners to do things
they would not necessarily
otherwise do that promote or
inhibit language learning.

5. Negative washback
 ignoring subjects and activities that did
not contribute directly to pass the exam.
 “teaching to the test” leads to adopted
more of a memorization approach, with
reduced emphasis on critical thinking.
 The test may not touch upon some
skills and areas.

6. Negative washback
 Students were practicing exam
techniques rather than language
learning activities.
 Tests may fail to reflect the learning
principles or the course objectives.
 Students may not be able to learn real-
life knowledge, but instead learn
discrete points of knowledge that are
tested.

7. Positive washback
 When tests become as teaching-
learning activities.
 Open doors for changes in
methodologies and syllabus.
 Focusing on the washback helps to find
solutions for the negative side.

8. Positive washback
 Tests induce teachers to cover their
subjects and complete their syllabi
within the prescribed time limits.
 Tests motivate students to work
harder to have a sense of
accomplishment and thus enhance
learning.

9. We should keep in mind that the
quality of the washback effect
might be independent of the quality
of a test.
i.e we may have positive
washback of bad designed test.

10. Preparing learners for tests
There are two types of preparation:
 The first type is designed to familiarise
learners with the item types on the
test, the kinds of instructions they will
encounter, and give them practice in
working within time limitation.
This type of preparation reduces the chance
that scores will be affected by their
unfamiliarity with any aspect of the test.

11. Preparing learners for tests
 The second type is designed to increase
the score of the test taker by instilling test-
taking techniques that focus upon the test
items, rather than improving the learner’s
ability on the constructs in question.
For example, by spending time looking at
the options in multiple-choice items to
discover how frequently the longest option
is likely to be the correct response.
This type of preparation distracts learners
from the real task of learning.

12. The criteria of good test
•Validity: A valid test measures what it ought to be
testing.
•Reliability: A test should provide consistency in
measuring the items being evaluated.
•Practicality: A practical test is easy to administer and
to score without wasting too much time or effort.
•Comprehension: A good test should be
comprehensive – covering all the items which
have been studies.

13. The criteria of good test
• Relevance: The item of an effective test should
measure the desired objectives or achievement.
• Balance: A practical test evaluates both linguistic
and communicative competence.
• Authenticity: The language of a test should reflect
everyday discourse.

14. The criteria of good test
• Difficulty.
• Clarity.
• Objectivity.
• Time: a good test should be appropriate in length
for the allotted time.

15. Why do we test students?
*Evaluating prior learning (Diagnostic)
* Providing feedback (Formative)
* Providing reinforcement (Formative)
* Assigning grades (Summative)
* Certifying competence (Summative)

16. Why do we test students?
• to demonstrate proficiency (certification)
• to identify needs (development)
• to compare ability (performance)
• to provide useful feedback to students.

17. How can test help
learners/teachers?
For learners:
•Assessments reflect the concepts and skills that
the teacher emphasized in class.
•Providing important feedback on their learning
progress
• Helping them identify learning problems.

18. How can test help
learners/teachers?
For teachers:
Helping them identify what they taught well and
what they need to work on. i.e. Missed test items
specify the problem.