Assessment‑Embedded Learning in ESL Classrooms: A Conceptual and Reflective Practice Framework

Abstract

Formative assessment plays an important role in the ESL/EFL Program. It spreads across the length of the course and uses various methods to monitor and assist in the process of learning. On one hand, through these activities teachers can learn more about students’ understanding and take informed decisions on their lesson plan. On the other hand, students benefit through their active participation in tasks that require them to reflect and communicate with peers in target language. However, due to practical concerns such as limited time, insufficient resources, cultural behavior and inadequate planning, most formative assessment tasks fail to focus on these aspects and remain mostly summative in nature. This presentation focuses on different methods that allow assessment embedded in the learning process in ESL/EFL courses. The aim of these activities is to encourage student engagement on a consistent basis and to develop their language skills by providing them with context and purpose. Students develop critical thinking and gain confidence through their participation. At the same time, teachers will be able to assess students’ performance by focusing on their use of language and provide feedback, creating a cycle where formative assessment works as the fulcrum of the learning process in which students’ participation and teachers’ feedback work in tandem as the load and the effort on the language learning process.