Sunday, November 9, 2008

Dynamic Assessment in the Language Classroom (2005) by Poehner & Lantolf

Dynamic Asssessment (DA) applies Vygotsky's zone of proximal development (ZPD) to help second language learners achieve instruction from assessment assistance and teaching forward to eventually develop background knowledge for students to work on tasks independently. This ZPD approach helps educators to use the student's maturity level to teach skills ahead of time therefore assisting students to learn "when they are ready", in the famous words of Walkie Charles.
DA pedagogical approach is different from formative assessment where scaffolding is used as a possible teaching strategy to help with assessment feedback.
One key term that I read about was Vygotsky's approach to DA, interactionist which is focused on learning over measurement approach. The other approach which is not the focus of the paper is interventionist focusing on a "different score." The interactionist approach has its roots on what the student's potential can be with interaction and focus on student performance.
Basically what I got out of the article was that teaching a student or group of students based on their understanding of the test while they are testing or afterwards, and helping the students self correct is the goal of moving forward. Teachers can focus their feedback for students to develop their understanding of the assessment and thereby giving the student lessons that they are ready for to apply later and to eventually work independently on later based on their ZPD.
My comment on the article is that if we use DA in the classroom to make assessments developmentally appropriate, where does that fit in the limited English Proficient guideline on how to assist language learners with the high stakes test? And if not, how can it not be a factor to discuss and bring up to the state accomodations board?

No comments: