What should we educate for, and why? What constitutes a meaningful liberal education in modern times, as distinct from mere training for a vocation?
Every institution of higher education must periodically engage in a self-assessment of its educational goals and the extent to which they actually guide curricular practice. It can be said with confidence that the reflections contained in this book will, at the very least, serve as a powerful catalytic agent in precipitating out insights into the educational condition of our institutions of higher education and ways in which it can be improved.
Dynamic Assessment (DA) reconceptualizes classroom interactions by
arguing that teaching and assessment should not be distinct
undertakings but must be integrated as a single activity that seeks to
understand learner abilities by actively supporting their ongoing
development. DA is based in the Vygotskian notion of the Zone of
Proximal Development (ZPD) which captures the uniquely human potential
to exceed our present capabilities by working in cooperation with
others whose dialogic interaction mediates us to higher levels of
functioning. DA offers a framework for co-constructing a ZPD with
learners in order to simultaneously reveal the full range of their
abilities and promote development.
This book presents the first in-depth analysis of DA’s application
to particular problems of L2 development. It includes detailed
discussions of the core theoretical tenets as well as guidelines for
implementing DA principles in L2 classrooms. The book will be of
interest to language teacher educators, language testers, classroom
practitioners, and students and researchers in the areas of SLA,
language pedagogy, and assessment.
Becoming a Better Teacher provides KB12 educators with key information about some of the most effective teaching and learning tools available today--in one convenient publication. Each of the innovations has a long history of use and has been researched and evaluated in a variety of settings. Giselle Martin-Kniep chose these specific innovations because, as a whole, they foster a student-centered classroom environment that is both equitable and rigorous. In separate chapters for each topic, she addresses (1) essential questions, (2) curriculum integration, (3) standards-based curriculum and assessment design, (4) authentic assessment, (5) scoring rubrics, (6) portfolios, (7) reflection, and (8) action research.
Added by: decabristka | Karma: 68095.26 | Only for teachers, tourism | 15 August 2008
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Thirty simple activities designed to inform and give practice in discussing cultural topics with classes between elementary and intermediate level. The activities are quick and easy to prepare and require few, or no, additional resources. An introduction provides guidance for teachers unfamiliar with the communicative approach.
A wide variety of activity types to practise the four skills
Accessible topics covering a wide range of cultures and countries
