Intercultural Education in the Post-Primary School - National Council ...

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Portfolio assessmentMany writers on the education oflinguistically and culturally diversestudents recommend portfolio assessmentas a more equitable way of gatheringinformation about students’ learning.(Trumbull and Farr, 1996; Genesee andHamayan, 1994: Freeman and Freeman,1991).What is a portfolio?A portfolio is a collection of work thatshows an individual’s efforts, progress orachievements over an extended period oftime. The development of a portfolioinvolves documentation of achievements,self-evaluations and reflections on learningcollected over a period of time. The use ofportfolios is an effective method ofassessment that can provide newcomerstudents with a positive record ofachievement and progress made.The portfolio is not simply a collection ofsamples of work; it is a record of progressand achievement. It is important that theportfolio includes more than one indicatorof achievement and can enable a widerange of knowledge, skills and attitudes tobe recorded. Several entries should reflectdifferent learning styles and key learningexperiences, for example, key experiments,worksheets, essay answers, researchprojects, video recordings or audiopresentations /interviews, reflective writing/journal work, etc. It should also includethe use of a learning log, recording thestudent’s own observations and those ofthe teacher. Student’s choice in the selectionof work is also important. Themanagement of the portfolio can besupported by the language support teacher,where appropriate.The teacher’s role is to• explain the purpose of the portfolio• focus the student’s learning on theprocess of making the portfolio ratherthan on the mechanics• agree the criteria for the selection andcollection of materials• advise students regarding self-evaluationand reflective statement• agree expectations and criteria to beused in the assessment of the portfolios• keep the portfolios simple to begin withand allow them to become moresophisticated• help develop a management system.98Intercultural Education in the Post-Primary School
ASSESSMENT AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY 7Guidelines for setting homework andassessment questions• Keep questions as short and simple aspossible.• Avoid the unnecessary use of metaphorsor colloquialisms.• Where possible provide visual clues toshow students what to do.• Provide support to students whose firstlanguage is not English. For example,teachers can set questions and then canprovide a set of words and phrases tochoose from. Multiple choice questionscan also be useful in this regard, althoughcare should be taken as students fromanother education system may not befamiliar with this method of assessment.• Familiarise students with the structureand vocabulary of the tests andexaminations. Explain commonly usedwords such as ‘identify’, ‘describe’, ‘list’,‘discuss’.• Teach the students how to take the test byproviding practice questions that are notscored. Give feedback on the practicequestions.• Do not ask the students to attempt thewhole test paper at once. Break it up intomanageable bites. It is less intimidating ifstudents are faced with one section at atime.• Avoid references to culturally specific andcontextual knowledge that some studentsmay not share.• Encourage second-language learners touse dictionaries.• Allow sufficient time for students tocomplete the examination.THE ROLE OF SCHOOLS IN PROMOTINGPOSITIVE ASSESSMENT METHODSSchools have a role to play in reducinginequality and bias in assessment andpromoting the use of more inclusivemodels of assessment.• As part of its overall school plan,schools can set out clearly its policy andprovision for redressing problems ofdisadvantage and inequality throughschool-based assessment. This mightinclude provision of dictionaries forschool examination purposes, allowingextra time for students for whomEnglish is not their first language.• Secondly, they can broaden the range ofassessment tools to facilitate differentcultures, backgrounds and intelligencesand to assist students to demonstrate adiversity of skills, aptitudes andachievements.• Thirdly, they can have a clear policy forthe regular assessment of pupils with aview to identifying at the earliestpossible point, those pupils in need ofextra help.• Finally, they can work closely withparents to develop a real partnershipand so enhance each student’s potentialfor success.ASSESSMENT OF STUDENTS UPON ENTRYTO SCHOOLIn order to gain sufficient information tosupport the student’s learning, it may beappropriate to assess some students uponentry into the school. For example,students who have recently arrived fromanother country, or students for whomEnglish is not a first language, may benefitfrom the tailoring of education experiencesthat might stem from such assessment. Indeciding which students to assess on entryto school, it is important that teacherjudgement be used in consultation with theparents, and having regard to:• the inappropriateness and potentiallabelling of students that might resultfrom assessing all children fromminority ethnic groups who attend theschool;Intercultural Education in the Post-Primary School 99
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INTERCULTURAL EDUCATION IN THE POST
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CONTENTSINTRODUCTIONiCHAPTER 1 The
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INTRODUCTIONEducation is therefore
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Chapter 2 articulates the major ele
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The Context of Intercultural Educat
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THE CONTEXT OF INTERCULTURAL EDUCAT
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SCHOOL PLANNING 3STUDENT COUNCILSAs
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SCHOOL PLANNING 3FIGURE 2: SCHOOL R
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SCHOOL PLANNING 3ensure this is add
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SCHOOL PLANNING 3environment, the l
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SCHOOL PLANNING 3• physical layou
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SCHOOL PLANNING 3PARENTAL INVOLVEME
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CLASSROOM PLANNING 4Use this exerci
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CLASSROOM PLANNING 4attitudes; unfa
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CLASSROOM PLANNING 4Care should be
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CLASSROOM PLANNING 4CHECKLIST: WHAT
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Page 138: NCCANational Council for Curriculum
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