Classroom-based assessment of oral language proficiency of young ELLs in ESL contexts.

With increasing numbers of young English language learners (ELLs) entering schools in English-speaking countries, assessment of their English language proficiency has become important for screening, placement, and diagnostic purposes, as well as for ongoing formative and summative assessment. A key assessment event for many teachers in New Zealand schools, particularly those with large numbers of ELLs, is the twice-yearly ‘ELLP Assessment’, in which ELLs’ language skills are rated against descriptors in the English Language Learning Progressions (ELLP) (Ministry of Education, 2008). This assessment is high stakes because the results determine whether a school receives Ministry of Education funding for additional support of ELLs. As ELLs are placed in mainstream classrooms in New Zealand schools, it is important that mainstream teachers, who generally have no specialist training for working with ELLs, are equipped with strategies and tools for completing ELLP assessment effectively, in order to accurately assess ELLs’ language skills. For practicality, assessment strategies and tools also need to be appropriate for classroom-based assessment. This paper reviews the literature regards as being the use of, and issues associated with, classroom-ase oral language assessment of ELLs in ESL contexts. It then describes a number of guidelines, strategies, and tools from several English-speaking countries that have been designed to facilitate teacher assessment of ELLs’ oral language proficiency. Finally, the paper discusses the potential usefulness of these assessment guidelines or tools for teachers in the New Zealand context who are required to complete ELLP assessment

Assessing ELLs in New Zealand primary schools: Gaps between the literature, policy, and practice

In February 2015, all New Zealand schools moved to assessing English Language Learners (ELLs) using the English Language Learning Progressions (ELLP) to determine eligibility for additional funding to support these learners. This paper firstly provides the background to the current assessment situation, and summarises the literature regarding key principles of assessment. It then describes key guidelines made available to schools by the Ministry of Education for using the new assessment system, particularly the use of Overall Teacher Judgements (OTJs). The paper then presents findings from interviews with three primary school English language specialist teachers regarding their experiences with using the new system, known as ‘ELLP assessment’. The gaps that exist between the literature, Ministry guidelines, and ESOL teacher practice are described, and recommendations are made for bridging these gaps. Currently little is known regarding teacher practice in regard to ELLP assessment, so this study fills a gap in the literature relating to the assessment of young ELLs in the New Zealand context

Gendercide and the Cultural Context of Sex Trafficking in China

This paper discusses the interconnection of historic, legal, and cultural contexts that result in the perpetuation of discrimination against women in Chinese society. The contextual analysis attempts to explain the causes for an increase in trafficking of women and the deplorable human rights violations perpetrated upon women in China today. The remedies to eliminate trafficking proposed in this paper are not easily implemented. The OCP must be revised to provide more incentives to rational family planning rather than harsh punishments and coercion. China needs to reverse a long-standing cultural tradition of male son preference and discrimination against women. We know that laws, if implemented, can change society. Therefore, we are recommending revision of the OCP and zealous enforcement of the Chinese and international civil rights treaties and trafficking laws that do provide protection for women and foster gender parity

New TESOL graduates’ employment experiences and views of teacher education: Report to the Wintec Research Committee following poster presentation at the 9th Community Languages and ESOL (CLESOL) conference, 24—27 September, 2004, Christchurch

In 2003 a new 12-week full time Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) programme called Certificate in English Language Teaching (Cert ELT) was offered by the Department of Education at the Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec) for the first time. While other TESOL programmes offered by Wintec are for trained teachers and teacher-aides, the new Cert ELT programme is for those with little or no previous teaching experience. The curriculum development and delivery of Wintec’s TESOL programmes are informed by a constructivist view of learning which has held a prominent focus in educational literature since the late 1980s. This theory of learning sees learners as active participants in the processes of incorporating, synthesising and constructing knowledge within their previous experience (Arlidge, 2000; Zepke, Nugent & Leach 2003). Of particular relevance within TESOL literature is the social constructivist view which claims that a key element in the learning process is that knowledge is socially constructed through dialogue and interaction with others (Randall & Thornton, 2001; Malderez & Bodoczky, 1999; James, 2001). Also relevant is the reflective model of TESOL teacher education as outlined by Wallace (1993) in which trainees participate in a continuous cycle of teaching, observation, reflection and discussion in order to become reflective practitioners. A lack of information concerning what happens to the Cert ELT students once they graduate from the programme motivated the research discussed in this paper. Data collection included a questionnaire and individual interviews. The questionnaire gathered information concerning the graduates' employment destinations, and the interviews focussed on the graduates' retrospective views of those components of the programme associated with a social constructivist view of learning. These components included experiential learning, reflective practice and collaborative practice. It is expected that insights gained from this project will be of interest to other TESOL professionals and teacher educators

Documenting the presence of English in the expanding circle: Linguistic landscapes of Santiago, Chile

Chile is considered to be within ‘the expanding circle’ – countries where English has no official status, and is used for limited purposes. However, the learning of English has been promoted in Chilean public schools since 2004, and English words and phrases are now seen in the linguistic landscape of Chile – the language of public signage. The research reported in this paper focussed on the linguistic landscapes of major streets in three municipalities within greater Santiago, the capital city of Chile. The research aimed to photograph all public signs within the defined locations, to document the use of English, and to analyse how and where English is used, and by whom. As there have been no previous linguistic landscape studies carried out in Chile, the research is a contribution to the literature surrounding the spread and use of English, as well as language contact and language change

Knowing the learner: What do secondary mainstream teachers know about their English language learners, and why does it matter?

Recent New Zealand Ministry of Education publications regarding the teaching of English language learners (ELLs) have made it clear that mainstream subject teachers in secondary schools are expected to play an increasingly important role in the English language learning of ELLs, rather than this being the concern of specialist English language teachers. The first step for mainstream teachers is to obtain information about their ELLs, and a number of resources have been provided for teachers to use. This paper reports on the results of a survey of the knowledge that secondary mainstream teachers have of their ELLs’ background and their level of English proficiency. The findings showed that secondary mainstream teachers’ knowledge of their ELLs varies, but nearly all of the teachers perceived that knowledge of their ELLs is important, and they reported that they would like to know more. The research has implications for secondary mainstream teachers in general, and for those who train or provide professional development for secondary mainstream teachers

What do New Zealand secondary mainstream teachers know about their English language learners?

Recent New Zealand Ministry of Education publications have made it clear that mainstream subject teachers in secondary schools are expected to play an increasingly important role in the English language learning of English language learners (ELLs), rather than this being the concern of specialist English language teachers. The first step for mainstream teachers is to obtain information about their ELLs, and a number of resources have been provided for teachers to use. This paper reports on the results of a survey of the knowledge that secondary mainstream teachers have of their ELLs’ background and their level of English proficiency. The findings showed that secondary mainstream teachers’ knowledge of their ELLs varies, but nearly all of the teachers perceived that knowledge of their ELLs is important, and they reported that they would like to know more. The research has implications for secondary mainstream teachers in general, and for those who train or provide professional development for secondary mainstream teachers

The strangulation of female partners

In England and Wales, strangulation is one of the principal methods men use to kill women in intimate relationships. Over the past three decades, this method of killing accounts for up to 37 per cent of deaths of women by male partners. Strangulation is both gender and context specific making it a high risk factor affecting the lives of women. The lack of understanding of the seriousness of strangulation, together with the legal construction of intention allows men to disavow murder and be found guilty of only unlawful act manslaughter. In most American and Australian Federal States and in Canada and New Zealand, legislation criminalises strangulation and is also an aggravating factor in sentencing in both non-fatal and fatal cases. This article makes a plea for law reform in England and Wales and a challenge to the prevailing discourse in criminal law and justice which continues to treat male body force in strangulation as less heinous than other forms of body force and weapons in fatal and non-fatal assaults against women

What do teachers need to know about grammar?

The literature regarding teacher knowledge endorses the importance of English language specialist (ESOL) and mainstream teachers’ grammatical knowledge for teaching and assessment purposes. In the New Zealand primary and secondary school context, key documents produced for teacher support of English language learners require grammatical knowledge, as they contain a considerable amount of grammatical terminology. These include the English Language Learning Progressions (ELLP) (2008), the English Language Intensive Programme (ELIP) (2003), and Supporting English Language Learning in Primary School (SELLIPS) (2009). The aim of the current study was to classify grammatical terminology in these documents according to language level (phonology, word class, sentence and text), language skill, and stage of the progressions. Conclusions were drawn about the grammatical knowledge considered essential for teachers to effectively use the support materials. The results of the study are relevant for ESOL, primary and secondary teachers, and those involved in the professional development of teachers