Methods used in Teaching of Information Technology - Essay Example

Assessment Analysis Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Reviewing Two Assessment Methods 4 Strengths and Weaknesses of Observation and Practical Test Assessment Methods 5 Observation Method 5 Practical Tests 6 Justification 7 Conclusion 9 References 10 Introduction The study will be aimed at analysing two assessment methods used in teaching of Information Technology (IT) skills to ESOL learners, taking into account its strengths as well as weaknesses. The study will further emphasise on learning the effectiveness of these assessment tools to meet the learner’s needs in achieving equality and the diversity goals. English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) is often referred to a program initiated to educate the students who foremostly belong to different cultural backgrounds and are not native to the English society possessing behavioural problems relating to shortage of memory and phonemic awareness among others. Hence, educating the ESOL students with intellectual programs such as IT can emerge as a challenging process. It is worth mentioning in this regard that effective learning of IT requires the learners to possess skills in terms of numeracy and language application where the ESOL students are commonly observed to lack behind (Lawton & Turnbull, 2007; Kambouri & et. al., 2006). It is in this context that the effectiveness of a particular learning process, such as IT, depends on its assessment process by a considerable extent where the limitations possessed by individual ESOL students are addressed and mitigated within the classroom environment (Rust, 2002). Reviewing Two Assessment Methods The assessment method of observation in the classroom provides an opportunity to teachers to effectively and rationally recognize the various developmental needs of individual students from a comparative perspective. Observation also allows teachers to conduct continuous interaction with the students and gain better knowledge regarding their perceptions, individual competencies, individual limitations and other factors which strongly influence their behaviour as well as learning performances with regard to learning IT skills. Additionally, observation also assists in the proper identification of the distinctive learning needs among the students by allowing the comparison of one student with their peers in the classroom setting. It can be stated that as IT skills consist of diverse practical skills, thus observation can be regarded as a key assessment method. This method can significantly facilitate to enhance the level of motivation of a learner as development needs and lacunas can be better assessed by this method (Crown, 2004). Another assessment method that has proved to be quite effective when teaching IT to ESOL students is the application of practical tests. As mentioned by Kambouri & et. al. (2006), literacy skills are highly required among students when learning IT. However, owing to the behavioural limitations of the ESOL students and lack of knowledge in English language, the literacy rate is quite likely to differ from one group to the other as well as in the individual level as well. It is in this context that the practical test process aims at evaluating the literacy skills possessed by the students based on quantitative raking system where the learners are required to solve few IT problems through multiple-choice questioning by applying their obtained knowledge and skills learnt through the education process. Strengths and Weaknesses of Observation and Practical Test Assessment Methods Observation Method Strengths: Through continuous observation, teachers can maintain a record of students to identify the IT related skills as well as limitations possessed by individual students which are often non-verbally communicated by the students’ attitudes This process allows the observers, i.e. the teachers to prepare the IT related tasks according to the requirements and capabilities of the learners Comparison of the development of one student in comparison to the other with regard to IT skills development can be made through this process which can help to bring changes in the teaching strategies This process also facilitates regular interaction between the students and their teachers which aids teachers to influence their learners, thus making the entire learning process more effective This particular process is quite flexible which can be altered according to requirements of teaching IT in the global context (Stuhlman & et. al., 2008) Weaknesses: This method primarily focuses on identifying the behavioural characteristics of the learners which influences the IT related learning behaviour of ESOL students in classrooms Assessment of the identified factors through this method is largely depended on the perceptions, knowledge and competencies of the teachers regarding the IT skills possessed by an individual learner (Stuhlman & et. al., 2008) Practical Tests Strengths: This process tends to facilitate diagnosis of the IT skills development taking place among the students within every course session through quantitative and empirical judgements This assessment method constitutes meagre chances of biasness in the decision making process being based on pre-determined scales and quantitative factors mentioned through multiple-choice questions format In terms of IT skills development, identification of limitations of learners through given tests and practical or real life problems can help to rectify those learning areas without any further delay (Fenner & Kuhlman, 2009) Weaknesses: The method of practical tests is often stated to be based on rigid norms which restricts its applicability in every situational context The practical test process presents a collective overview of the skills and lacunas possessed by the students where identifying the individual learner needs can become a challenge when teaching IT As ESOL is mainly concerned with the learning of students possessing behavioural problems. However, practical tests do not generally consider evaluating these issues which can be identified as its major weakness (Fenner & Kuhlman, 2009) Justification The principle vision of ESOL teaching has been focused on facilitating equality and diversity among the learners who belong to non-native English cultural backgrounds. From an overall perspective, migrants can be examined to constitute a large number of the total learner population in the ESOL teaching sector. As they belong to a diverse cultural and behavioural context and also because they possess limited skills in the IT as well as in the English language, the common goals of the ESOL students have been identified as equality and diversity. Notably, equality in terms of their English language skills can facilitate them with greater access to basic amenities within the English society. Similarly, diversity in terms of their IT skills can be expected to assist them with greater employment opportunities (Ward, 2008). However, educating the ESOL students in the IT segment requires assessing both the qualitative and quantitative influencing factors such as behavioural, literacy, numeracy and other skills possessed by the learners. This particular challenge can be effectively addressed with the application of both observation and practical test methods. From an in-depth perspective, it can be observed that the natures and characteristics of both the assessment or teaching methods tend to counter the weaknesses of each other. For instance, where the qualitative approach of observation can be examined to possess limitations in terms of complexity and greater dependency on the teacher’s knowledge, competencies as well as abilities, the quantitative approach of practical tests emphasise on identifying the IT related developmental needs of the learners from a rationalised and measured perspective. Continuous assessment of IT related skills of the learners through regular tests and interactions can help the teachers to identify the specific developmental needs to the learners. Similarly, the application of practical tests method possesses the weakness of rigidity which is considered to be a fundamental aspect in implementing any learning process in the modern day perspective. In case of IT skills development through practical test process, a teacher can periodically assess the progress of the leaner after providing learning on certain IT related subject matter. On the contrary, the observation method can be regarded as highly flexible rendering greater efficiency to the teachers. Additionally, both the methods assist in obtaining a comparative view towards the development of the students and identify their qualitative as well as quantitative progress in depth and therefore assist them in obtaining their goals of equality and diversity. Conclusion From the above discussion, it can be comprehended that teaching IT skills to ESOL learners who come from various cultural backgrounds possessing certain behavioural problems is a challenging task as their development needs are distinct from any other regular group of learners. These students are assisted by teachers in schools who are bestowed with the vital responsibility to guide them in achieving equality and diversity within the modern day society. Through assessment methods, it is possible for the teachers to guide the students to perform their tasks and therefore develop themselves competitively. It is worth mentioning that the application of observation as well as practical tests assessment methods can help the teachers teaching IT skills to ESOL learners to acquire an in-depth knowledge of the progress and learning requirements of the learners. References Crown, 2004. ESOL Funding Assessment Guidelines. Assessing Listening. [Online] Available at: http://www.minedu.govt.nz/~/media/MinEdu/Files/EducationSectors/PrimarySecondary/SchoolOpsESOL/General/ESOLFundingAssessmentGuidelines.pdf [Accessed February 2, 2013]. Fenner, D. S. & Kuhlman, N., 2009. Preparing Teachers of English Language Learners: Practical Applications of the PreK–12 TESOL Professional Standards. Application of Standards by Domain, pp. 77-86. Kambouri, M. & et. al., 2006. Adult Learners and ICT: An Intervention Study in the UK. University of London. Lawton, T. & Turnbull, T., 2007. Inclusive Learning Approaches for Literacy, Language, Numeracy and ICT. Background and Context. [Online] Available at: http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/2333/1/Companion_for_minimum_core.pdf [Accessed February 3, 2013]. Rust, C., 2002. The Impact of Assessment on Student Learning: How Can the Research. Active Learning in Higher Education, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 145–158. Stuhlman, M. W. & et. al., 2008. A Practitioner’s Guide to Conducting Classroom Observations: What the Research Tells Us about Choosing and Using Observational Systems. Using Observational Methodology in School Settings. Ward, J., 2008. ESOL: the Context and Issues. NIACE. [Online] Available at: http://www.niace.org.uk/lifelonglearninginquiry/docs/Jane-Ward-migration-evidence.pdf [Accessed February 8, 2013]. Read More