Self-Assessment and ESL Learners - Assignment Example

Self-Assessment and ESL Learners Time has come for learners in this era to take charge of their learning process. It is an initiative that will aid learners in handling the large volumes of information that they must process while learning. The current system of learning is so broad, which means learners should make additional effort to complete the learning process. Therefore, it is time for learners to adapt self-assessment, which is at the center of independent learning (Costa & Kallick 25). ESL Learners require self-assessment because of the huge amount of information they should process within a short time. Self-assessment as a learning tool will help ESL Learners in practicing and internalizing new information. There are many unique ways to use self-assessment in the ESL classroom; also, there are many benefits of using self-assessment in ESL classes. Self-assessment is the comparison between the performance, thoughts, and behavior with internal standards that have been developed over time (Glasson 95). The development of these internal standards is guided by learning objectives and the desire to complete the learning process. It is possible for a teacher to assess the contribution of a student in the class. However, the only person who is in charge of the student’s internal thoughts and motivation is the student. Self-monitoring and metacognition are some of the main features of self-assessment. It presents with an opportunity to relate the information obtained with reality. It enhances the learning process because the student can process the information and frame it in a way that he or she understands. First, it makes sense to characterize ESL Learners before embarking on a critical analysis of self-assessment as an effective learning tool for ESL Learners. ESL Learners are student whose primary language is not English. Therefore, they need additional lessons in English language to help them develop speaking, writing and listening skills in English. It is a fact that practice can accelerate the process of learning a language. Learners are obligated to reflect on their overall learning process as they undergo the process. Reflection aids learnings in checking their personal skills and responsibilities. Reflection should become an intrinsic part of the learning process for ESL Learners (Chapman & King 75). It enables them to assess their language skills in relation to the content they have been taught. It is a very powerful technique when it comes to internalizing and processing information. Reflection makes the learning process a process by which one obtains, applies and processes information. The beauty of self-assessment is that it is not specific to any grade or learning level. All learners can apply it across the board. ESL Learners face a myriad of challenges that interfere with their learning process. First, most students are inclined to speak their native language. The tendency to speak their native language makes it difficult for them to master English because language relies heavily on practice and application. In some instances, the students depend too much on the teacher. They are reluctant to search and learn about simple issues regarding the English language. A lack of motivation is another herculean challenge that faces many ESL Teachers. It is very challenging to teach learners who are not motivated. It is necessary to mention that the bulk of these challenges can be solved by encouraging self-assessment strategies among the students. Self-assessment as a learning tool has a three directional character. It is made of summative, formative and predictive assessment. It entails recalling past work to assess its success (summative assessment), review of the present information to determine the next step (formative assessment) and assessing the presenting learning technique and how to make it more effective in the future (predictive assessment). In this manner, self-assessment makes learning highly effective. For example, ESL learners can assess their language skills, learning techniques and think of applying practice to make their learning process fast. The effectiveness of self-assessment is highly enhanced when it is applied in a given social context. It is because learning is a social process. It requires engagement with other learners and teachers to make sense of new information. Application is relatively easy to learn in a social context. ESL Learners can assess their language performance by listening to feedback from their teachers and fellow learners. One can assess how he or she contributes to the overall group learning. He or she can think about responsibilities and expected outcomes of the learning process. It helps learners to focus on real world application of the knowledge that has been learned. In the case of ESL Learners, the learners can reflect on their use of language in different situations in the real world. Self-assessment is an opportunity for the students to develop confidence in speaking and writing English. It offers an opportunity to nurture competence and confidence in the English language. The ultimate effect is an exponential increase in the achievement of success in the learning process. The students are empowered to become responsive learners who can engage teachers and fellow learners in critical thinking. The ultimate effect is an effective learning process. Teachers play a pivotal role in encouraging students to adapt self-assessment strategies in their learning process. Teachers can strategies that encourage students to adapt self-assessment strategies. The teachers can use direct instruction to encourage students to perform reflective thinking. It entails asking questions that push the learners towards reflective thinking. As a result, the learner can recall something that was learned in the past and use it to answer the question. The use of perfect examples can help the students to understand the knowledge learned in class. It provides a real connection between the knowledge learned and application in the real world. The use of scaffolding can help teachers in encouraging students to develop self-assessment strategies. They can provide support under different circumstances. In the case of ESL Learners, teachers can use these techniques to show the effectiveness of self-assessment techniques. For example, the teacher can instruct students to develop the habit of journalizing everything that they have learned on the day. The students will have to recall and sieve information when recording what has been learned in a journal. It will make the students practice language. It is an opportunity to learn new vocabularies. Reflective note taking will motivate students to search for new knowledge. One might be prompted to study more to understand the exceptions in the English language. Reflective note taking is another technique that the teacher can apply to encourage learners to develop self-assessment techniques. The learners can be encouraged to form a habit of taking notes in two or more columns. The organization of notes in a given manner gives the learners the chance to comprehend and internalize the information. They can then arrange the information based on a given property. It will help the learners to internalize new knowledge much faster. In fact, the learners might be motivated to question certain aspects of the gained knowledge. It speeds up the learning process for all the students. It has been proven that self-assessment is an effective technique for ESL learners. Learners who have internalized the knowledge learned are likely to remember during exams. The ultimate effect is performance improvement in speaking, writing, and listening skills. According to Ortiz (p. 227), encouraging learners to participate and think while participating in the learning process can enhance writing skills. Heuristic use of writing exercises will give learners the opportunity to perform self-assessment by grading themselves and obtaining feedback from others. Self-evaluation makes the student understand his or her weakness (Ortiz 227). In effect, the student will be motivated to formulate a strategy on how to overcome his or her weaknesses. The ultimate effect is enhanced effectiveness of the whole learning process. It is another prove that self-assessment is a necessary tool for ESL Learners. It is true that it can help ESL Learners improve their performance. ` The effectiveness of self-assessment is supported by research conducted by Sauer and Mertens (p.93). According to the research, some students are overconfident, which means they do not take failing politely. These students are likely to be overly discouraged when they fail. They might give up on learning altogether. A self-assessment questionnaire can be used to make students aware of their students. It is yet another case where self-assessment is proving effective for the whole learning process. Self-assessment will handle overconfidence in the students by making them aware of the whole course. They can internalize on the core concepts and make sense of failure when it happens (Sauer & Mertens 93). The same technique can be applied to ESL learners. In some cases, ESL Learners are accomplished professionals. As a result, it can be difficult to find the best way to correct these students without offending. The best way is to guide them to see the mistakes by encouraging reflective thinking and practice. Reflective thinking will give them an opportunity to think through all the knowledge learned and correct their mistakes. Self-assessment makes it easy for teachers to teach ESL Learners. Learners become proactive and engaging in class (Dungan & Mundhenk 55). It supports the notion of encouraging language practice in class. Moreover, self-assessment gives the student the impression that the teacher has faith on him or her. In effect, the student will be motivated to perform because of the need to prove the teacher right. In conclusion, self-assessment characterized comparing their learning process and results with internals standards. It has proved to be an effective tool in the learning process. It encourages learners to develop confidence by asking questions and engaging others in the learning process. In effect, students become competent in debating different issues. It can be used to develop effective learning for ESL learners. Self-assessment techniques help ESL learners to practice and apply the English language. It motivates students to guide their learning process. Self-assessment is a very effective tool in improving the performance of ESL learners. Works Cited Chapman, Carolyn, and Rita M. King. Differentiated Assessment Strategies: One Tool Doesnt Fit All. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Corwin Press, 2005. Print. Costa, Arthur L, and Bena Kallick. Assessment Strategies for Self-Directed Learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 2004. Print. Dungan, Andy T., and Leigh Gronich Mundhenk. "Student Self-Assessment: A Tool for Engaging Management Students in Their Learning." Organization Management Journal (Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.) 3.1 (2006): 54-73. Business Source Complete. Web. 26 Nov. 2014. Glasson, Toni. Improving Student Achievement: A Practical Guide to Assessment for Learning. Carlton South, Vic: Curriculum Corp, 2009. Print. Ortiz, Lorelei A. "A Heuristic Tool For Teaching Business Writing: Self-Assessment, Knowledge Transfer, And Writing Exercises. “Business Communication Quarterly 76.2 (2013): 226-238. Business Source Complete. Web. 26 Nov. 2014. Sauer, Katherine M., and William G. Mertens. "The Test Assessment Questionnaire: A Tool for Student Self-Assessment after the Midterm Exam." Journal of Economics & Economic Education Research 14.2 (2013): 93-100. Business Source Complete. Web. 26 Nov. 2014. Read More