Standards in English Language Teaching and Assessment

Featured Speaker:
Neil J. Anderson

The Role of Self-Assessment Within Standards Frameworks

Self-Assessment plays an essential role in language learning and in the development of standards for L2 learners. The purpose of this plenary session is to provide a rationale for teachers to include learner self-assessment activities in the L2 classroom. Since language teachers cannot possibly teach everything that learners need to know to be competent language users, they need to be instructed on how to accurately self-assess their progress in language learning. Weaker learners often over estimate their performance while stronger learners often under estimate their performance. This plenary session will focus on six classroom tools that teachers can use to help learners narrow the gap between their perceived and actual performance.

Bio

Neil J. Anderson is a Professor in the MA TESOL program in the Department of Linguistics and English Language and the Academic Coordinator at the English Language Center at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA. Professor Anderson received his MA in TESL from Brigham Young University and his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. He has taught and presented papers and workshops at various conferences in over 15 countries. His research interests include second language reading and writing, language learning strategies, teaching and learning styles, and classroom evaluation and testing. Professor Anderson is the author of a teacher education text in the TeacherSource series entitled Exploring Second Language Reading: Issues and Strategies (1999, Heinle & Heinle) and an EFL reading series ACTIVE Skills for Reading (2002, Heinle & Heinle). During 2002-2003 he was a Fulbright Scholar conducting research at the Centro Cultural Costarricense Norteamericano in San José, Costa Rica and lecturing at Universidad de Costa Rica. Professor Anderson served as President of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. from 2001-2002.

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Photo by Tony Quirke