formative assessment

Age: 10 years old 

Status: Preliminary practice in China prior to departing for Canada (North America) as a VISA student 

 

Five Potential Aspects of Emergent Bilingual Students' Socio-Emotional Health and Wellbeing 

1. I can sometimes see them in the process of packing up their belongings as they prepare to travel alone across the world, this can take weeks of careful planning. They usually describe (in some detail) to me how they are going to say goodbye to their classmates, friends, and families. 

2. Even though they are leaving, they must remain active in their current school for the remaining weeks leading up to their departure. Chinese students must complete at least 3-4 hours of homework each night, regardless of age or grade.

3. These students receive a significant amount of pressure from parents to perform at a (sometimes unrealistically) high and precise level of English during class time. Our class is highly monitored by the parents and many of my students refrain from laughing or smiling during class time. 

4. From my understanding, learning disabilities are not as recognized in China as they are in America and Canada, offering limited, if any, programs to help students. In return, parents enroll their children in my course with the intent/attempt to make their child catch up to the rest of their peers.

5. Like most people, my young students are unaware of the differences between Canadian and Chinese social norms, customs, and expectations. They must integrate into Canadian society upon arrival without the support of immediate family. In addition, they will have to accommodate their presence for whoever they will be residing with (host family, distant relative, room and board, etc). 

 

Formative Assessment: Celebration Portfolio- VIA screenshots and screen recordings. I will send it as a file (via Wechat or E-Mail) to the student/parents so that they can present it to their new school in North America. The students can look at their digital portfolio as a reminder for the following (but not limited to):  reconnection to their fundamental values and beliefs, encouraging the retention of their Chinese identity, and to reaffirm of the truth about their English abilities.  

I would prompt all these questions in Chinese if necessary. 

I would also ask these questions multiple times over a long period to collect many instances of elicitation. And later on, editing the bits and pieces together into a unified video. 

 

1. What did you do today? (a thorough small talk sample) 

1. As this is a common question in North America, it is important for children to be prepared to answer these questions with relevance in mind. If they have this in their portfolio, they can always use it as reference, for not only how to answer but, what is acceptable during small talk in English. Their future teachers, when viewing the portfolio, can learn a lot about the students' previous life in China and making meaningful connections in class. Teachers will also learn exactly how much of a school workload the student had prior to coming to Canada. 

2. Who is going with you to Canada? Who are you staying with? 

1. Of course, this will significantly help teachers understand the home life that the student now has in Canada while contrasting it with their previous home life in China. This will come in handy when referring to the students' host family, distant relative, or caretaker. 

3. *After hearing them read a passage really well*  Can you read this again? 

1. Providing both the student and the teacher with a recorded instance of the student reading will (i) provide the student a confidence boost upon review and to recognize their growth since arriving, and (ii) provide the teacher with a great predecessor to what the student can do prior to entering the class. The teacher will not need to elicit a reading sample from the student after arrival—which would most likely prove lower than their actual ability due to a new environment, a new teacher, a new country, and ultimately, the overall effects culture shock on 10 year old.  

4. What will you miss about China and your family?  

1. As sad as this question is, my students will have the opportunity to passionately assert what they love about their country and their identity within it. I would prompt them with more related questions to elicit such things as : customs, values, beliefs, attitudes and anything that retains their connection to their Chinese identity. This will provide the student with a constant reminder about what makes them Chinese and why they should not lose that part of them . It will also provide the teacher with a deep insight in the original home life of the student. It will also give the teacher some tools necessary to make the student feel welcomed. 

5. What excites you about coming to Canada? What do you expect to see and do? What do you want to do in Canada? 

1. This provides the student with a salient set of goals and expectations. They can watch this video to combat the feelings of culture shock, of anomie, or of rejection in the new country. It can serve as a reminder for why they originally came to Canada and their strong points of adaption. It will also provide the teacher with a set of expectations to live up to.

EX2

One main reason it is important to check on the well-being of language learners is to see if there is going to be any obstacles or blocks hindering them from acculturating and learning the target language. If they feel insecure, not welcomed and more, they will probably not want to continue improving with their language. The acculturation process is huge with their well-being. In the Herrera et. al text, there is a whole chapter on the assessment of acculturation. “The acculturation process is by no means a linear process. It is influenced by external and internal factors that make each student’s journey unique” (Herrera et. al, 2020). With how our students are responding to us, to their studies and to others, their well-being can be dependent on things or events that we can see, but it can also be affected by the internal wars they are having themselves. We have to remember that students are humans, just like us. Events that may have little affect on our minds and us can have the biggest impact on them. We need to be conscientious of the fragility that lies within them when it seems like they are doing fine on the outside.

 

One formative assessment that I think would allow me to understand the socio-emotional and well-being of a student is through dialogue journals (Herrera et. al, 2020). I think written dialogue can be so powerful for students that are not yet comfortable in their speaking abilities. It gives them a place to turn to, to express all their thoughts and feelings that they are having in that moment. I think this is a beneficial formative assessment to use with my high school ESL students. I could give students certain questions to answer to gear their responses toward what I am looking for, or I could give them writing time to just express and write down whatever it is that they need to get off their chests. If students still struggle with the target language, they can always have the ability to write in their primary language if it is just free write.

 

Five aspects and questions that I will gear the dialogue journals to:

A. My students are afraid to speak to others in English. I had one student say that she acts as though she doesn’t know English when people come to talk to her and will give them her phone to help with translations. I want them to have the confidence to talk to whomever.

     1. When you are in a group working on a project, describe the scene to me. Do you do any of the talking? Do you give your perspective and opinion to the group? If no, what is the main reason that you do not participate in the conversation in the group? If yes, are others accepting of what you say?

B. I hear many times students talking about their families, where they live and how their relationships are. Who they live with will definitely have an impact on how they act and respond and how their relationships are in their daily lives will impact their emotions.

     2. Describe an afternoon/evening routine you have after school? Do you ever like/need alone time or are you one that likes having company?

C. From McKay chapter two, it talks about students developing new identities (McKay, 2006). I have seen through ESL students some minor ways in which they are trying to fit to the norm, yet by their conversations, they are not completely changing who they are. They are developing ways to engage in the new culture and community, but they are still who they are.

     3. What is one aspect of the culture (media, clothing, hobbies, etc) here that you really enjoy? What is something that seems strange or very different to you? What is something from your primary culture that you wish this culture had more of?

D. I think using an appraisal system is great for anyone’s self-esteem, but especially great to use for students learning a new language. The more appreciation and praise they get for even trying to communicate and engage in the discourse in the classroom, the more they will want to try and participate (McKay, 2006). Asking questions that relate to praise and something they’re proud of will help trigger those memories of great accomplishment. Students getting the opportunity to praise themselves is just as important as others praising them.

     4. State a time when you were very proud of yourself, and explain why you were so proud. (can be a time in school, but does not have to be)

E. Acculturation is a huge aspect of how the students are in terms of their well-being. Asking questions that help the teacher know what phase they are in will help with understanding of how much additional support needs to be given (Herrera et al, 2020).

     5. How are your emotions today? Write about anything that is making you happy, sad, excited, frustrated, etc at the moment.

     6. How do you feel you are doing in terms of getting acquainted with the culture at school? At home? In the community?