Learning and Assessment: Making the Connections 3–5 May 2017
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Learning and Assessment: Making the Connections 3–5 May 2017 In collaboration with and supported by Book of Abstracts The presentations appear by format, by alphabetical order according to the first letter of the title, and colour-coded according to the strand. Plenary presentations ........................................................................................................................... 1 Connecting policy and practice at European level ....................................................................................................... 1 Construct and content in context: Implications for language learning, teaching and assessment in China ................. 1 Innovating teaching and learning through digitalisation: Results from research to support policy ............................... 2 Language policy and social cohesion: What links between social environment and regimes of learning and assessment? ............................................................................................................................................................... 2 Language testing washback and impact in our globalised world ................................................................................. 3 Panels...................................................................................................................................................... 4 Insights from research on sign language tests ............................................................................................................ 4 Lessons learnt from Italy in language learning, teaching and assessment .................................................................. 8 The challenges of a learning oriented and multilingual school assessment policy .................................................... 10 The development of China’s Standards of English and its potential application ........................................................ 14 Workshops ........................................................................................................................................... 18 Erasmus+: Funding opportunities for language education ......................................................................................... 18 Making multilingual language teachers digital in Denmark: ensuring quality in digital language teaching ................. 18 Mediation and exploiting one’s plurilingual repertoire: Exploring classroom potential with proposed new CEFR descriptors ................................................................................................................................................................. 19 Online text analysis tools for test development and validation ................................................................................... 20 Thumbs up or thumbs down? Putting apps to the test ............................................................................................... 21 Paper presentations ............................................................................................................................ 22 WIP presentations ............................................................................................................................... 98 Poster presentations ......................................................................................................................... 112 Plenary presentations Connecting policy and practice at European level The EU guideline for language teaching in school was agreed between the Heads of State and Government fifteen years ago: every European citizen should have the opportunity to learn two foreign languages from a very early age. However, European surveys indicate that around half of all European citizens are still unable to speak even one foreign language. This is sadly the case even for the generation that has spent the past fifteen years in school. New and better connections therefore have to be made between policy and practice. The European Commission is working together with the Member States to make language teaching and learning more efficient and at the same time more inclusive. Recent initiatives take account of technological progress and new trends in assessment. They also reflect an increased awareness of global developments, such as the role of English as lingua franca and the influence of languages from outside Europe. One common challenge, which is reinforced through the current refugee crisis, is that an increasing number of pupils speak a different language at home than in school. Educators must be prepared to deal with the specific needs and expectations of a more heterogeneous population of learners. Attention to the linguistic background of each individual is an essential element of successful teaching in school. If it is ignored, diversity can lead to learning difficulties and ultimately to school failure. But if it is properly recognised, it can create a more inclusive environment, paving the way to better learning outcomes across all subjects in later years and to a smoother acquisition of better language competences for all. Kristina Cunningham, Senior policy officer, Directorate General for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, European Commission, Brussels Kristina Cunningham is the senior policy officer in charge of multilingualism at the European Commission. She previously worked as a sales and marketing manager in the private sector. She holds a Masters degree in Business Administration and Modern Languages from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and a Certificate of Political Studies from the Institute of Political Sciences in Paris, France. She is involved in the development of strategies for making multicultural and multilingual classrooms more efficient and socially more inclusive, and to support teachers in their evolving roles. Construct and content in context: Implications for language learning, teaching and assessment in China Context is vitally important in conceptualizing the construct and specifying the content of language learning, teaching and assessment; however, the unique features of local contexts are often difficult to identify and capture. In a rapidly changing globalised world, the experience of China will be used to discuss these issues. In this presentation, I will illustrate the importance of contextualized construct definitions and content specifications on language education in China with a specific focus on English and the reform programme that is currently underway. Following the theme of the 1 Learning and Assessment: Making the Connections … in a globalised economy … in a multilingual world … in the digital era conference and in making connections, I will highlight the current contextual conditions instead of historically embedded structures or practices (Marginson & Rhoades, 2002). To be specific, I will discuss the impact of China’s fast-growing economy, its multilingualism, and the advancement in information and communication technology on learning, teaching and assessment. Dr Jin Yan, Professor of Applied Linguistics at the School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China Dr Jin’s research focuses on the development and validation of large-scale and high-stakes language assessments. She is currently Chair of the National College English Testing Committee in China and Vice President of the Asian Association for Language Assessment. She is also co-editor-in-chief of the Springer open-access journal Language Testing in Asia and is on the editorial board of international and local journals, including Language Testing, Classroom Discourse, The Journal of Asia TEFL, and the International Journal of Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Teaching. Innovating teaching and learning through digitalisation: Results from research to support policy This talk will present results from research to support policy at the European level focussed on harnessing the potential of digital technologies to innovate education and training practices, improve access to lifelong learning and to deal with the rise of new (digital) skills and competences needed for employment, personal development and social inclusion. Language learning is also strongly affected by these developments. The talk will aim to discuss research on the use of digital technologies for learning, teaching and assessment, not only for language learning but also related to the assessment of other transversal skills such as digital competence and entrepreneurship competence. It will situate this research within the context of European research and policy debates. Dr Yves Punie Senior scientist and project leader at the European Commission Joint Research Centre in Seville, Spain Yves Punie leads research and policy activities on ICT for learning and skills, providing evidence-based policy support to the European Commission on how to harness the potential of digital technologies in order to innovate education and training practices, improve access to lifelong learning, and deal with the rise of new (digital) skills and competences needed for employment, personal development and social inclusion. Yves oversees research in three interrelated strands: open education and OER; innovating learning and teaching; and key competences and 21st century skills. This has resulted in more than 20 major studies, generating over 80 publications designed to support European policies on the modernisation and innovation of education and training, and the development of key competences. Language