A01 cohe4573 01 se fm. Qxd

Sample teacher’s evaluation form
Teacher’s comments:

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A S S E S S M E N T O F P R A G M A T I C S I N T H E C L A S S R O O M
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This journal writing task can be adapted into a class discussion in which
learners discuss critical incidents that they have experienced in interacting
in the L2. Either through a written or a spoken channel, these reflective
tasks can promote learners’ critical thinking about cross-cultural issues (e.g.,
how social contexts are interpreted in the L2, what language is used to
encode the social meaning, what cultural values and beliefs underlie the
L2).
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At the same time, they allow teachers to assess learners’ pragmatic
awareness.
So far, we have discussed the value of using research-based information
not only in teaching, but also in assessing pragmatics, and have looked at
examples of classroom-based assessment with a focus on language, culture,
and analysis of L2 pragmatics. Here we might remind ourselves that not all
learners’ divergences from the acceptable range of community norms matter
equally in authentic communicative interactions.
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While some divergences
(e.g., slightly awkward word choice) are unlikely to lead to misinterpretation
of the learners’ intent, others (e.g., no mitigating expressions in refusals)
may cause unintended misunderstandings. In classroom assessment, we
should make distinctions between more and less important features of prag-
matics, and focus on the more important ones that are likely to cause 
serious pragmatic failure.
Also, as suggested in Chapters 5 and 6, learners may wish to model
themselves after native speakers or follow culturally acceptable norms in the
community. At other times the same learners may wish to intentionally
behave rather uniquely in order to preserve their subjectivity. For example,
learners may want to sound overly polite even in a fairly informal situation
as a way of distancing themselves from a group of people they do not want
to associate with, even though they are perfectly capable of speaking infor-
mally and amicably in other informal situations. In such cases, teachers may
decide to respect those learners’ intentions (i.e., how they want to present
themselves) and support them in achieving their goals (i.e., what they 
want to achieve through their use of language). The next section shows 
how this culturally sensitive assessment might be realized in the classroom
context.
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Shively (2008). This article provides an example of critical incidents and a useful
discussion guide for learners that would particularly be useful for study-abroad 
students (pp. 420 –2).
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For example, Kasper and Schmidt (1996).

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