A01 cohe4573 01 se fm. Qxd

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F U R T H E R I S S U E S I N L E A R N I N G , T E A C H I N G , A N D A S S E S S M E N T
assessment learners first reflect on and evaluate their own language. Then,
teachers join to further evaluate learners’ insights in self-assessment as well as
the learner language itself (as in Examples 8 to 10). In developing assessment,
teacher-driven assessment tools can be adapted to incorporate learners’ self-
assessment. For example, teachers can provide reflective prompts that direct
learners’ attention to key features of pragmatics. Learners’ self-evaluation can
be placed side-by-side with the teachers’ so that they can compare them for
further insights. Example 11 below is designed to facilitate learners’ reflections
concerning their own pragmatic awareness (marked as *1 below) and linguistic
control (marked as *2). It includes a successful example of authentic learner
language and self-assessment, along with a sample of teacher feedback (see
Chapter 7 for instruction given before and after this self-assessment).
Example 11
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Situation: Karla takes a large class at a university in Minneapolis. A week
before a course paper is due, she notices that she has three more long
papers due the same week. She realizes that it is not possible to finish
them all by their respective due dates. She decides to go to one of the
instructors, Professor Johnson, to ask for an extension on the paper for
his course. This is her first time talking to him in private. She approaches
him after class is over and says:
Karla: [learner writes] Hi Professor Johnson. Um, will you do me a favor?
I was wondering about the paper. Could I get an extension?
Prof. Johnson: But you knew the deadline, didn’t you?
Karla: [learner writes] I knew it. But I have three other papers.
Self-evaluation
First, mark an X for status (S), distance (D), and imposition (I) below on the
scale and then write what Karla would say to Professor Johnson after class.
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Although it is best to assess learners’ spoken language in a role-play (or in natural
discourse if possible), analysis of written dialogue as it is illustrated here facilitates
reflective analysis on the part of both teachers and learners. An example of role-play
assessment can be found in Ishihara et al. (2008).

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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