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
pragmatic awareness and production in its present status as the learner decides to
“opt out” and say nothing. Look back at Examples 8–10 in this chapter for making
revisions if necessary.
2
Each group transfers their finished rubrics to overhead transparencies or large
construction paper.
3
Show your work and report your group discussion to the whole class.
Discussion/wrap-up
Self-evaluation supports students in becoming observant, reflective, and independent
in their learning process. Employment of learners’ goals is also an important component
in culturally sensitive instruction and assessment of L2 pragmatics. Consider and discuss
potential benefits and drawbacks of self-evaluation and assessment based on the learn-
ers’ goals and intentions. Consider what could be done to maximize the benefits, and
avoid or minimize the drawbacks.
Information: Sample assessment tools
Sample 1
Situation: James is trying to do some homework but his roommate, Sam, is
watching a variety show on TV and has the volume up so loud that it is 
distracting James and making it hard to concentrate. James talks to Sam
(
learner language provided in comic font):
James:
Hey Sam.
Sam: Yeah?
James:
While I study, can you low a volume?
Sam: Come on, why don’t you just take a break and watch this with me?
It’s an awesome show, you know.
James:
Oh, . . . I want to study!!
Sam: Well, okay. No problem.
Teacher’s evaluation
4 – Very appropriate; 3 – Somewhat appropriate; 2 – Less appropriate, 
1 – Inappropriate

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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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Sample 2
Situation: Your neighbors next door just moved in two weeks ago, and you
have not met them yet. It is now midnight and you are just about ready to
go to bed, but your new neighbors are playing loud music. You have a very
important test tomorrow morning and need to get as much sleep as pos-
sible before your alarm starts ringing at six o’clock tomorrow morning.
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You knock on their door:
[Learner says] 
I’ll try to sleep with ear plugs and won’t say anthing.
Choice and use of strategies of complaining
(a) Strategies of complaining used: __________________________
(b) Appropriateness of the choice of strategies (place an X below)
Very appropriate
Appropriate
Fair
Inappropriate
(c) Appropriateness/effectiveness of the strategies used
Very appropriate
Appropriate
Fair
Inappropriate
Tone of complaining
(a) Tone communicated by the complaint: _____________________
(b) Appropriateness of the tone in complaining
Very appropriate
Appropriate
Fair
Inappropriate
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Situation adapted from Arent (1996).
1 Level of formality, directness, and politeness
4
3
2
1
2 Strategies of requests
4
3
2
1
3 Vocabulary and phrases
4
3
2
1
4 Pragmatic tone
4
3
2
1

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Conclusion
A
s can be seen from the thrust of this book, we feel strongly that
the time has come for teachers to make even greater strides
than they now do to extend their teaching beyond the presentation of
decontextualized language forms. The aim of this book is to encourage
teacher readers to support learners in interpreting what people really mean
in the target language and in expressing themselves the way that they want
to. Too frequently learners memorize words and phrases, and then find that
they do not really know when and how to use them effectively. This book
appears at a time when there is a wave of interest in enhancing learners’
control over the pragmatics of the language. The book joins others that give
special focus to the classroom, and views teachers as facilitators in the class-
room. The material in this book is intended to be used both in teacher
development programs and in direct implementation of L2 pragmatics
instruction in the classroom.
The book started by defining terms in the field of pragmatics. It then
addressed the issue of teachers’ knowledge and beliefs about pragmatics, and
how they may affect what teachers do or do not do in the language class-
room. With the realization that no textbook could possibly provide all the
relevant pragmatics material that a given learner needs, suggestions were
provided as to how learners could collect and analyze the kinds of data they
might need for successful communication and further independent learning.
The spotlight was put on intentional and unintentional divergence from the
perceived community’s pragmatic norms, since there may be various reasons
for why learners at times fail to achieve a desired outcome and why at other
times they deliberately make individual pragmatic choices.
Needless to say, the successful integration of pragmatics instruction in
the curriculum depends in no small part on the knowledge, understanding,
and instructional prowess of classroom teachers and teacher educators. 
For this reason, the book has offered instructional principles, practical 
suggestions, and activities for engaging teacher readers in issues related to
the teaching of L2 pragmatics at a genuinely operational level. We have

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