Zola CO #4

     Today I observed Olivia James' 3A Grammar class. Today, the itinerary included working independently on a previous take-home exam, and doing a speaking exam with Olivia.

    Her class tests grammar exclusively through direct assessment, from what I could see. This makes sense, given that her students are at the upper-intermediate level. For example, the two most recent exams given were on 1), grammar via writing, and 2) grammar via speaking.

    I was given copies of both exams. The writing exam gave prompts for the students to write a paragraph about - with the caveat that it must be in specified tense(s). 

    Meanwhile, the speaking exam, which two students took today, was divided into a few sections. In the first one, students were shown a video and asked to describe it to the instructor. Whereas later in the exam, the student would be speaking responding directly to a question asked by the instructor. In this way, the exam tested both receptive and productive use of grammar, creating positive washback.

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