|
|
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Portfolios : learning, assessment and autonomous learning., 13 Jun 2001
by Daniela Calzoni Portfolio Assessment:Getting Started is not specifically aimed at TEFL/TESL teachers or trainers but it represents a highly valuable book for any people involved in the field of education.In fact,this book is aimed at educators in general. Although it does not concentrate specifically on language teaching ,the approach suggested can be used by teachers of foreign language as well as teachers of all school subjects. The main idea the reader gets soon after reading the book is that portfolios have the potential to be useful to teachers and students because : They help teachers help their students to accomplish learning goals by developing self-questioning,reflection,critical reasoning; They help teachers and learners collect information about what they know and what they "can do" ,even documenting specific learning objectives. That is why portfolios are used for both learning and assessment purposes. Portfolios are increasingly used in schools today and this book gives a wide overview of this instrument,firstly through a brief background and a working definition of the process,secondly through practical suggestions for starting a portfolio and lastly through analysing portfolios and beginning the assessment process . In fact,the layout is clear ,the language is simple and the contents follow a logical and sequencial order so that the book is readable to anyone and it could be easily used as a "resouce " book for those teachers who are willing to start this adventure.The book is divided into 6 chapters: 1. Understanding Portfolio Assessment 2. Getting Started 3. Assessing Portfolios 4. Managing Portfolios 5. Benefiting from Portfolio Assessment 6. Dealing with possible Portfolio Problems The first chapter helps the reader to understand the rationale behind portfolio assessment and to share the author's strong beliefs that children are active learners,that classrooms need to encourage critical thinking and that encouraging students to question themselves,their peers and their teachers will lead to life-long personal growth. Chapter 2,3 and 4,in particular, provide excellent suggestions regarding the use and management of portfolios as educational tools in teachers' classroom routine. The chapter on assessment ,introduces the big issue of Assessment vs Testing keeping the reader 's awareness of the topic high and stimulating his/her self-questioning. The last two chapters of the book look at the benefits of portfolio assessment and how educators should involve parents in the development of their children's portfolios.Moreover,besides the positive aspects of introducing portfolios in the school curriculum as a valuable vehicle for self-assessement,the author also meets possible problems which might arise in using portfolios,mainly concerned with time management,subjectivity of interpretation and transferibility of information,and he offers a variety of solutions in a quite critical way. That is one of the strenghts of the book:De Fina addresses both positive and negative aspects of using portfolio for assessment. The book is also enriched by specific reading and writing activities which can be used to diagnose students' literacy skills and plan appropriate strategies afterwards. The numerous examples and charts will help new teachers to assess students'reading and writing abilities;for the more experienced teachers,this book can help them enrich their repertoire of assessment techniques and offer more understanding of their students' use of language. "It is important to note that data is collected on a on-going basis and that instructional decisions are a collaboration between teachers and learners as they actively evaluate what is being learned.In this way ,learners become self-critical,question their own learning,and set their own goals." (Lenore H.Ringler,N.Y.University,May 1992 -in Foreward) The reader of this book realises that portfolios can be used with students of any level,even with young learners with elementary knowledge.In fact,if teachers are not ready to use portfolio mainly as an assessment tool,they can introduce portfolios as didactic instruments to help learners think and reflect about their life and learning experience. Moreover,portfolios suit different learners and they are precious tools for the kinaesthetic students who are actively involvolved in organising,collecting and manipulating different materials.In such a way,kinaesthetic learners are given another chance to learn through their best channel and this is not always possible during the routine classroom activities. To conclude with, Portfolio Assessment:Getting Started provides the tools to help teachers,parents and educators to explore the use of portfolio in their particular setting, as a powerful means for learning and assessment if they approach the task as a self-discovery experience for learners.
|
With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is). 
Amazon Home
