View Content #20947

by Stephanie Knight, CASLS Language Technology Specialist

Interpersonal communication is arguably the most important mode of communication to incorporate in the world language classroom. When learners interact with expert speakers of the target language, they are oftentimes intimidated by the dual influence of their own gaps in knowledge and the fluency of the expert speaker. Other modes of communication (Interpretive Reading, Interpretive Speaking, Presentational Writing, and Presentational Speaking) are unidirectional, and though they do require consideration of the audience or author and their perspectives, there is rarely a demand to respond to the communication in a timely fashion. Interpersonal communication, in both spoken and written formats such as texting, is largely synchronous and requires learners to engage in interpretive and productive functions simultaneously.

Still, the common division of the world language course into four skill sets (listening, speaking, writing, and reading) can make interpersonal communication difficult to assess. Interpersonal language functions are simultaneously written and read or heard and spoken. Thus, a learner’s productive and receptive language skills must be simultaneously assessed, and many rubrics neglect to account for the interactive nature of interpersonal language functions. As a result, learners may be evaluated in a way that inappropriately highlights their skills and deficiencies, potentially limiting learners in their abilities to understand how to improve. After all, as Wiggins (2012) asserts, "Information becomes feedback if, and only if, I am trying to cause something and the information tells me whether I am on track or need to change course."

In order to address this issue, CASLS is currently designing interpersonal rubrics to go along with LinguaFolio Online, an online language learning portfolio based off of the NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements. This portfolio allows learners to capture evidence of their respective proficiency levels and to engage in self-reflection regarding how well they are performing. When learners upload evidence, they have to rate how well they feel that the evidence proves that they can engage in the target language functions. In order to help learners to truly understand the difference between the markers on the scale used for self-reflection (what evidence might be more indicative of "Can Do with Help" and what evidence might be more indicative of "Can Do," for example), we are developing descriptors that fully describe each of those aforementioned markers. Not only will these rubrics aid in the development of a common academic vocabulary to use to in the classroom when engaging in self and peer evaluation, but they will also to help to crystalize the skill sets that are required when building language proficiency for learners.

In order to view an example rubric for a Novice High learner, please see this week’s Activity of the Week.

In order to check out the teaching and learning tools already available for LinguaFolio Online, please check out lfonetwork.uoregon.edu.

Reference

Wiggins, G. (2012). Seven Keys to Effective Feedback. Educational Leadership, 70(1), 10-16. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-     leadership/sept12/vol70/num01/Seven-Keys-to-Effective-Feedback.aspx.