Activities and Assessments


Activities and Assessments

Learning Module Steps

Step One: Students Find Signs and Take Photos

Teacher will pair up students and provide a paper copy students can reference to find pictures of street signs around the school neighbourhood. Each pair will receive 2 different signs they have to find and photograph. Ipads can be provided if needed. 

 

Step Two: Share Photos with the Teacher

The learner's photos will be shared with the teacher to her email or text message. Students will have to connect to school-provided wifi. Other students, volunteers or assistants can help with this process, if needed.

 

Step Three: Teacher Uploads Photos to a Wiki

Once the photos are received, the teacher can upload student photos to the wiki. (See Student View Page). This will take time, so the photos will be shown during the next computer lab or as an example before navigating, in the classroom.

 

Step Four: Students Interact with the Photos

During the lab, the students will click on the link, read the sign type texts and view the class's photos. At the same time, learners will develop computer skills in order to navigate the viewing. The teacher should demonstrate use of the back arrow as students will have to return to their main page. An instructional assistant or volunteer is present to help learners who get lost.

 

Each sign type is numbered. Learners will then copy the sign types beside the correct number on the worksheet below. 

1. __________________

2. __________________

3. __________________

4. __________________

5. __________________

6. __________________

7. __________________

8. __________________


Vocabulary Recycling Classroom Practice

     "Findings from the vocabulary research suggest that adults can improve vocabulary through instruction and that effective instruction includes the opportunity to use new words many times and to process them deeply." (Kruidenier, MacArthur & Wrigley, 2010) Back in the classroom, learners can practice the new words by matching sign text on flashcards showing photos. They can do a matching worksheet where they must draw lines to match signs and text. They can copy words, filling in missing letters and write text removed from signs. Listening and speaking are not considered literacy skills, and are not being assessed in this learning module, but both are part of learning new vocabulary. The teacher will say the new words and learners often repeat, but this module targets reading, so only reading will be assessed as the LINC program requires real world tasks as assessments. Reading signs is a real life action. 

 

Matching Task

Match. Draw a line.

 

school zone 

 

parking for people with disabilities 

 

speed 

 

street name 

 

 

Assessing Learner Reading and Evaluating the Activity

          Learners can be assessed in reading by the following task. In a one-on-one assessment, the teacher will show the learner a photo of a sign. He must pick out the word from a group of eight words on small cards on a table. A correct choice counts as one mark in a checklist. This will demonstrate a beginning reading ability, or recognition of a word. To pass, a learner must get six out of eight correct. If a learner does not achieve six, more practice is needed and the test can be given at a later date. The reason the learner is not assessed on a computer is due to what is often a lack of computer skills. Hughes (2003) states the following about designing a reading assessment. "The wording of reading test items is not meant to cause candidates any difficulties of comprehension. It should always be well within their capabilities and less demanding than the text itself." This matching assessment is less demanding than using the web for navigating a web page.

     To assess how well the learners enjoyed the module, a simple 3-point rating scale can be used to obtain learner feedback. The instructor will say, "Learning with computers is good for me." Show three happy faces on the board indicating the three levels of satisfaction before giving the survey question. Ask learners to circle one.

    I like learning

with computers.

 

 

Learning with computers is okay.

 

 

    Learning with computers

      is not good for me.                 

 

I like learning with a phone .    

 

Learning with phones is okay.     

      

Learning with phones is not good for me. 

              

 

In summary, the reading assessment will indicate word recognition performance and the survey of positive feelings towards using the technology tools indicates learner readiness to use technology tools.