A Research On Application Of Formative Assessment In College English Teaching

Evaluation is a key component in College English classroom teaching. A comprehensive, objective, scientific and accurate evaluation system is of vital importance to the achievement of instructional goals. It not only helps teachers obtain feedback, improves the administration of teaching, and ensures teaching quality but also provides students with an effective means to adjust their learning strategies and methods, improves their learning efficiency and achieves the desired learning effects.Being influenced by the traditional teaching evaluation mode, college English course has taken the summative assessment as the major mode, while formative assessment has been ignored. In order to promote the College English education reform and to implement modern education theories, College English Curriculum Requirements (2007) released by the Ministry of Education point out that "The evaluation of students’learning consists of formative assessment and summative assessment. Formative assessment refers to procedural and developmental assessment conducted in the teaching process, i.e., tracking the teaching process, providing feedback and promoting an all-round development of the students, in accordance with the teaching objectives and by means of various evaluative methods. It facilitates the effective monitoring of students’autonomous learning, and is particularly important in implementing the computer- and classroom-based teaching model.The paper focuses on the application and exploration of formative assessment based on the actual situation of students in Huangshi Institute of Technology. Two first year classes of 84 students are selected as the research subjects. The research adopted the study methods like questionnaires, interview and portfolio and so on to answer the three following questions:1) Can formative assessment be effective to promote non-English majors’English learning ability? 2) Can formative assessment be helpful to improve non-English majors’achievement? 3) Can formative assessment change students’ autonomous learning strategies in college English learning? In the experiment, the research studied the students in the experimental class and the control class from the aspects like:English interest, English proficiency and English skills. The research is to offer experience and theoretical support for the teaching reform in college English teaching of Huangshi Institute of Technology.Formative assessment has been the mainstream of educational assessment. However, there is still a long way before it is trusted and recognized at all levels, by learners, faculty and administrators. It can be sure that with the development of college English classroom teaching and learning reform of the country, formative assessment will become an effective method in promoting college teaching and learning. The thesis ends with some suggestions on establishing a comprehensive, objective, scientific college English classroom assessment model.