Dynamic Assessment has its origins in L.S. Vygotsky's writings on the 'zone of proximal development' (ZPD), most notably his observation that children with seemingly similar abilities may perform quite differently when offered assistance. Through theoretical and empirical work, Vygotsky and his colleagues determined that an individual's responsiveness to assistance is indicative of his/her future performance; that is, what s/he can do today when offered various forms of help represents what s/he will be able to do tomorrow independently.
Contemporary approaches to assessment - including large-scale standardized testing, performance assessments, and classroom-based assessments - require the examinee to function in relative isolation. Dynamic Assessment, in contrast, prescribes mediation of the examinee's performance as an integral part of the assessment process. Dynamic Assessment calls for the unity of assessment and instruction with the goal of learner development.
Project 2010-2014: Dynamic Assessment in Foreign Language Education
The project will examine the impact of Dynamic Assessment in foreign language classroom settings and will compose a Casebook of L2 Dynamic Assessment.
Project Director: Matthew E. Poehner, The Pennsylvania State University
Professional Development Materials:
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Lantolf, J. P. & Poehner, M. E. (2011). Dynamic Assessment in the Foreign Language Classroom. A Teacher's Guide. 2nd Edition. The Pennsylvania State University, Center for Advanced Language Proficiency Education and Research. [More information] "Dynamic Assessment in the Foreign Language Classroom: A Teacher’s Guide (2nd edition) is a welcomed addition to a teacher’s professional library and can be used as a textbook for a course on foreign and second language assessment or as a complementary textbook in a course on language teaching methodology. The second edition of the teacher’s guide provides an accessible overview of the theory and practice of dynamic assessment. Lantolf and Poehner explain concepts from sociocultural theory that support the use of dynamic assessment, explore the zone of proximal development as the essential concept necessary for understanding and implementing dynamic assessment, and illustrate several approaches to dynamic assessment that meet diverse pedagogical needs. Enrichments activities in each chapter bring theory to life by involving the reader in the practice of specific theoretical concepts and analysis of the experience. Acknowledging that dynamic assessment may be difficult to conceptualize, the authors show how dynamic assessment differs from assessment practices where assessment and instruction are typically understood as distinct activities. Text-based and video case studies provide concrete examples of teachers engaged in successful and unsuccessful dynamic assessment sessions in various instructional contexts, such as tutorial sessions with university students of French and English as a second language, an elementary school science class for English language learners, and an elementary school Spanish class. Case studies provide examples of teachers tutoring individual students, interacting with small groups, and instructing whole classes for various instructional objectives, such as editing writing, developing listening comprehension ability, and spoken narration of past events. The case studies are thoroughly explained and analyzed and are followed by questions that are certain to prompt insightful discussions. Each chapter also contains enrichment activities and suggestions for further reading. I recommend this text highly to all language teachers at any level of instruction, to researchers specializing in language assessment, and to language program coordinators and administrators who deal with issues of testing and assessment, accountability, and teacher professional development." Richard Donato, Ph.D. |
Computerized Dynamic Assessment of Language Proficiency:
The Computerized Dynamic Assessment of Language Proficiency in French, Russian, and Chinese is an online formative assessment tool designed to provide more fine-grained profiles of listening and reading comprehension abilities than possible with traditional tests by offering graduated assistance to student test-takers. This allows teachers not only to observe how many test questions learners answered correctly and incorrectly on the first try but to document how much support was required to complete the assessment. Test results are provided as unweighted and weighted scores for the class as well as for individual students. The tests are based on existing and recognized multiple-choice assessments of listening and reading comprehension. [More Information]
Articles and Books:
Lantolf, J. P. (2009). Dynamic assessment: the dialectical integration of instruction and assessment. Language Teaching, 42, 355-368.
Poehner, M.E. (2009). Dynamic assessment as a dialectical framework for classroom activity: evidence from second language (L2) learners. Journal of Cognitive Education and Psychology, 8 , 252-268.
Ableeva, R. (2008). Listening comprehension in foreign language instruction.(CALPER Professional Development Document 0810). University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University, Center for Advanced Language Proficiency Education and Research. [More Information]
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Poehner, M.E. (2008). Dynamic assessment. A Vygotskian approach to understanding and promoting L2 development. New York: Springer. Publisher's website. Online copies available through some university libraries. This book presents the first in-depth analysis of DA's application to particular problems of L2 development. It includes detailed discussions of the core theoretical tenets as well as guidelines for implementing DA principles in L2 classrooms. The book will be of interest to language teacher educators, language testers, classroom practitioners, and students and researchers in the areas of SLA, language pedagogy, and assessment. Written for: |
Lantolf, J.P., & Poehner, M.E. (2007). Dynamic assessment in the foreign language classroom: A teacher's guide. University Park, PA: CALPER Publications. [More Information]
Lantolf, J.P., & Poehner, M.E. (2007). Language proficiency or symbolic capability: a dialectical perspective. (CALPER Working Paper Series, No. 9). The Pennsylvania State University: Center for Advanced Language Proficiency Education and Research. [More Information]
Poehner, M. E., & Lantolf, J. P. (2005). Dynamic assessment in the language classroom. Language Teaching Research, 9, 233-265.
Lantolf, J. P., & Poehner, M. E. (2004). Dynamic assessment: Bringing the past into the future. Journal of Applied Linguistics, 1, 49-74.
Poehner, M. E., & Lantolf, J. P. (2003). Dynamic assessment of L2 development: Bringing the past into the future. (CALPER Working Paper Series, No. 1). The Pennsylvania State University, Center for Advanced Language Proficiency Education and Research. [More Information]
