-----观美国高中写作评价方式有感
西安高新一中 樊晖
一、引 言
目前, 在高中学生的听、说、读、写四项技能中,写仍然是弱项。其中一个主要原因是教师在写作教学中方法单一,评价单一。长期以来,学生对冷漠、缺乏激励性的评语已漠然,无法激起对写作的兴趣。笔者研究了高中英语写作的评价策略,并借鉴美国高中写作的评价手段,认为优化课堂评价方式是有助于激发学生写作兴趣,培养学生写作能力的有效途径。
二、美国高中写作评价的几种方法
美国高中对学生写作的培养是阶段性的,每一阶段训练不同的文体。笔者有幸在美国南加州一所高中进入课堂观摩了一段如何训练学生学议论文,对其评价方式深有感触。美国高中议论文的写法有其一套模式。所有议论文都套用这样一种模式:TS ( topic sentence), CD ( concrete detail) , CM (commentary) , CM(commentary),CS(concluding sentence). 学生根据这个模式来套写。这个写作方案就是美国著名的 “Jane Schaffa Writing Program”.一般来说,美国学生写作文是在读完一本书后,对某方面发表议论。阅读时, 采取小组合作、讨论的方式。读后,就某一主题写作,完全依照老师提供的写作模式,这样写出的作文大框架,条理会很清楚。写完后学生先打印一份交给老师,老师则先利用一节课让学生互评、自评。首先老师给每位学生印发一份详细的批改指导作为批改依据,这份细则以表格形式标明了每一个档次的指标及其所得分数,从主题到拼写及大小写都给与明确的说明,最后是批改者的评语 及文章所得分数。一般老师指定小组(多为四人组)互批,然后再自评。由于老师所给的批改规则十分详细,学生批的也很准确。在小组批完之后,明显的错误就已经挑出,学生再进行自评。 通过在小组中批改别人的作文,学生已经对如何写好文章有了基本的认识,也已认识到了自己的不足,然后修改自己的文章,最后在网上提交给老师。老师的批改及评语也非常详细,多具有鼓励性质。可以看出,美国高中早已将评价机制纳入到课堂正常的教学中。下面为美国学生读完“Monkey”—“西游记”后所写文章的自我评估的一个范例:
Monkey Analysis Essay Rubric
Mechanics
&
Formal
Essay
Guidelines
No spelling
punctuation,
capitalization,
sentence
structure errors
or formal essay
guideline errors
A few spelling
punctuation,
capitalization,
sentence
structure,or
formal essay
guideline
errors Some spelling
punctuation,
capitalization
sentence
structure。and
formal essay
guideline
errors Abundant
spelling
punctuation,
capitalization.
sentence
structure。and
formal essay
guideline errors Unreadable
Hook
Clever hook that
is original,grabs
reader
attention,and is
appropriate Provides a
thoughtful hook
Provides a
generic hook
Hook has
nothing to do
with essay
NO hook
Thesis
Provides complex
thesis written in
parallel structure.
includes author
and title book.
written in fluent
parallel structure.
points to all body
paragraphs Thesis is
missing one
element
Thesis is
missing more
than one
element or;s
vague
Thesis is out of
place
NO thesis
CDs
Provides at least
6 well.chosen and
appropriate
quotes
Provides 5 well
chosen quotes
or l or 2 quotes
are weak
Provides 4 well
chosen quotes
or half of the
quotes are
weak Less than 4 well.
chosen quotes
or half quotes are
weak
No quotes
Commentary
Has at least
twice as much CM
as CDs and CM is
clever and
insightful analysis Has at least
twice as much
CM as CDs but
CM is basic
analysis Provides the
same amount
of CM as CDs
or CM is mostly
plot summary Provides little
CM or CM is all
plot summary
No commentary
Clincher
Clever clincher
that is original
and appropriate,
leaving reader
with food for
thought(“Finish
him!”l Provides a
thoughtful
clincher
Provides a
generic
clincher
Clincher has
nothing to do
with essay
NO clincher
Parenthetical Citations
All quotes cited
perfectly
according to MLA
A few errors
Some errors
Numerous
citation errors
and/or floating
quotes 7 NO citations
Works Cited NO errors One error Two errors 30rmore errors NO Works Cited
Comments:
Final Grade_____
三、写作课堂评价的重要意义和作用
写作课堂评价是写作教学的一种手段,是促进教学的一种策略。虽然评价活动由教师设计,却由学生来完成,也就是说,写作评价很大程度上是教师监控下的学生自我评价。评价对学生有以下意义和作用:
1、能监测到学生对写作课堂教学掌握的情况及对于写作策略的运用情况。
2、使学生能清楚自己的长处和不足,有助于纠正学生的一些错误观念。
3、为学生调整自己的学习方案提供反馈,帮助学生重新调整学习策略。
4、使学生能真正对自己的学习负责,增强自主意识。
四、课堂评估在写作教学中的应用
1、自我评价
如果学生在学习过程中是积极的学习者,他们就必须构建自己的学习目标,设计自己的学习路线,并随时检查自己的进步。这样会为自己的学习进度和学习方向负责,从而逐步成为一个自主和独立的学习者,为终身学习打下基础。(罗少茜,2003)学生写作的课堂评价可分为:写前评价和过程评价和写后评价。
写前评价 包括写作前是否思考,选题方式( 题目大小)是否正确,是否会写开头和结尾等。目的在于让学生写前培养良好的写前思维习惯。这样,学生对自己的各项能力有一个基本认识,知道自己的优点,弱点,有力于奠定写作的基础。写前教师必须要和学生一起具体制定各项评估标准,展示优秀的写作要素,教师对每一项都要提供范例,让学生知道优秀作品是什么样,进而对自己的作品进行评价。下面为优秀作品写作要素构成的范例:
What a good writer can do
What will the topic be?
How did you choose your topic?
What pre-drafting activities are you doing?
How are you gathering ideas for your writing?
How do you organize your writing?
What developing mode are you going to adopt?
What is your purpose of writing?
( adapted from O’Malley&Pierce.1996)
过程评价 对写作来说,结果评价多于过程评价。但对于作为过程的写作教学,过程评价尤为重要。过程评价一般在写作过程中进行,可由学生自评或有教师进行评价,也可由同伴由讨论的方式进行。在这个过程中,教师可以给学生提供可参考的问题:
(1)写草稿时
How are you getting along with your writing?
Do you have any problems?
What are you writing about?
Where do you want this piece to go?
(2)学生修改时
What kind of information are you making?
What kind of errors have you located?
Are you following the guide line for revising?
Do you have any suggestion for further improvement?
写后评价 写作后可以根据老师制定发放的细则标准来对文章进行详细的评估, 找出自己的优点和弱点。下面是自我评估的一个范例:
5-Advanced-
A
4-
Proficient-
B
3-
Basic-
C
2-
Below Basic-
D 1-
Far Below
Basic-
F
Mechanics
No spelling
punctuation,
or
capitalization,
errors
A few
Spelling
punctuation,
and/or
capitalizatio
n errors Some
spelling
punctuation,
and/or
capitalizatio
n errors Several
spelling
punctuation,
and/or
capitalization
,errors Abundant
spelling
punctuation,
and/or
capitalization
,errors
Grammar
No sentence
structure/
grammar
errors
A few
sentence
structure/
grammar
errors Some
sentence
structure/
grammar
errors Several
sentence
structure
grammar
errors Abundant
sentence
structure
grammar
errors
Introduction
Has effective
hook,
describes
flaw,and has
detailed thesis
Has generic
hook.
describes
flaw,and
has detailed
thesis Has generic
hook.
describes
flaw,and
has vague
thesis No hook
describes
flaw but
thesis is out
of place or is
unclear No hook
does not
describe
flaw,and no
clear thesis
Body
Paragraphs
Setting and
background
info given with
abundant
sensory detail,
offers precise
details of
event that
create
suspense,
provides a
detailed
description of
how he/she
feels as a
result Setting and
background
info given
with sensory
detail,offers
details of
event,
provides a
description
of how
he/she feels
as a result
Setting and
background
info given,
offers some
details of
event,
provides a
brief
description
of how
he/she feels
as a result
Setting and
background
info given,
offers little or no details of event,
provides little
or no
description
of how
he/she feels
as a result
No setting or
background
info given,no
details of
event no
description of
how he/she
feels as a
result
Conclusion
Restates
Thesis in an
original way,
reviews main
ideas, ends
with an
effective
“clincher’ Restates
Thesis in an
original way,
reviews
main ideas,
ends with a
generic
“clincher’ Restates
thesis,does
not review
main ideas,
ends with a
generic
“clincher,’
Restates
thesis, does
not review
main ideas,
ends with a
generic
“clincher,’
No summative
conclusion,
essay ends
abruptly
(选自美国Saugus High School的自评表)
2、同伴评价
沟通技能和合作技能在同伴评价中十分重要。同学之间彼此信任和真诚的互相评价需要长时间来培养。在写作完成后,可把学生分成二人或四人组交换进行评价,但有效评价需要建立在相互信任、负责的基础之上。通过自评和互评,学生有机会检查自己和他人的写作成果,对自己的目标有一个更明确的概念。学生互评的成功和自评的成功一样,需要教师提供榜样,展示优秀的互评范例。通过评议使学生充分理解评价的标准。同时让他们学会信任、诚实、公正对自己和别人(Darling—Hammond1995)。互评中最主要的一点是要了解学生的情况,让学生意识到“同伴文化”的力量以及友好气氛在学习过程中的重要性。互评鼓励学生合作和向他人学习,对自己的目标也产生激励。互评也可采用笔者在自评中提供的表格。
3、教师评价
学生的自评和互评都必须与教师的评价结合。在评价的过程中,教师的作用是多层面的。要示范写作学习方法,评价方法,帮助学生自评,管理学生互评,和学生一起反思,确立今后的目标。
教师给学生的作品的评语应简洁、具体并具有针对性。研究发现,有建设性的,鼓励性的反馈,加之写作内容和写作过程的评价而非仅仅是写作惯例的检测有助于学生写作水平的提高, 有助于培养学生对写作的正确态度。表扬比纠错更重要,过分的纠错有伤学生的自尊。(王笃勤,2004)
下面的一些评语也许会给教师以启发和参考:
(1) 开头和结束
A good beginning ! A perfect ending!
The first paragraph makes a good beginning.
The last paragraph makes a perfect ending.
All the points have been covered.
It’s clever of you to use a topic sentence at the beginning of a paragraph.
I’m glad to see the sentence coherence in your last paragraph.
Strong introduction----it stimulates my desire to read
Your ending came a bit too quickly, It seems there is something lost.
The conclusion seems a little week.
The introduction is not strong enough to motivate the readers.
(2) 文章结构组织
Well organized. Easy to follow.
The focus of the paper seems not clear enough.
How is this connected with the ideas before it?
This paragraph seems a little overloaded.
Connectors are needed between different paragraphs.
(3)清晰度
It’s wonderful to use proper conjunctions between sentences.
You are good at developing a passage.
Good description.
More details are needed here.
Tell me more about this.
An example would have made this clearer.
(4) 句法结构
It’s wonderful to use proper conjunctions between sentences.
Good word choice.
Long sentences.
Fragments.Try to use complete sentences.
You can combine these short sentences.
结束语
在课堂写作评估中,教师和学生共同面对学生的成长。各种评价方式结果不仅给学生也给教师提供了教与学的信息。学生得到个人反馈,明确努力方向,教师得到学生的反馈以便改进写作的教学方法,给学生提供更有意义和有用的指导。
参考文献
罗少茜 ,2003 英语课堂形成性评价研究
O’Malley,J. Michael O’Malley and Michael J. O’Malley.(1996).
Authentic Assessment for English Language Learners. Addison-Wesley Pub Co.
Darling-Hummond, Linda.(1995).
Authentic Assessment in Action Teachers College Press.
王笃勤,2004 英语教学策略论