SITCOMMS: Situations for Communication

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SIT-COMMS Situations for Communication

• A Tool for Formative Assessment
• PPS World Languages
• September 1, 2009

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Purpose of SITCOMMS

• Improve students speaking proficiency
• Prepare students for proficiency testing
• Prepare teachers to write proficiency tasks /
  tests

World Language student racing to greet dedicated
(and attractive!)WL teachers.
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Sit-Comms as a Tool for Formative Assessment

• Assess-from the Latin verb assidere
• Really! You can look it up!
• To sit with or to sit beside
• Something done with and for student
• Not to the student

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WRONG APPROACH !
Beating it into ones head
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RIGHT APPROACH lt )
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Characteristics of Formative Assessment

• Informal and ongoing
• Embedded into regular lessons
• Interactive teacher to student
• student to student
• Timely feedback and response
• Opportunity for self-monitoring

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Characteristics of a Sit-Comm

• Informal and ongoing
• Embedded into regular lessons
• Interactive student to teacher
• student to student
• Timely feedback and response
• Opportunity for self-monitoring

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An Effective Sit-Commprovides

• Image engaging
• Scenario plausible/real-world
• Response open-ended
• Approach scaffolding

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Not an Effective Sit-Comm

• Image not situational
• Scenario Not a real world situation but an
  artificial construct
• Response Lends itself to listing only
• Which of these images would you choose?

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Is this an effective Sit-Comm?Why? or Why not?

• what you like to eat and
• drink
• what you do not like to
• eat or drink
• where do you like to
• eat that food
• how often do you eat that
• food

Favorite Foods
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You probably said NOT!

• Image not very engaging
• Response would most likely be listing
• Scenario not real-life but an artificial
  construct

Snooze alert!
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And nowyour turn!

• 1. Brainstorm Discuss
• How could the Favorite Foods scenario have been
  improved upon?
• 2. Create/write
• An effective Sit-Comm

The End