Dynamic Assessment: Bridging the Gap Between Special Education and Foreign Language Learning

Open Access
- Author:
- Warren, Andrea Rose
- Area of Honors:
- World Languages Education
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Matthew Edward Poehner, Thesis Supervisor
Matthew Edward Poehner, Thesis Supervisor
Matthew Edward Poehner, Thesis Honors Advisor
Angiline Louisa Whitney, Faculty Reader - Keywords:
- special education
foreign language learning
dynamic assessment - Abstract:
- Generally, students with learning disabilities or other special needs are not advised to take foreign language classes. It is a misconception that these students are incapable of learning a second language; it can be a challenge, but it is possible, depending on the individual student and the dedication of the instructor. In this paper, I explore the use of dynamic assessment in lieu of traditional assessments with a special needs learner. Instead of taking his quizzes independently, in-class, he and I worked on them together. I used dynamic assessment principles to structure my interactions with the learner. In this way, he was able to participate in a joint activity with me. The result of this collaboration for me as the instructor was that I gained a solid understanding of what he was capable of doing and where he still had problems. The result for the learner was that he was able to experience success. The collaboration of learner and instructor, inspired by the work of Lev Vygotsky, makes this assessment strategy unique and effective. Despite the advantages and potential of dynamic assessment, I also found that it could be very challenges for teachers to use in many classroom environments. Despite these challenges, and after researching the effectiveness of dynamic assessment, I found that it has positive effects on student achievement; also, I found that it fosters self-confidence and a heightened self-worth in regard to academics. This is a very important aspect of education—building a student’s self-esteem is a very rewarding and powerful outcome of this research.