Abstract
This chapter focusses on the assessment of children in an Indigenous language nature-based immersion classroom in Listuguj, Canada. This is in fact a subproject, part of a decade-long university-community partnership dedicated to Mi’gmaq language revitalization across the lifespan—which in addition to early years immersion includes the establishment of an adult program using a teaching method developed by Mi’gmaq community-based researcher-instructors.
This study was collaboratively conducted by a language assessment researcher and an immersion teacher, using narrative inquiry—a method uniquely well-suited to Indigenous contexts and increasingly widespread in second language education research, but rare in language assessment research. Through this study, we explored critical moments of formal and informal assessment to reveal a number of guiding principles in the teacher’s approach to integrating teaching and assessment. For example, summative assessment can happen either inside or outside, depending on where the best performance can be obtained from the student, and instruction and assessment are mediated by interaction with seasonally appropriate cultural activities and artifacts. Through this project, both members of the researcher-teacher team had the opportunity to reconsider and transform their understandings of assessment and educational theory.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Canada’s Indigenous peoples belong to one of three general groups currently referred to as First Nations, Métis, or Inuit. These words are always capitalised. The word Indigenous is not consistently capitalised in the literature, but we have chosen to do so here.
References
Alderson, J. C. (2005). Diagnosing foreign language proficiency: The interface between learning and assessment. New York: Continuum.
Baker, B., & Wigglesworth, G. (2017). Language assessment in indigenous contexts in Australia and Canada. In E. Shohamy & I. G. Or (Eds.), Encyclopedia of language and education. Springer.
Barkhuizen, G. (2008). A narrative approach to exploring context in language teaching. ELT Journal, 62(3), 231–239.
Better Kid Care Program. (2009). Loose parts: What does this mean? Office of child development and early Learning. Penn State University. Available at: http://extension.psu.edu/youth/betterkidcare/early-care/our-resources/tip-pages/tips/loose-parts-what-does-this-mean
Black, P. J., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom assessment. London: King’s College London School of Education.
Bond, T., & Mifsud, D. (2006). Narrative conversation between cultures: A novel approach to addressing an ethical concern. In S. Trahar (Ed.), Narrative research on learning: Comparative and international perspectives (pp. 239–251). Oxford: Symposium.
Bruner, J. S. (1960). The process of education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Bruner, J. S. (1961). The act of discovery. Harvard Educational Review, 31, 21–32.
Bruner, J. S. (1991). The narrative construction of reality. Critical Inquiry., 18(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1086/448619.
Canagarajah, S. (1996). From critical research practice to critical research reporting. TESOL Quarterly, 30(2), 321–331. https://doi.org/10.2307/3588146.
Carless, D. (2007). Learning---oriented assessment: Conceptual bases and practical implications. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 44(1), 57–66.
Chase, S. E. (2005). Narrative inquiry: Multiple lenses, approaches, voices. In N. K. Denzin & Y. Lincoln (Eds.), The Sage handbook of qualitative research (3rd ed., pp. 651–679). Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Children and Nature Network. (2012). Children and nature worldwide: An exploration of children’s experiences of the outdoors and nature with associated risks and benefits. Retrieved from: https://www.childrenandnature.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/CECCNNWorldwideResearch.pdf
Clandinin, D. J., & Connelly, F. M. (2000). Narrative inquiry: Experience and story in qualitative research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Creswell, J. W. (2008). Narrative research designs. In Educational Research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (3rd ed., pp. 511–550). Upper River: Pearson Education Inc.
Forest School Canada. (2014). Forest and nature schools in Canada: A head, heart, hands approach to outdoor learning. Child and Nature Alliance of Canada. Retrieved from www.childnature.ca
Goldstein, L. S. (2000). Ethical dilemmas in designing collaborative research: Lessons learned the hard way. Qualitative Studies in Education, 13, 517–530.
Heritage, M. (2007). Formative assessment: What do teachers need to know and do? Phi Delta Kappan, 89(2), 140–145.
Hoare, T., Levy, C., & Robinson, M. P. (1993). Participatory action research in native communities: Cultural opportunities and legal implications. The Canadian Journal of Native Studies, 13(1), 43–68.
Lantolf, J. P., & Poehner, M. E. (2011). Dynamic assessment in the foreign language classroom: A teacher’s guide. University Park: CALPER Publications.
Lantolf, J. P., & Poehner, M. E. (2014). Sociocultural theory and the pedagogical imperative in L2 education. New York: Routledge.
Maple, M., & Edwards, H. (2009). Locating and understanding voices in narrative inquiry: A journey of discovery. In V. Minichiello & J. A. Kottler (Eds.), Qualitative journeys: Student and mentor experiences with research (pp. 33–48). Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Norton, B., & Early, M. (2011). Researcher identity, narrative inquiry, and language teaching research. TESOL Quarterly, 45(3), 415–439.
Play England. (2016). Quality Play: Standards, assessment indicators, and evidence—a manual. Retrieved from http://www.playengland.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/QualityInPlay2017web.pdf
Polkinghorne, D. E. (1995). Narrative configuration in qualitative analysis. Qualitative Studies in Education, 8(2), 5–23.
Polkinghorne, D. E. (2007). Validity issues in narrative research. Qualitative Inquiry, 13(4), 471–486.
Riessman, C. K. (2008). Narrative methods for the human sciences. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications.
Rosiek, J., & Atkinson, B. (2007). The inevitability and importance of genres in narrative research on teaching practice. Qualitative Inquiry, 13(4), 499–521.
Sarkar, M., & Metallic, M. (2009). Indigenizing the structural syllabus: The challenge of revitalizing Mi’gmaq in Listuguj. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 66(1), 49–71.
Smith, L. T. (1999). Decolonising methodologies: Research and indigenous peoples. London: Zed Books.
Steinhauer, E. (2002). Thoughts on an indigenous research methodology. Canadian Journal of Native Education, 26(2), 69–81.
Swain, M., Kinnear, P., & Steinman, L. (2011). Sociocultural theory in second language education: An introduction through narratives. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
Turner, C. E. (2013). Classroom assessment. In G. Fulcher & F. Davidson (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of language testing. London/New York: Routledge.
Turner, C. E., & Purpura, J. E. (2015). Learning-oriented assessment in the classroom. In D. Tsagari & J. Banerjee (Eds.), Handbook of second language assessment. DeGruyter Mouton: Boston.
Winkler, G. (2003). Are we nice or are we real? Ethical issues emerging from collaborative narrative research. Educational Action Research, 11(3), 389–402.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Baker, B., Germain, J. (2020). Narrative Inquiry as Praxis: Examining Formative Assessment Practices in a Nature-Based Indigenous Language Classroom. In: Poehner, M.E., Inbar-Lourie, O. (eds) Toward a Reconceptualization of Second Language Classroom Assessment. Educational Linguistics, vol 41. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35081-9_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35081-9_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-35080-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-35081-9
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)