Teaching and assessing literacy using a balanced approach: Effects of can-do self-assessment on early EFL learners

Abstract

Teaching and assessing literacy using a balanced approach: Effects of can-do self-assessment on early EFL learners Following the January and July 2023 issues, Emiko Izumi from the School of Education & Graduate School of Education at Kwansei Gakuin University discusses the content and results of her collaborative research on the teaching and assessment of reading and writing for early English as foreign language (EFL) learners in Japan. Reading and writing lessons should be conducted in small, incremental steps. Especially for Japanese learners of English, it is very difficult to learn the alphabet (upper- and lower-case letters) and to connect letters and sounds. The English language has a different phonological system and graphemes from Japanese, so it is important for learners to recognise phonemes and develop phonological awareness. With this being said, we recommend a balanced approach that introduces bottom-up strategies, such as phonics instruction that teaches the rules for linking sounds and letters, and a top-down approach, such as understanding content from songs, stories, and picture books with a focus on meaning.