Developing Personalized Portfolio Rubrics for the EFL Classroom

Kobe Chapter

In this workshop, the presenter will demonstrate how portfolio assessment plays an integral part in his communicative English courses at a Japanese women's university. Participants will experience tasks and activities that will enable them to successfully develop their own grading rubrics, coordinate peer assessment, and learn why shared accountability improves language acquisition based on interactional theories of language.

Creating portfolios provide students with the chance to learn the skills of reflection, self-evaluation, critical thinking and independent learning. Portfolios can be used in a variety of teaching situations to promote student generated experiential learning.

Steve Quasha has been teaching EFL in Japan since 1996. He is an associate professor in the management department at Sugiyama Jogakuen University in Nagoya. He holds an MA in Asian Studies from San Diego State University and an MA in Applied Linguistics – TESOL from Macquarie University. His research interests include language assessment, motivation, and learner autonomy.