TEACHING ASSESSMENT TO DEVELOP ESP STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILLS

Abstract

The demand for changing the conceptions of teaching and learning has brought peer- and self-assessment into the classroom. This paper presents the challenges teachers have to face while preparing the assessment process for the ESP classroom, with a special emphasis on developing ESP students’ speaking skills. It is of primary importance that teachers know how to prepare the assessment criteria, how to instruct students on this topic and provide them with adequate feedback while avoiding possible barriers and misunderstandings along the process. The paper further demonstrates how students become active participants in the learning process and are asked to contribute in providing assessment criteria and feedback. While learning speaking skills, students also learn how to assess themselves and others. That enables them to raise awareness of the most common problems and mistakes they encounter when developing their communication skills and increases the overall level of their language ability and performance. As a result, teachers might dedicate more time to other useful classroom activities.