Abstract
The Erasmus+/KA3 project Augmented Assessment “Assessing newly arrived migrants' knowledge in Science and Math using augmented teaching material” aims to address the gap that exists in assessing newly arrived migrant students' prior knowledge in the fields of science and mathematics caused by the linguistic obstacle between them and the teachers. To address this gap, the project will develop the Augmented Assessment Library as well as a teachers' training course focusing on inclusive assessment and augmented reality. The chapter outlines the theoretical orientations of the project (augmented assessment bridges) and discusses the elements that comprise them focusing on the connections among inclusive pedagogy, visual representations in science and math education, multimodality, and augmented reality. It also describes the pedagogical framework underpinning the design of the Augmented Assessment Training Course as well as the main innovation of the project which is the Augmented Assessment Library and its pedagogical value for assessment.
TopIntroduction
Students' assessment (formative and summative) constitutes an essential and crucial part of inclusive education and aligns with UNESCO's policy (2017) on Learning assessment: ensuring effective and relevant learning for all (see Education 2030, Sustainable Development Goal 4). However, especially when the focus is on newly arrived migrants, there are barriers to realising inclusive assessment. These barriers involve, among other factors, monolingual policies and practices on students' assessments. Several research studies across the world have shown that monolingual policies and practices have an effect on students' assessment even in subjects such as Science and Mathematics in which knowledge is not necessarily connected with language, and that lack of language proficiency negatively impacts students’ assessment results (Abedi, 2004; Butler et al., 2004; De Backer et al., 2017; De Backer, Baele, et al., 2019; De Backer, Slembrouck, et al., 2019; Kopriva et al., 2011; Luykx et al., 2007; Noble et al., 2014; Penfield & Lee, 2010). There is strong evidence that even multilingual second-language learners' knowledge in Science and Mathematics is often underestimated when tests use the dominant language (Menken, 2010; Wright & Li, 2008). In the EU report “Integrating Students from Migrant Backgrounds into Schools in Europe” (2019), it is noted that “top-level criteria for assessing competencies in the language of instruction and/or prior learning, which can promote consistency in the initial assessment of migrant students across all schools in the education system, exist in only 18 education systems in Europe” (pp.14-15). Based on the above, it looks likely that newly arrived migrants, who have extremely limited linguistic skills in the host country's language, do not find the appropriate channels to communicate and express their prior knowledge in Science and Mathematics to their teachers.
In an attempt to respond to this challenge, the Erasmus+/KA3 project Augmented Assessment: Assessing newly arrived migrants' knowledge in Science and Math using augmented teaching material suggests an approach towards inclusive assessment that combines the affordances of visual representations in the field of Science and Mathematics, multimodality, augmented reality, and inclusive pedagogy. The project consortium is comprised of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the European University of Cyprus, the Polytechnic Institute of Porto, the University of Helsinki, the University of Pompeu Fabra, the Athens Lifelong Learning Institute, the Greek Institute of Educational Policy, the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute, and the Portuguese National Education Council, thus originating from five (5) different EU countries (Greece, Cyprus, Spain, Portugal, Finland).
Among the foreign-born population in the EU, early school leaving is extremely higher than the one of the native populations, although the disparity between foreign-born people and the native population is similar. As migrant students often lag in important school subjects at the lower secondary level, it is not surprising that many of them leave education and training at the end of lower secondary education or even earlier. According to Eurostat (2021):
Key Terms in this Chapter
Affordance(s): The potential of using technology (e.g., AR technologies) or a mean (e.g., mobile devices) for a specific purpose (e.g., education).
Mode(s): A resource that creates meaning for a specific group of people and is formulated within a cultural and social context.
Newly Arrived Migrants: A term that distinguishes these persons from other first-generation migrants for a specific time after their arrival at the host country or their enrolment in the host education system.
Augmented Assessment Bridges (Theoretical Construct): The connections between inclusive pedagogy, visual representations of Science and Mathematics and Multimodality combined with the affordances of Augmented Reality technologies that form the foundation where inclusive practices for assessment could build on.
Linguistic Obstacles: The difficulties of a person to verbally communicate ideas, knowledge and meanings comprehensively due to the lack of proficiency in the listener's language.
Augmented Assessment Library: An open educational resource in multiple languages that will incorporate augmented questions in Science and Mathematics Education that teachers can use to assess their students' knowledge.
Augmented Reality (AR): A technology that overlays digital content over the real environment through a mobile device.
Augmented Assessment Bridges (Tangible): An augmentation of a visual representation of a phenomenon, a concept, a procedure or an idea of Science and Mathematics in a multimodal form that overcomes the need for verbal communication and opens a channel that connects teachers and migrant and/or other students to express themselves in a mutually comprehensible manner.