USING CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES (CATS) AND DIARY KEEPING IN TEACHER TRAINING

This study describes the use of classroom assessment techniques and diaries as a reflection technique in the 3rd class students of English Language Teaching Department in Buca Faculty of Education. The outcome of this study suggests that the inclusion of learners in the learning-teaching process through the use of CATs(classroom assessment techniques) provides teachers-in-preparation with access to important information about the learning process, their own teaching styles,teaching materials and activities they use and the importance of affective factors in teaching a foreign language. There were 33 3rd class students, each tutoring a learner they themselves chose. During the five-week period ,each practiced teaching one hour a week and each week they applied a different CAT to their learners to get feedback on their own teaching and learners´ learning. Totally 11 different CATs were used and learners´ ages were between 10 to 41. After each lesson and after getting CAT results they kept diaries as a self-reflection and evaluated themselves, their teaching and their drawbacks during the lessons. All of their reflections were collected under18 main headings. After their reports on CAT results and their diary entries were collected ,they informed that they found their learners´ CAT results very valuable to develop their way of teaching, and keeping diaries was invaluable for them to have a cool and objective look at their own teaching practice. It was hoped that trainee teachers would apply the information they get from CATs and their diaries to their lesson planning to reflect on their teaching and students´ learning and to make necessary changes in their teaching styles and in this way to develop their teaching to bring about more effective student learning.