Dynamic Assessment and Multi-Media Language Instruction

ABSTRACT Dynamic Assessment (DA) illustrates classroom interactions in which teaching and assessment must be integrated as a single activity seeking to identify learner abilities by actively supporting their ongoing developmental process. DA is based on the Vygotskian notion of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) which captures the uniquely human potential to exceed our present capabilities by working in cooperation with others. Moreover, with prevalence of multimedia language learning materials in foreign/ second language classrooms, their design is an important avenue of research in computer assisted language learning. This chapter will present an in-depth analysis of DA's application to particular problems of L2 development. It includes detailed discussions of the core DA theoretical tenets as well as implementing multi-media based DA principles in L2 classrooms. The information can be beneficial for language teacher educators, language testers, students and researchers in the areas of SLA, language pedagogy, and assessment.