ABSTRACT
Departing from Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development, dynamic assessment considers that human abilities and development are dynamic and mediated by the social context and support that learners receive. This chapter considers assessment as a developmental tool for learning and a method that the teacher can deploy to diagnose and foster the learner’s dynamic abilities in the L2 classroom. This instructional model integrates teaching and evaluation attending to the learner’s needs to ascertain and promote their development. These concepts have opened up new methodological perspectives such as the design of sequences and pedagogical practices; the distinction of learners according to their learning potential; or the preservation of the social learning environment in examination processes. After exploring these perspectives, this chapter concludes by including suggestions for the integration of dynamism in testing, and for the interpretation of its results.
