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These past few months, I have been learning with CEP 813 Electronic Assessment how to improve my teaching skills using different strategies in order to help students have a better classroom experience. As a Spanish teacher with a background in journalism and communication, I have had to look for new ways to integrate my knowledge and curriculum in creating engaging lessons for all types of learners.
In this journey, I realized the importance of assessing specific details to enhance students’ language acquisition. First, it was essential to identify the way I see assessments and understand how to utilize them as an instrument that I can use for instruction and observation. Initially, I shared in this blog post three things I believe about assessment and today I wanted to include more information that helped me revaluated my beliefs after during the course:
1). Assessment to track students’ progress
I mentioned that assessments are an essential indicator for students because they can identify, analyze, and improve their academic progress. They can learn from their mistakes, receive feedback, and understand what areas need reinforcement. Through assessments, teachers can also track students’ pace and find ways to help them grow and succeed in any subject. After reflecting more about this idea and creating my Assessment Design Checklist, I wonder how to provide effective feedback in a foreign language class. One way is exploring different tools using technology and promote self-correction.
According to Locke & Latham and Hattie’s implementing specific goals will assist teachers in creating a better learning environment in which learners develop self-correcting skills. “Specific goals are more effective than general or nonspecific ones, primarily because they focus students’ attention, and feedback can be more directed”. (Locke & Latham, 1984).
Regarding feedback, utilizing digital tools will benefit my students since online platforms provide feedback based on assessment evidence, self-correction, collaboration, and working with peers. “To stimulate active learning, teachers should encourage positive interdependence within small groups, give clear instructions on how to cooperate, and give feedback on the cooperative process” (Johnson & Johnson, 1999).
2). Assessment to demonstrate understanding
I believe that only through assessments can it be possible to reach goals and accomplish learning objectives. As teachers, we need to know what is missing, what needs to be reinforced and prepare for what is coming next.
I also reflected on this idea by designing new assessments that focuses on achieving a long-term goal. Having specific goals will determine the effectiveness of the lessons and understanding how to connect those learning objectives daily into the classroom will influence the future of the student’s proficiency in the subject. As Wiggins, G.P. & McTighe, J. (2005) mentioned “With no long-term goals, there is no perspective”, prioritizing elements of knowledge and skills in the lesson plans is essential to maximize the learning experience and foster a deeper comprehension that is transferable in a long term. “Too many teachers focus on the teaching and not the learning. They spend most of their time thinking, first, about what they will do, what materials they will use, and what they will ask students to do rather than first considering what the learner will need in order to accomplish the learning goals” As Wiggins, G.P. & McTighe, J. (2005).
3). Assessments as a challenge
Lastly, I mentioned that the purpose of learning is more than only acquiring information. An assessment becomes a challenge, and challenges are essential for growing or improving not only in academics but also in life. As humans, we face new circumstances every day, and learners will need to manage the concept of assessments as a good representation of what occurs in real life. Now, I also believe that creating assessments is a process that could be included in everyday lessons and encourage critical thinking and supporting learners to develop innovative skills is essential to potentialize students’ learning experiences and achievement of long-term goal.
Last week, I shared my last assessment that helped me identify these key aspects and the instruction elements to reoriented and guided my thinking towards a successful classroom experience. I am sharing here my updated Formative Assessment Design (FAD) and some of my relevant tweets:
Unit 3. Feedback
Unit 5. Content Management System.
Unit 6. Racism and Bias
Unit 7. Summative Assessment.
Inspiring students to reflect and develop critical thinking is possible if we also inquiry on the content and curriculum and design other opportunities to communicate their thoughts and experiences. In CEP 813 I created and reflected on ways to design assessments. I had the opportunity to planned, give, and received feedback and explored my results. I learned how to use digital tools, make materials more accessible to all learners and promoting a sense of belonging and equity in the classroom.
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