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Check out this assessment literacy text by Dawn Rogier (2014)

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ABOUT STANDARIZED TESTS IN THE CHILEAN CONTEXT

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ABOUT STANDARIZED TESTS IN THE CHILEAN CONTEXT

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“En contextos de mercado, las pruebas estandarizadas fomentan la segregación escolar”. Antoni Verger

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When creating a listening activity, it's important to bear in mind different factors. First, the level of proficiency of your students. Second, their interest. Try to find appealing materials for young people, try with different, fun, and original topics to catch their attention. Finally, the context in which you are teaching is crucial for achieving your goals.

When we found the video about the Green Lady, we enjoyed it a lot because it was engaging and different from other listenings activities that you would use with your class. We thought that we could explain to our students that, it doesn't matter if you are a celebrity or a well known person, you can be outstanding if you are DIFFERENT from the rest.

We used the same learning outcome for both activities as in the "Curriculum Nacional" there are not "Objetivos de Aprendizaje" for listening, hence we had to use some learning outcomes of oral communication.

Using a while-listening activity could help students to understand immediately the ideas presented in the video, and answering the questions with their classmates could help to negotiate meaning among them. Also, a true or false activity will prove that students truly understood what they just heard.

All in all, the most important thing to consider when preparing any type of activity or lesson for your class is to make it SIGNIFICANT, so your students will remember what you taught to them and will use that knowledge in the future.

Javiera & Ivana

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(1)T (2)F (3)F (4)T (5)F (6)T (7)T (8)F

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Chech out the blueprint for the activity n°2

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Non edited video.

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Green With Happiness: Meet the Green Lady of Brooklyn

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Edited with questions!

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Green With Happiness: Meet the Green Lady of Brooklyn

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Easily create beautiful interactive video lessons for your students you can integrate right into your LMS. Track students' progress with hassle-free analytics as you flip your classroom!

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Designing a listening assessment...
Check out the blueprint for the activity n°1.

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When planning an assessment it's always hard to navigate the fine line between what students can answer confidently, and what pushes their limits. We chose to do a gap-filling activity first because we thought it would give the students a chance to read the text more carefully -and more than once- which could help them answer the short-answer portion with more ease. What's more, we decided to have them fill the gaps with prepositions because, while it is something that students may be familiar with, they still struggle from time to time.

When thinking about the short-answer questions we wanted the answers to be easily found in the text, however, there are a few changes that Ss would have to make when answering, for example, in question N°1 the answer is written in the text in the first person "I", but for students to answer correctly, they should know that they have to change it for the third person "She". We wanted the answers to be easy to find, but a bit harder to write so that students could apply their knowledge of the language. It is because of this, as well, that we decided to divide the score for the short-answer portion into 1-2 points -for content and grammar- since the most important thing is that students understand the assignment and make themselves understood, perfect grammar is just a bonus in our eyes.

Ivana & Javiera

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(1)outside (2)for (3)around(4)After (5)on (6)than (7)by (8)with (9)with (10)in (11)at (12)up (13)of

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Who is Greta Thunberg, the #FridaysForFuture activist

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Designing a reading assessment...
Check out the blueprint for the activity! This can really help when you are planning activities/assessments.

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We all have different abilities! Failing/nailing a test is not an accurate representation of how smart you are or you worth as a person.

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Tsagari, 2009

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Bailey, K. M. (1996). Working for washback: a review of the washback concept in language testing. Language Testing, 13(3), 257–279. https://doi.org/10.1177/026553229601300303

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1. What strikes you as the most important and the most unexpected?

Tsagari mentions that “materials are shaped by the perception of writers and publishers of the exam needs of teachers and students.” This statement stood out because it is a reminder to adapt the materials we use in our day-to-day classes so that they can appropriately prepare students for the actual exam needs. It is crucial to keep in mind the learning goals of that particular group of students when planning lessons and evaluations, so that our teaching follows that line of progress.

2. To what extent does your own experience agree with the points made in this extract?

We agree that school’s books which are prepared by different authors influence a lot in the type of evaluation that teachers should apply. Also, it is true that teachers act as a mediator between the information and the students, because teachers modify and adapt the tasks and activities according to the context and background of the classroom. However, we believe that in the Chilean context parents are not involved in the processes of evaluation. Most of the time they are only worried about their behavior and (“good”) results, rather than in the form that their children are being evaluated.

3. What is the impact of SIMCE, PSU or CAE exam?

We believe that standardized tests have a huge impact not only in the students’ learning process, but also their confidence. As stated in Bailey 1996, most standardized tests go against our teaching principles in the sense that while we expect our students to be able to communicate in the target language. These tests usually measure our memory, or worse the chances we had in life to access good education. In the case of PSU, instead of measuring learning, it only expands the already existing gap between the "lower" and "upper" classes, some private universities only require that you take the test to enroll in any program you want, but for some of us a good PSU score is our only way of receiving higher education. On another note, these tests can increase students anxiety to a maximum. Sometimes there is such a hard pressure to do good (and it is so expensive to re-take some tests) that students tend to doubt themselves and what they know, which we believe defeats completely the purpose of teaching.

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TEST IMPACT...

1. How can I make sure tests are fair for each student?

First of all, one should understand the definition of being fair as being “honest, impartial, and free from discrimination.” Hence, the fairest thing to do is to measure students knowledge through different types of tests such as written tests, listening tests,multiple choice tests, etc. Of course, always bearing in mind to first practice what is going to be evaluated, making quizzes beforehand, and also letting the students know how the different evaluations are going to be in order to decrease the levels of anxiety. It is very important to make the students feel capable and motivated to work hard in order to achieve whatever they want to. What’s more, as teachers we need to not only keep in mind the real situations in which students will make use of the language -and by doing so the students background and interests become a key factor when planning- but also think of tests as much more than the common sheet of paper where students spill out what they learned/remember, but rather dinamic instances where students can prove their knowledge about the language.

2. How can I use test results to inform my teaching?

If you get negative results in a test it can be a sign that your approach may not be the best, and you are not reaching the learning goals. It is good to stop and think, What am I doing wrong? How can I improve my teaching? Because, more often than not, bad results are not because students “can’t” learn, but rather that the activities/assessments are not aligned to what students need. On the bright side, if you get good results you may be on the right track, and with enough scaffolding you can start raising the bar a bit on what students are expected to achieve.

3. How can I prepare my students for the required tests?

We believe that Mock tests are a great for practising, because students are aware of what is expected of them when they are going to be evaluated. By doing this, a teacher can also see what needs to be reinforced so that students can meet the test objectives.

4. How can I use tests positively with my students?

It is a way of getting to know better your students. You can correct common mistakes as a group, provide individual feedback, and reinforce what is done right. What’s more, if done correctly it can really lower students anxiety towards evaluations, you can teach them strategies (like skimming) so they can feel more confident for future tests. According to Bailey 1996,in order for tests to be a positive experience they must be ’known and understood by students and teachers’, and results provided in a timely, detailed fashion.

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This activity was created for 9th graders, regarding the unit of "Jobs"

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This activity was created for 9th graders, regarding the unit of "Jobs"

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Speaking Assessment

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We created a short video explaining some concepts related to Assessment Literacy according to Dawn Rogier, 2014.
We hope you enjoy it!
Ivana & Javiera

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Comment down below:
What would you do differently?

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5,518 Likes, 16 Comments - Drew P. Wiener (@springfieldfiles) on Instagram: "Homer with these glasses 😍😍"

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You are not the only one struggling, we all deal with our own hardships. Keep powering through!

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We are soon to be EFL teachers who are currently coursing their 4th year at University. We will post weekly, so stay tuned!

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When thinking about how to implement the VOICES model in our practicum course, we agreed that first, in order to be aware of our students’ level of english proficiency, it would be crucial to have students take a short diagnostic test of each language skill, as well as their learning preferences, levels of confidence, weaknesses & strengths, etc. This way, we would be able to have some knowledge on the activities students prefer, for example, or know when they feel more confident regarding English learning. The planning of each lesson  would also take into account the students’ input about their learning process so as to ensure collaboration. Collaborative work is definitely not common in our context, therefore it should be reinforced and used as a tool for developing critical thinking, besides learning how to give advice, constructive criticism, and compliment others on their work.

Also, we thought it could be useful to gather all in-class homework, closing activities (exit ticket), and formative assessments in a sort of portfolio, so as to keep record of students’ performance, engagement, and commitment to the class.  This would not only help with keeping evidence of each assessment (not only tests), but to mix things up a bit, as well as to offer a variety of instances in which students can prove they can apply what they have learned, and don’t get bored during activities.

When evaluating our students’ achievement, it is crucial to evaluate what they have already practiced in class, as a way of integrating the knowledge. It won’t be possible to assess their improvement in listening if they haven’t listened  to a conversation. In order to be integrated, we must practice what is going to be evaluated as summative assessment, which is what students tend to be focused on. Results of evaluations and student’s development could be in the form of personalized feedback, so students will know where to concentrate on. Focusing on positive aspects of each student will boost their motivation towards the course as well as their self-confidence.

Finally, a good, organized, and detailed planification of what will be done in the semester, including all the assessments, must be created in order to be as systematic as possible and not only achieve our aims but also help guide learners language acquisition adequately. It is important to mention that, in order to be an ongoing practice, all these activities will be implemented throughout the entire semester.

Ivana & Javiera

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The following blog was created as a way of sharing our knowledge regarding learning assessment.
This is a safe space for reflection and discussion,so please do not hesitate to leave a comment, doubts, or constructive criticism,as it will be greatly appreciated!

Kind regards,
Ivana & Javiera

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ENTRY N°1: What is Classroom Based Assessment?

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ENTRY N°1: What is Classroom Based Assessment?

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CBA is an approach that tries to implement a wide range of material that allows the measurement of students' learning process.
This can be as informal as a simple question, or as formal as a test, and it can have a major impact on students' engagement.

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It is a set of six characteristics that will help improve our CBA practice.
VARIED: Assessment should test students' learning in different areas and modes to ensure a full evaluation, as well as to keep things dinamic.
ONGOING: Assessments should be constantly implemented, in as many lessons and activities as possible.
INTEGRATED: Assessment should be related to what has been reviewed in class, it should be integrated into the syllabus and teaching plan.
COLLABORATIVE: Assessments should take into account the input of not only other teachers, but students and parents as well. This is to make sure the assessment is "fair, comprehensive, and accurate."
EVIDENCED: Teachers should keep track ofCBA results, and they should be communicated to students.
SYSTEMATIC: Assessment should be planned in advance and well structured into the lesson.