CRITICAL REFLECTION

In the Valencian Community we have a curriculum where it appears the goals, the contents and the assessment criteria. These things, in some subjects on many occasions, limit teachers in many aspects but I think at the same time, they are necessary to guide our teaching.

I am a primary teacher in a private school. I think the most important thing I would teach in my class, is the acquisition of the main contents in the curriculum but not all of them. We have to pay more attention to the contents of the context. We must take into a count that if we teach the contents in another language we have to use resources to help students to understand things in an easier and more interesting way, and we also have to pay attention to simplify assessment criteria so that the student can acquire the contents better.

In the subject of Language, for instance, we have to care about the pupils’ accuracy, fluency, writing language, reading comprehension, and so on, rather than the curriculum contents.

We can assess pupils with rubrics. “A rubric is a scoring guide that seeks to evaluate a student's performance based on the sum of a full range of criteria rather than a single numerical score.” Authentic assessment is used to evaluate students' work by measuring the product according to real-life criteria. A rubric is a working guide for students and teachers, usually handed out before the assignment begins in order to make students think about the criteria on which their work will be judged and enhances the quality of direct instruction.

Rubrics can be created for any contents’ area including Maths, Science, History, Writing, Foreign Languages, Drama, Art, Music, etc. Once they are developed, they can be modified easily for various grade levels and I think rubrics are the best way to evaluate students because they have many advantages. Some of them are: teachers can increase the quality of their direct instruction by providing focus, emphasis; teachers can focus on particular details like a model for students; students have explicit guidelines regarding teacher expectations; students can use rubrics as a tool to develop their abilities and teachers can reuse rubrics for various activities.

THE PORTFOLIO :D

The ELP is a tool for effective language learning, teaching, and assessment. It should be used to its full potential both locally and globally to develop learner autonomy. The ELP is an effective tool for promoting reflection and self-assessment, which contributes to learner autonomy and motivation. 

We can use it with learners of all ages especially to manage their own work and the freedom to express their thoughts without being checked by the teacher.

The Council of Europe’s modern languages projects the importance of defining language learning objectives in terms that anyone can understand. In particular, they have been concerned to develop descriptions of foreign language proficiency that are directly related to communicative language use.

With this tool we can think more about what is important for our learners and we discuss things with them. We can try to help our learners to become more autonomous. We can try to classify the subject matter of our teaching into smaller units and link them together. We can try to help them to think about the purpose of their work. We can find our self-thinking about long-term goals. The ELP has helped us to think about new ways of teaching and about the collaborative nature of learning.

ELP assessment is the systematic, longitudinal collection of student work created in response to specific, known instructional objectives and evaluated in relation to the same criteria. Assessment is done by measuring the individual works as well as the portfolio as a whole against specified criteria, which match the objectives toward a specific purpose.  There is no assessment instrument that meets every teacher's purpose perfectly, is entirely valid and reliable, takes no time to prepare, administer, or grade, and meets each student's learning style.

Portfolios are a form of alternative and authentic assessment in which a student's progress is measured over a period of time in various language learning contexts. Portfolios can include evidence of specific skills and other items at one particular time and language performance and progress over time, under different conditions, in all four modalities (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) or all three communication modes (interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational). Using a combination of testing instruments lends validity and reliability to the portfolio.

Portfolio assessment is closely linked to instruction, which has two educational benefits. First, linking assessment to instruction means that you are sure that you are measuring what you have taught. Second, portfolios reveal any weaknesses in instructional practices.

Portfolio assessment is by nature fully incorporated into instruction: there is no time lost on assessment. Assessment is a true learning experience, and not external to the learning process.

Student assessment portfolios promote positive student involvement. They are actively involved in and reflecting on their own learning. Increased metacognition has a positive impact on a student's self-confidence, facilitates students the use of learning strategies, and increases the student's ability to assess and revise work. Student motivation to continue studying and succeeding in language learning tends to grow in such an environment.

Portfolios offer the teacher and student an in-depth knowledge of the student as a learner. This means that the teacher can individualize instruction for the student. Weak areas can be strengthened and areas of mastery built upon. Learners are involved in this process of tracking their learning and can take control of their learning.

Using assessment portfolios gives the teacher opportunities to involve parents in their children's language learning. Parental involvement is an important factor in educational success.