Reflection... Informal Assessment

Competence: To handle informal assessment techniques that allow the teacher to measure the performance of linguistic and non-linguistic aspects of the language through the development of an assessment plan, reflections on readings, tasks, assessment tools and collaborative work.
Informal Assessment: is a procedure for obtaining information that can be used to make judgements about the student's learning behavior and unique characteristics using means other than standardized instruments. Observations, checklists, and portfolios are some of the instruments available for informal assessment by educators.
The Assessment Plan: it enables teachers to identify children's behaviors, observe and easily check off what children know and are able to do, document their performance, and make decisions. It also provides insight into a particular behavior and a basis for planning a specific teaching strategy.
We found this techniques very useful and we may apply them in the future.

Rubrics

Activity: to describe someone’s clothes, daily activities and express their feelings, as well as to ask and answer questions; Using the simple present, the present continuous and the simple past and using appropriate vocabulary and pronunciation.

What to asses formally & informally?

A) Since the learning objectives of our activities were to be able to describe someone’s clothes, routine, how to express their feelings, as well as to ask and answer questions; using different Verb tenses, using appropriate vocabulary and pronunciation. We can design an activity where the Students would bring a variety clothing items from home and create an opposite character of whom they are, then with a partner they would start exchanging ¨profiles¨. Finally they would have to present themselves to their other partners using as many adjectives as they can. They would have to actively get information from others by using (wh-) questions. For the writing and listening part, a game can be done. In pairs, the Ss would have to write down his partner's appareance, that way, everyone describes someone. After that, the teacher would gather and shuffle the papers, then the students would have to pick them up randomly. Each student would have to read the description that he/she was given , finally the teacher would have to chose another student to guess who the person depicted was.
B) Before starting the activity the teacher has to check if the Students were responsible and actually brought their required materials. Meticulous observation during the class is required, especially during the activities were students may feel embarrassed about doing their presentations, we can assess the Ss’ attitude. Also, monitoring amongst the Ss to possibly prevent doubts or conflicts. Finally we can assess as good attitude the willingness of the Ss who shared their profiles in front of the group.

Assesment Plan

a) What would you assess?
Linguistic skills
Speaking: the student's ability to describe someone's clothes and daily activities by answering questions, also if they can tell how they feel.
Writing: the learner's skill to write and answer -wh and yes/no questions.
Listening: the Ss' potential to understand and interpret different recordings.
Reading: the learners' understanding from small texts.

Non-linguistic
Values: respect, tolerance, empathy, and responsibility.
Attitudes: punctuality, effort, compromise, and participation.

b) What would be assessed informally?
Students' attitude during the class; the way they behave with others. Their ability to speak, read and listen. The way they compromise with the subject and its assignments. And also, class participation and willingness to work according to the instructions.

c) What would be assessed formally (through tests)? Their grammar accuracy about questions’ structure, vocabulary, and reading comprehension.

d) What would be the weight?
Reading 25%
Writing 25%
Speaking 20%
Listening 5%
Assignments 15%
Attitudes 10%

A short reflection... What's Assessment?

Competence of the unit:
Defining evaluation, assessment, testing and teaching after having read some authors and having discussed these concepts respectfully within the group to understand the role of assessment in language learning and teaching.
This class has helped us understand the real meaning and uses of assessment, how we often confuse it with evaluation, and evaluation with grading. Also we learnt different assessment techniques we can use inside the classroom, and how we can aim the classes to reach certain linguistic and non-linguistic skills. We also were thaught why planning a class important and how we could make a learning objectives plan.

Learning Objectives Plan

Assessment Audit