Tests have been the most used way to assess students –and for
some teachers the only one way–. The new teachers should look for another way
to, not only measure students’ performance, but also to assess them and give
the appropriate feedback. The alternatives in assessment proposed by Brown could
be a good tool to implement in our classes. Portfolios, journals, interviews,
conferences, self-assessment, and peer assessment could be sometimes difficult
to use in Colombian classrooms, but if we are creative we can find the way to
make them practical and reliable.
By using these alternatives in assessment the teacher could
interact more with the students and know more about their thoughts, feelings,
and could follow their learning process closer. Also, the teacher would have
the opportunity to assess every single class and not only the day of the test. It
will enhance students learning process because they are not going to study for
the test but for life. It also makes it possible to give the appropriate feedback
in the moment it is needed.
Taking into account the large groups that Colombian public
schools have and the difficulty that applying these techniques bring, teachers
should decide in advance the goals they want their students to achieve, and
also give them a lot of input and instruction in the usage of them to make them
more practical and interesting.
The following is a video in which the alternatives in
assessment are described:
