This entry is based on Brown, H. D. (2000).
Principles of language learning and teaching. (4ed). Chapter 3: Designing
Classroom Language Tests. pp 42-65. New York: Pearson ESL.
In previous entries I have talked about
alternatives in assessment and the importance of using activities different
from a test to measure students’ performance. However, it does not mean that we
should avoid using tests in our classroom assessment; the alternatives in
assessment are necessary to triangulate results and obtain a more reliable measurement.
By reading this chapter I noticed some wrong
things I have been doing while evaluating my students. For instance, my purpose
when applying a test was just to assign a grade because I need to present reports
for parents and coordinators of the institute. The objective was, of course, to
enhance students’ learning but I forgot one of the most important tools of
learning: feedback. I focused more on pointing out where the mistake was and I
did not tell the student how to improve their proficiency from those mistakes.
Regarding the task chosen for the tests, I
did not analyse the appropriateness of every single item; sometimes I realised
that an item were not chosen correctly after the exam. Actually, the majority
of the tasks I have used in my class are those that my professors used when I
was learning English in the first semesters of my career –and I think most of
my partners do the same–. Now, a question comes to my mind ¿Where those tasks
and tests chosen appropriately for us?
I particularly remember in first semester that
there were like four different courses and a different professor for each one.
One professor was in charge of making a part of the test (writing, reading,
grammar, and listening. Speaking was made by the professor of each group)
taking into account that all the groups were following the same book. Nevertheless,
professors teach in different ways and in one exam, the professor in charge of
the writing part made a task different from the ones we did with our professor
during the classes. The result was that students who took the course with the
professor that made the writing part outperformed the other students. I want
you to give me your opinions about the following questions that come to my mind:
¿The tests we had to take in the first
semesters were appropriately chosen for us? Why? If not, ¿should we use the
same kind of test task that our professors used with us? ¿how can a university
train future professor by giving them bad examples of how to assess students?
As a response to your questions, I must say first that I think that in our university there are very good professors, most of the ones I remember used appropriate tests in most of the cases.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, there are exceptions. Particularly, I remember two cases. The first one was one professor who never designed a test but copied it from a book. She made the copies and no more, then she gave a grade and that was it. I think it really affected my learning experience because it was somehow invalid as in some cases the topics were not related to the ones seen in class.
The other case was a reading test that had an extract from a novel and it looked so advanced for intermediate students. I found it unfair and I think the designer didn't take into account aspects such as the content validity.
Those bad examples help us understand more our students and try to improve our assessment practices.
First of all, nobody has said that they are not good professors for using inappropriate assessment procedures; their methodology was exceptional.
DeleteOn the other hand, these examples you provided affected negatively the washback of some students. I think the university should be more consequent with the assessment procedures their professors use. However, there is something called "freedom of teaching" (I don't know if that is the appropriate term) and professors have full control of their classes.
My point is that we should learn from good examples of not only methodology, but also assessment. That would be better than realising that the procedures used when you were starting the career were not the appropriate ones and are bad examples of how not to assess our students.
I think there is nothing wrong in using the same kind of assessing tasks that our teachers did some time ago; what i think that is really important is to improve them by setting clear purposes, seeking for content and face validity, avoiding negative wash back effects and trying to think if they are appropriate for our students and their level.
ReplyDeleteI also think that there is a little of everything in any place you go. As you mentioned, there are always negative examples, but there are also exceptional ones from which we can take the most relevant and apply it in our professional field.
I like your entry :)
Yes, I agree with all you have said. However, I think "freedom of teaching" could be a double-edged sword because professors have their own criterion in their classes but it does not mean that they follow the appropriate procedures when teaching.
DeleteMy point is that for our career professors should have an agreement or consensus about, at least, assessment procedures according to what the theory says, taking into account that we are going to be teachers like them.
At the beginning of our careers we all believed that our professors were faultless, that they knew what they were doing and planning, but now that we analyze our teaching practices we can realize that they were making some mistakes. The purpose of these reflections is not judging them; the relevant thing is taking into account those negative aspects to improve our own teaching experiences. Now that we know it, we can prevent that our students become frustrated, nervous or drop out as happened with many of our classmates.
ReplyDeleteI understand you and I know that nobody is perfect, but we are being training to be teachers; we should be taught with good examples and not realising that the assessment procedures professors used with us were the example of how not to assess our students. They are teaching us how to teach with examples of how we shouldn't assess students. That is my point,; out teaching programme is not being consequent with the theory about assessment and evaluation in the first semesters. In other words there should be an agreement or consensus in, at least, how to assess students; the methodology and teaching strategies are up to every single professor.
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ReplyDeleteWell, first of all, nice reflection Manuel! Those things you mentioned didn´t cross my mind when I was reading that chapter. I agree with you, Our learning experiences influence our future teaching practices. To answer your questions I have to say that most of those tests were not the best examples of reliability, authenticity, and validity; and they probably didn´t have a positive washback effect on some of us. Of course, the idea is that we learn from every single experience, the good ones and the not so good ones, so we don´t make the same mistakes others have made. I also think that teaching programs would be more meaningful if student-teachers had the chance to be exposed to the theory put into practice. It would have been awesome to have been exposed to all these ways of assessment during the whole career, I mean, that way we could be more familiar with them by now, and therefore, less dubious when implementing them in our teaching practice.
ReplyDelete