The Challenge of Assessing Young Learners

The Challenge of Assessing Young Learners

Apparently, most schools and institutions think of young learners as an easy issue to deal with. In terms of knowledge, it is thought that due to the fact that the topics taught during the first six or seven ages do not require much knowledge, but is it true? Talking about assessment happen the same situation: people think that evaluating young students performance is an easy task. Well, I have to say that teaching and assessing young learners require a lot of capacities and strategies as teachers in order to achieve the development of three important educational aspects in children: social and emotional, cognitive and physical growth. 

The first aspect is social and emotional, which students are just learning. Socially, the first encounter students have is school and this experience will influence their idea of society and people outside their homes. Sometimes, school is called a second home, what is true in some way. Teachers can be taken as second moms or dads and even other students second brothers and sisters, in this way it is important the students understand their role at school. Through the first classes, teachers build the emotional respond that students will have against the class, consequently to your class, students will feel excited and happy in your classes or reluctant to come back next class, so it is important to be sensitive in the way we provide feedback.

The second aspect is related to cognitive development, which is a serious task. The first years of instruction are the bases for oncoming knowledge. The topics, instruction and assessment should be planned carefully because if one them fails, this gap will be reflected in the future. None of the steps to develop a class is important, specially assessment. In a second language subject, some teacher do not pay attention to students skills performance and it is essential to be aware of the progress that students are following. According to the age, receptive or productive skills are evaluated and if it is not followed such process, it will have a noticeable effect in students.

The last aspect refers to physical growth. In this stage, students are developing their gross and fine motor skills. The activities planned should include this aspect, developing handcrafts students will practice their ability for cutting and pasting. The importance of this assessment lie in detecting possibly motor-skill problems. 

Finally, even though people think of teaching young students as a task that everybody can do, they are wrong because all the responsibility of future educational problem will fall back into these first ages and the not well-oriented classes.

Designing tests

Designing Tests

This entry will present a personal reflection from the chapter read.
Testing is a tool used for all teachers to evaluate students' learning process. But, even having a good test, there are some factors that can affect our students' performance. 

Designing effective tests required the principle of practicality, reliability, validity, authenticity and washback. With all these elements, we will ensure that tests are well-designed and our students will be asked to respond the appropriate content. But, answering a test causes different emotions on our students. 

There are several situations that can emerge the day of an exam. The first element would be anxiety, which can block students' minds and even they had studied this feeling will not allow them to perform in the same way. Another element would be personal background, which could be related to social or economical issues of the learner. Taking a test while there was a huge fight at home the day before will affect students' scores. Finally, I will mention that the presence of ambiguity on tests will generate confusion on the learners, but this issue can be solved giving clear instructions and solving all kind of doubts in exams.

All the elements mentioned before are present while learners are taking tests. Excepting for the final aspect stated, the others are big dilemmas when teachers have to give a score or grade. How can we as teachers deal which such problems?

Teachers and students perceptions regarding portfolios

What should we avoid in assessing portfolios?

Portfolios are tools that allow professors to use an innovative technique of assessment fostering students' responsibility, motivation and learning. Nevertheless, if teachers do not establish specific criteria and plan carefully how to assess a portfolio, it will come up an unwanted result.

According to Soruç, "...an incoherent and disorganized alternative assessment tool may progressively reduce students' enthusiasm and enervate portfolio's authenticity and tendency to promote autonomy of learners". Portfolios that are not well-planned can turn up into impractical exercises. In order to avoid this impracticality, several aspects should be considered: time, objectivity, trust, teacher's knowledge about portfolios, carrying out the material, and finally the content of the portfolio. (Soruç, 2011)

Teachers should include the use of the portfolio in their curriculums giving appropriate time to work in class. This does not mean, that all classes will be used to work portfolios, but unless there should be two hours per week in my opinion. Also, the importance of considering assignments will help to students not feeling overwhelmed by much work. 

Establishing criteria will avoid subjectivity in grading. Some teachers tend to grade just by remembering the student's behavior and commitment, giving no chance for students to improve their works. Even though, it is difficult to think that a students can change their attitudes, motivation can change these perspectives towards school. A grid will avoid such subjectivity being fair enough with all of them.

A portfolio should be used as a tool to check students' learning process. Grading is necessary but it is not the main goal of this assessment. There will be students trying to do plagiarism and cheat, but once students understand the real value of this exercise and teachers show interest in their processes, this view will change.

Teachers that decide to carry out such technique should have enough and clear knowledge of this. Assessing portfolios requires organization and objectives to achieve a successful exercise. Also, arranging the closest place to keep portfolios will reduce teachers' work.

Finally, the content of the portfolio should be negotiated. Both parts, teachers and students, should participate in the selection of what is going to be included in portfolios. If only the teacher decides the content, student will feel impositions on their works and lack of motivation.

Alternative Assessment

Alternative assessment gives students the opportunity to show their learning process without the pressure of traditional tests. It is seen constantly, cases in which although students make a great effort studying, once they take the exam, results are not the best because of  being nervous. This way of assessment is not always graded which gives a starting point to make students do not feel afraid of being wrong and show how much they have learnt.

More advantages include the fact that language is used for real purposes, which shows the students the use of the language in real contexts, the increase of motivation and the possibility to show student's progress to the school community and parents. Showing students that language is important for real life situations makes them see how practical and important this is for life.

As teachers, it is necessary to take advantage of these alternative ways of assessment considering all the advantages they provide to students and teachers. Among all the choices: portfolios, conferences and interviews, self- and peer-assessment, observations and journals, teachers can apply one or more strategies in classes. 

Sometimes, time and low practicality avoid the use of these techniques in classes, even though is good idea to consider using them more often.