Transcript

Hi, everyone! I am Alejandro Larios and this is going to be the video for the final reflection
of this class that is Evaluation and Assessment. Well, first of all, I do have to say that it
was a quite strange class, because, ah, in one hand it was, I found that it was difficult, but
at the same time it was interesting, so it was kind of contradictory and to find a balance…
well, let’s say that it was strange.
Ah, to be honest, in the beginning I didn’t know what this class would be about. I didn’t
have a clear idea of it. It didn’t happen with the previous classes, for example the
methodologies class and the materials’ workshop class, ah, because you know, you have
a vague idea of what you will do, but it didn’t happen to this class.
Now, I can say that I have a… I have a little drawing here of what I think that is
assessment. Am, for example, in here we have the methodologies class and here the
actual classes, and later there it is the assessment. Ah, for example, when you take the
methodologies class you imagine… We, as future teachers, we use to say “ok, I am going
to be a teacher and what are the topics that I am going to teach to my students, or what
specific methods will I use for these [trouble], or what techniques I am going to use for this
kind of students”, so you imagine yourself, you set yourself in the future role of a teacher.
Ah, it happens completely the opposite… It is not the opposite but it is the assessment
from a different point of view.
Now, we have the classes and the assessment, because the assessment is when you
have already taught, ah, the lessons to the students, ah, and they have understood the
topic and they are able to communicate and use language. And you find yourself in the
position that you say “ok, I have already taught this topic, now I do have to give a grade to
the students… It is not just to give a grade but to assure, to make sure that your students
have understood, and it is very subjective, it’s like when you say I know physics or I know
chemistry, it happens the same when you say I understand a topic or I speak a language.
Ah, for example, when, before we entered to this major of languages we used to said, we
used to say “I am going to study languages and I am going to speak English, or I am going
to speak French, I am going to speak Italian”. But when you say I am going to speak a
foreign language, that verb speak is not clear, is unprecise, because what do you refer to
when you say speak? Ah, now we know, that we have spent almost three years in the
major, ah, we have about, we know about fluency, we know about the vocabulary. But now
when you say I speak a foreign language, because in the beginning you may, ah, you may
refer to understand a song or understand what is said in a film, or to be able to say three
or four words in order to sound different. But it is not the actual speaking, it is not being
competent in a language. Ah, for this, we have the communicative competence, because
language, as most of the things, is measurable. Ah, this concept of communicative
competence was developed by Dell Hymes and Chomsky, ah, it means to be able to
communicate, ah, to communicate by using the grammar correctly, by using the syntax, by
using the adecuate vocabulary, ah, to have a pragmatic background and knowledge to use
the language in a given situation. It is not, it involves even the gestures in order to
communicate, it is not “I speak a language”. You have to be able to use all of these
aspects to communicate in this specific language.
Ok, another, ah, another main point is that knowledge is not imaginary. Ah, as I say, you
may say I know physics or chemistry, but that know or understand or speak is very vague,
is very general these verbs, so you don’t have a clear idea of what you mean. So for this in
English and the languages we have the Common European Framework of Reference that
is a kind of standards that is subdivided into six different scales that begin from the very
basic, from the A1 to the C2. The, ah, it measures the ability of a speaker, ah, from the
very basic you have to be able to introduce yourself, to use the vocabulary related to the
family, to the job, to the school. And when you are getting up in the scale you are able to
use more abstract concepts, to use more connectors and more academic words, let’s say.
Also, there are more complex structures in the syntax and the grammar, so that is what
happens, so when you present an exam, you have to be able to introduce, to give
directions, to talk about food, to talk about routines, to talk about experiences in the future
and the past. So it is what is measured in this kind of exams.
Ah, but, well, yeah. We have the accomplishment, the analysis and then the feedback.
That is the actual evaluation. Ah, the first, the accomplishment, you have to establish a
goal, as I say, we have different scales, ah, these scales, these goals, in the Common
European Framework. So, for this, let’s say, in the Target language 1, we will be able to,
you will be able, you will be an A1 speaker, so you have to cover all of these aspects,
these topics to be fluent enough, ah, so the accomplishment, the goal for the Target
language 1 would be an A1 competitive speaker, that the accomplishment, my goal will be
established here, and the analysis, when you have given the course and you have worked
with your students, you have to make an analysis on what they’ve done. Ah, for example,
yeah, for instance, they are asked to present an oral exam and they will speak about their
family and their past experiences, and you have to be, to be careful with every detail,
because it is not just like presenting the exam but to put attention, pay attention to the
vocabulary that they use, the fluency that they are able to achieve, or the grammar
structure if they use it correctly. And finally, we have the feedback that we can say to the
students. We have a common mistake in this specific point, if you commit this mistake over
and over again, you must stop it and “use this instead of what you are using”, ah, to give
the feedback to the students in order to correct it. And also it is because, especially here in
Mexico, the education is, well, we all know how education is, it is very bad and we have a
very traditional system that is, most of the time it is based on a test. Ah, we evaluate what
we imagine is an exam, to answer the exam and to count the correct answers, and then
you give a grade, but that is not the actual evaluation, actually I feel, well, it is not what I
feel, but assessment is a continual, is through the whole course, it is not just at the end
and you give a grade but from the first class you notice [trouble] of the students, their
mood, their abilities, and you have to make a continual assessment for them, so it is not
just like a standardized test to give a final grade but to be able to teach them and to correct
them from the beginning.
And, another interesting part of this subject was the certification exams. I had never
thought of it. As I say, I had doubts about how am I going to learn to my students this topic,
but you say ok I am going to teach, and then what, we have gathered this mass of
knowledge that is, is, that is not ordered,. So we have this goal that is the CEFR, a B1, a
B2, so you know that this mass of knowledge and topics must be ordered to reach these
specific demands. For example, I found in some textbooks, ah, the specific topics. I did
have to search in some different universities the specifications for each level. I found, for
example, when creating the exam, that an A2 level, and I found the specific knowledge,
because in some, for instance, in Cambridge website you find just a paragraph that says
A2 students must be able to communicate with this, this, this and this, but again it is
general and I found myself lost. So I did have to look for more universities the described
level so I found every single verb form, every single vocabulary, specific vocabulary, so
now I know. It is useful for me as a student, and is useful for me as a future teacher,
because now, having these basic levels, I know what topics I am going to teach to the
students and what order will I follow. And as a student, ok, Here I have the A1, A2, B1, B2,
ok, for this test, for this certification test, I must cover the whole of them. It is not like
saying ok, I am going to present the exam but what will they ask me. Now, I know what
they will ask me. And it is just a matter of practice. I, I think that it was the most [trouble]
because at the beginning I found myself lost. As I say, I didn’t know what the class would
be about, and I found, I didn’t found a relation. Ok, and it will be useful for me because
there were concepts and I didn’t understand and didn’t get them well, so for the final I
knew that the object of a language course is to speak a course, and to speak a course it
has to be measurable for this Framework of reference, and for this every detailed skills for
students. And now I know how I do have to teach and what I do have to learn in order to
be a competitive speaker. So I think it would be [trouble]. A strange class, I repeat. Ah,
thank you, and, bye.

Mistakes during the speech:

 Assessment is. Word order, is assessment.
 Class you imagine… We. There is not a clear idea for the sentence.
 It is very subjective, it’s like when you say. The idea, again, is lost.
 Used to said. Incorrect tense of the verb.
 Adecuate. Adequated.
 It is not. It is unclear.
 That is a kind of standards. Vague explanation of the concept.
 From the very basic you have to be able to introduce yourself. Is not a clear
sentence.
 Getting up in the scale. Wrong preposition. On.
 Yeah, for instance. Quite informal.
 Ah, we evaluate what we imagine is an exam. The idea is not understandable.
 From the beginning. Since the beginning.
 I found myself lost. I use this sentence repetitively.
 Ok. I use it excessively.
 So for the final I knew that the object of a language course is to speak a course.
The sentence is not clear.