Reflections

Certainly, nowadays to talk about assessment and planning in the field of education, generates a series of reflections and criticisms. Planning is one of the most time-consuming tasks for us as teachers. What would happen, if we arrive at class without prior preparation? How could we demand and ask for dedication to our students if we do not act as a model to follow? Improvisation generates errors, without thwarting them, motivate and interest them in different teachable moments and enhance their skills.

We must start from the basis that planning is legal and mandatory for us as teachers. Even though it is true, this is adaptable to the reality to the students, taking into account the reality of the school, considering also the social and cultural environment of the students, as well as their family environment. Not to mention the commitment and training of teachers.

It is worth mentioning that there are asymmetries generated by the large number of students per class, and the different cultural capital of students according to their social environment that generate inequality, delays, or changes in our planning and assessment.

From my point of view, and according to my experience  as a Teacher of English in a State School, an evaluative culture of process has not been generated yet, that is, considering our student as an integrated whole, evaluation as an ongoing process that collect information that serve to achieve quality learning. This implies a change in attitude especially on teachers, which should lead to a process of reflection on teaching practice, with the purpose to generate new strategies to learn and new ways to evaluate.

Reflection #2 "Gaining Clarity on Our Goals"

The challenge that Chile becomes a bilingual country requires our commitment and decision, which our students can communicate, interact, speak and write in English, is a target for us, as teachers of English, especially when they do not have real opportunities to interact with foreign people in another language nor in their daily lives outside of the classroom, perhaps to travel abroad, or to have the available audiovisual resources, among other needs, another relevant issue is their social background and cultural personal problems that are faced every day, resulting in a significant effort for us as teachers. Address learning and to achieve the goals proposed at the beginning of the school year, is a task we must fulfil.

From my experience, as an English teacher in a State School, the first thing I do is focus on the curriculum, the goals set at beginning of the year and to achieve minimum learning (Content standard). I always wonder if our students are learning or not. When I fixed goals, these must be real, clear and objective, measurable that allows me to restructuring and changes during the process of learning, always taking into account the previous knowledge of our students and their interests. If their skills are deficient, I layout my planning, hoping they have a lasting effect and not the opposite or easily forget (meaningful learning).

Something that helps me a lot in the classroom with my students are: games roles, songs, instruction in the classroom, craft work and also to have for about 30 minutes a "talking time", to promote the use of English.

Finally, to teach with love, dedication, knowledge of learning content, clear goals, as well as having the necessary skills, will make our goals possible, concrete and real.

Reflection: "Chapter 4". The Six Facets of Understanding.

Building critical thinking in our students is a demanding and never ending task, to achieve a deeper knowledge, keep it in our students’ mind and do not make it disappear as soon as the year ends, it is one of the biggest goals for us the classrooms’ teachers. March is our headache, sometimes we spend a large amount of classes just reviewing old concepts that take more than we thought, maybe the fact our students reach their level, can take us more than we expected but how to incorporate great ideas and effective strategies in our schedules? How to achieve that our students start questioning, How to develop this critical thinking? And thus to achieve this awaited meaningful learning?, the lasting one, the one that stays forever.

Questioning should be a fundamental element in our professional work, we as teachers of English in a real classroom; we should be continually monitoring our techniques in the classroom to make sure if our students were able to achieve this meaningful learning, and this critical thinking. To propose our students to develop questions, knowledge as understanding, encourage them to work in teams, whose are able to challenge and question, look for answers and solutions, giving meaning to the ideas, which are able to use this knowledge in the different areas of life, to give his/her point of view, to be able to identify with the point of view of the other, and finally manage how to understand their own ideas and Metacognitive processes.

Our students should be able to accept and incorporate the different information that was obtained in the classroom in a constructive way.

Finally, we as teachers,  we are the bridge between the content and the students’ achievements deliver tools, develop strategies to build critical thinking in our students, they are and they are going to be one of the goals and commitments for us as teachers

Reliability and Validity: Why are these words so special? 

Perhaps reliability and validity are independent words but they are somehow related in the learning process.

Reliability focus on how we are assessing our students. It refers to consistency of scores over time. 

Validity refers to who our students are. It also refers how well an assessment measures what it is supposed to measure and nothing else. It is the biggest concept. It is the most import factor in a good test. 

What is the relationship with the assessment process? 

When we are assessing our students we focus on them, paying attention to their skills, attitudes, background, social environment, etc. Good assessments require criteria, free of bias in order to minimize factors that could lead to misinterpretation of results. When the results of an assessment are reliable, we can be confident that will provide consistent results. It should not make any difference if a student takes the assessment one day or the next one. 

A reliable assessment happens when the same results occur regardless of where, when or how the assessment is done or who does the scoring. Validity reminds us we are assessing what we are supposed to be assessing and nothing else. We have to assess our students and nothing else; minimizing negative consequences without any contamination. For example, a test of listening skill should not require science knowledge. 

What is the relationship with each other? 

As I mentioned above reliability and validity have a close relationship. An assessment that has a low reliability will also have low validity. If the measure is something that changes regularly, the results of the test will be poor of consistency. It is not possible to have a measure that has low reliability and high validity. Reliability is necessary but it alone is not enough. If the measured variable is something that changes regularly, the results of the test will not be consistent. It is relevant to balance reliability and validity in order to make fair judgement. A student that is tested or assessed must be sure that the process is done in fair criteria.

Chapter 5: “Essential Questions: Doorways to Understanding”

As I mentioned before in one of my reflections, how can we teachers, develop critical thinking in our students, how to promote understanding, how to provoke deep thought, how to develop essential ideas, and  knowing that, an essential question is not an easy job to develop.

First of all we have to follow what we are asked in the curricula; second we have to fulfil all the government requirements. Sometimes we do not have enough time to develop the desires classes because of the time. What can we do?

The first step is to create essential questions, but not that one that has a right or wrong answer, is the one that creates debates, the one that makes our students thinking and asking themselves, looking for the answer, that is not given directly in the text book because sometimes we find questions without any answers.

Another step is to promote and develop meaningful and powerful lessons. Asking to our students’ questions making them going on a reflection and reaching for the answer and the teacher is always working as a guide.

According to Wiggins and Mc Thige we have to cause genuine inquiry into the big ideas, provoke deep thought, requires students to consider alternatives, stimulates vital ongoing rethinking of big ideas and spark meaningful connections and naturally recurs.

In conclusion, this chapter made me think about my role as a teacher in the classroom, adding to that made me realize the importance of big ideas, and the role of these ideas inside of my lessons and the importance of exploring these essential questions. This chapter also made me think about the way I am planning my classes, my objective, also the way I am developing them with my students.  Sometimes we act automatically, following the rules, the books, but forgetting that we are building knowledge. The idea of using these essential questions and these big ideas are relevant issues we have to incorporate in our daily activities as teacher inside of the classroom.