Relatoría Webinar

Evaluación

Natalia Duque Montoya

Teacher: Erika Marcela Restrepo Bolívar

Universidad Católica Luis Amigó

2020 - 01
Webinar: Doing Classroom Assessment Online. Voices from the field

Specific topic: how have teachers been assessing their students’ language during this

time.

By: Frank Giraldo and special guests Juliana Giraldo, Juan Manuel Martinez, Julio
Cesar Vanegas and Angie

Date: May 9th,2020

Well, due to the pandemic, which came like a rock hitting the ground and each country
locked down their own citizens. As a result of all this we have moved lessons from
traditional classroom to virtual spaces affecting the way methodology and assessment
have been carry out. Despite all the dramatic changes there are many initiatives for
teachers to improve knowledge of the language assessment, when reflecting what to do
or what not to do regarding language teaching and assessment online, and what is a
central question is how have teachers been assessing their students’ language during
this time. In addition, other questions will be raised to discuss, like if they agree that
formative and authentic assessment must be fostered than ever? When teachers should
be more flexible and when should be more demanding? What are the perceptions about
both, formative and summative assessment now?

Nevertheless, due to internet connection and the tools that not everyone possess,
teachers need to think about in their assessment practices and be more flexible. In this
seminar have been invited four guests, which are real language teachers from different
contexts sharing their teaching experiences. Juliana Giraldo woks at Pablo Sexto in Dos
Quebradas, she is the first guest that shares her insights clarifying that nowadays she is
being more flexible about grading and reducing the amount of work assigned to the
students, in some occasions there is lack of contact with her students as result of
working in a context without easy access to technology, still she does her best and
create different activities not only online, but gives to her students the chance to work
with physical items they have at home allowing them to take pictures for evidence.
Consequently, Juan Manuel Martinez is a language teacher at Universidad tecnológica
de Pereira experience is pretty different from Juliana’s one, he is a researcher and
language teacher in a university, he has been teaching using multiples platforms, trying
to develop his lessons in a synchronized and unsynchronized sessions transposing
from physical to virtual, finding different tools that help to keep things really organized.
Also he considers that being more flexible doesn’t mean to extent the deadlines for a
work, instead he proposes to be aware about the student’s situation and if there are
particular cases then yes to be flexible for those ones. He offers us some tips in order to
optimize teachers’ work and student’s performance like: minimize the amount of work,
be precise about instruction, during synchronization provide feedback and for those
ones who can´t not synchronize provide extra time for them to give feedback.

Next presents Julio Cesar Vanegas at escuela Normal Superior de Manizales, he

is a language teacher at a university and shows that he is really getting the most from
the technology and that he is a really good fan of the google classroom and Edmodo.
According to Julio he believes that being demanding it is not about sending a lot of work
to the students, but instead is about quality. He says very important facts to keep in
mind before teaching online, teachers must know the student’s conditions like if they
have or not internet connection, what are their wants, needs and attitudes. Finally
intervenes Angie Which works at Centro Colombo Americano in Manizales. She makes
emphasis about the online lessons as a big chance for students to demonstrate their
autonomy and how capable they are in being responsible not only in terms of language
but as people. Also she is trying to be supportive and sympathetic, creating different
entertaining activities like the Netflix Corner, the reading corner for later on create
discussions. Angie also emphasizes that through online lessons, students manages in
their own space. She likes to provide instruction before the class in order that when they
are during the online session students practice and bring questions.

In mi opinion I believe that as teachers we are going through all those

unexpected changes. Definitely we need to integrate knowledge, methodology,
technology but always considering the assessment as a fundamental part of teaching
and learning process. We need to consider both formative and summative assessment
and how and how often students will be assessed. Before assessing students, we need
to make sure they have been provided with clear instruction about the item or task to be
developed, but also being clear about which particular software, device, platform they
will be using. Besides being clear about stablished goals, offering opportunities to
interact, collaborate and feedback. And finally giving to students the chance for self-
assessment to see how are they feeling and coping with the activities. Nonetheless
there is a big challenge for all of us, not only for students but for teachers too, we have
to level up, and we need to adjust and improve ourselves to overcoming challenges.