Holding Your Students (and Yourself) Accountable

1. Holding Your Students (and Yourself) Accountable Presented By: Daniel Lopez, Senior English Language Fellow Office of English Language Programs United States Embassy in Mexico

2. On the Agenda for Today… • Evaluation and Assessment • Feedback and Error Correction • Using Rubrics & Portfolios • The 3 Rules of Thumb for Successful (and Happy!) Teaching: MOTIVATION, SUPPORT, and PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT • Q & A

3. TRUE OR FALSE? • A multiple choice test is the best way to assess a student’s abilities. • It is easy for teachers to grade their students. • Teachers should tell their students how they will be graded. • It is impossible for teachers with large classes to give homework assignments. • Giving a test at the end of the semester won’t give teachers enough information to fairly grade their students.

4. EVALUATION VS. ASSESSMENT • EVALUATION = Information about a learner’s performance is collected (i.e. the teacher gives students a grade based on their performance on a reading test). • ASSESSMENT = Information is analyzed and interpreted about a learner’s performance (i.e. teacher corrects the reading test, analyzes which questions were difficult for learners, how different learners performed, how the whole class performed, and where to go from there).

5. What is the Purpose of Assessment? • Diagnostic– Done before the teaching process begins, at the beginning of an academic year or unit of study. (Helps teachers prepare to teach.) • Formative– Done during the teaching process, to see if the instructional techniques are effective (i.e. homework). • Summative– Done after the teaching process, to see what students have learned (i.e. final exam).

6. Discussion: What makes grading so hard? • FOR TEACHERS • It’s hard to differentiate between weak ideas and weak language. • Students are disorganized and interpret the assignment in their own way, so the teacher is grading something he/she didn’t assign. • It takes a long time to write all the commentary necessary to help the students. • FOR STUDENTS • Aren’t aware of the teacher’s expectations. • Don’t know which skills to focus on. • The grade doesn’t tell them what to improve on. • Feels arbitrary.

7. 4 Assessment Strategies: • INQUIRY = Subjective judgments about a student’s performance. • OBSERVATION = Watching students’ habit patterns over time. • ANALYSIS = Breaking down into component parts. • TESTING = Scores are based on objective cognitive outcomes and common terminal goals. Is one better than another?? Product vs. Process?

8. YOUR TURN: Which technique would you use if you wanted to find out… • …if your students know how to form vowel sounds? • …how your students feel about learning English? • …how your class compares to another in reading skills? • …if your students have mastered the steps for writing essays? • Observation • Inquiry • Testing • Analysis

9. 6 Common Testing Techniques: • Short-Answer • Essay • True/False • Matching • Multiple Choice • Fill in the Blank Which one you use will depend on what information you are looking for…Based on the VERB in your Learning Objective!

10. FOR EXAMPLE: • To explain or discuss… • To list or describe... • To select or choose… • To give an opinion… • Totest retention • To demonstrate a relationship… • Essay • Short-Answer • Multiple Choice • True/False • Fill in the Blank • Matching

11. A FEW WORDS ABOUT FEEDBACK & ERROR CORRECTION: • Should be specific information about student’s strengths or weaknesses • Give constructive suggestions about how the learner can improve his/her work • Negative comments should not outnumber positive comments • Timing is important • Given with care… • Practice makes perfect!

12. What is a Rubric? Heidi Goodrich, a rubrics expert, defines a rubric as: “A scoring tool that lists the criteria for a piece of work.” or “Generally, rubrics specify the level of performance expected for several levels of quality.” From : http://rubistar.4teachers.org/

13. What are the Benefits of Rubrics (including checklists and rating scales)? • Grading is less subjective and interpretive (“Competency-Based”). • It’s easier to give consistent points. • Can be either simple or complex depending on the task to be graded. • Students are responding to specific objectives. • Provides detailed feedback, but takes less time than writing out individual commentary.

14. Why use Rubrics? • Validity– Students know what is expected of them. • Accountability-A rubric can allow students to take responsibility for their work and grade. • Formative- A rubric can help “teach” students. A rubric can give students feedback so that they don’t make the same mistakes the next time. • Time saver - A rubric can save time for the teacher because it can be used for multiple purposes: • Inform students of an assignment. • Give feedback to students with little writing on the part of the teacher. • As self-evaluation, it can lead students to edit their work before they turn it in. B. Miller 2007

15. What can be graded using rubrics? • Pronunciation • Reading • Writing Assignments • Collaborative Learning Skills • Oral Presentations • Class Participation • and more…

16. Rubrics can also be used for: • Self Evaluation – as a checklist before turning in the assignment. • Peer Evaluation- to inform both the participants of how and why a complete product has certain components. • Teacher’s Evaluation – provides a criteria for the teacher to consistently, formatively and objectively assess student work.

17. Reading Rubric for Elementary Studentshttp://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?screen=ShowRubric&rubric_id=1344816&

18. Creating A Rubric WITH Your Students • Benefits: • Students “buy” into the project – they feel it’s fair. • Students learn about what makes a good project before they produce it. • Students become aware of the various components of a project and helps them determine the steps involved.

19. Alternative Assessment: PORTFOLIOS • Collection of student work over time. • Designed to show growth and progress. (Can they fix their own mistakes?) • May include projects, exams, writing assignments, rough drafts, etc. • Ideally, should also measure learners’ ability to apply knowledge. • Should be an integral part of classroom practices, not just a “tag on”. • Students can choose what to include, but teacher needs to establish criteria.

20. So, what are the secrets to a successful and happy teaching career?

21. Rule of Thumb #1: Both students and teachers have to be motivated. • What are some DE-motivators for each? • What are the consequences? • What motivates YOU? • What motivates your STUDENTS?

22. Rule of Thumb #2: Teachers need support from Coordinators, SEP and each other. • Sharing (collaboration, best practices) • Solidarity (teacher associations) • Submissions (FORUM) http://exchanges.state.gov/englishteaching/forum-journal.html • Supervision

23. What Are Features of an Effective Supervisor? • Clarifies Expectations • Non-Judgmental (constructive criticism) • Two-Way Communication (dialogue) • Assesses Needs • Encourages staff to identify their own areas of growth • Links feedback to wider ELT and educational issues • Positively Reinforces Creativity and Best Practices • Delegates Responsibility • Holds Teachers Accountable • Follows up

24. Rule of Thumb #3: Professional development as an ongoing process. • Benefits of Life-Long Learning… “Teaching is a process of becoming that continues throughout life, never completely achieved, never completely denied. This is the challenge and the fun of being a teacher – there is no ultimate end to the process.” (Frances Mayforth)

25. Why English is so Hard to Learn… • Writers write, but fingers don’t fing and hammers don’t ham. • “Buick” doesn’t rhyme with “quick”. • The plural of tooth is teeth, so the plural of booth is…??? • If teachers taught, why didn’t preachers praught? • How can a “slim chance” and a “fat chance” mean the same thing, while a “wise man” and a “wise guy” are opposites?

26. Some Final Thoughts… • Good assessment can motivate learners to study. On the other hand, poor or unfair evaluation techniques may make learners less motivated to study. • Students who have positive feelings about English, and are in a supportive environment, are more likely to learn faster. • Individuals learn at different rates, but everyone must ultimately take responsibility for his/her own learning. • L1 interference in inevitable, but you are not helping your students by speaking to them in Spanish. Just make sure to adapt your language to their abilities.

27. “It is noble to teach oneself; it is still nobler to teach others.” – Mark Twain “A teacher affects eternity; he (or she) can never tell where his (or her) influence stops.” - Henry Brooks Adams

28. INTERNET REFERENCES: • Puhl, Carol. 1997. Develop Not Judge: Continuous Assessment in the ESL Classroom. English Teaching Forum 35:2 (April-June), pp 2-10: http://exchanges.state.gov/forum/vols/vol35/no2/p2.htm • McMillan, James H. Basic Assessment Concepts for Teachers and School Administrators: http://www.ericdigests.org/2001-3/basic.htm • Practical Assessment, Research and Evaluation: http://pareonline.net/Articles.htm • Examples of Rubrics: http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/actbank/trubrics.htm;http://rubistar.4teachers.org/ • Information on Alternative Assessment: http://jonathan.mueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/whatisit.htm

29. Thanks and Good Luck! Contact Information: Email: relomexico@state.gov http://www.facebook.com/pages/ Mexico-City-Mexico/Office-of-English-Language-Programs-for-Mexico-and-Central-America/314206715145