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Techniques and methods in Language Teaching > Evaluating students.... :O
Evaluating students.... :O
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aliciapc
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Dear MaEugenia,
You know, sometimes when you meet parents you realise why children behave the way they do ... I �ve had parents "defending" their children even when I explained the reasons for the grade I �d given him/her . I �d say I take many things into account when evaluating, apart from subject knowledge. Behavior counts, the attitude towards classmates, teacher, responsibility for activities they have to carry out, the effort they make, participation in class ... Everything counts to assess a student, at least in my opinion.
Have a good night, everyone ...
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9 Jun 2010
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lshorton99
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Parents scare me. I have to give all my parent-teacher conferences in Spanish, which is not my native tongue and I feel that often things get lost in translation (maybe I should be more sympathetic to me students!)
I �ve developed my own �code � to keep parents happy.
He �s not living up to his potential = he �s lazy and a waste of space
He finds English particularly challengeing = he �s as thick as two short planks (stupid!)
He finds it hard to adapt to the group = he �s a troublemaker
I feel he could try harder = stares out the window all class
It �s difficult as a teacher when you know a student is as talented as your son/daughter = I threw him/her out of class three times just last week - and they only have two classes a week!
I think next year he �ll really do well = thank God I don �t have to teach him again
I can tell he �s a good kid really = spawn of Satan
I think his age has a lot to do with it = he has the mental age of a 2-year old and the social skills to match
It �s obvious he �s very creative = spends the class drawing pictures of penises
You get the general idea! I �ve had some very �special � parents - one told me I couldn �t expect her son to sit down for a class after being at school all day then proceeded to tell me that her son �s problems were 50% me and 50% him. I said (tactfully) it was obviously a personality difference and thought �I have personality - he �s different! �
I �ve since learnt to nod and smile, especially when parents tell me that their child has never had problems before. It �s like they think we don �t talk to our colleagues who TELL us what has gone down in the past!
Ignore this parent and I recommend developing your own code!!!
Lindsey
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9 Jun 2010
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manonski (f)
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When it comes to evaluating, my first rule is transparency: I always tell my students what I �ll be evaluating. I ask them " Who wants an A?"" Then let �s go over the evaluation grid or let �s go over what this task is asking you to do."
Another thing I tell my students is that I evaluate what they do, not what I know they can do. For example, if you �re bilingual and you don �t speak in English in the classroom, I will fail you. I always joke that I �m not Santa Claus therefore I don �t hand out presents. I �ve never had to fail a bilingual student but I �ve certainly given lower grades because they were not talking much in English and more in L1.
When it comes to parents, I use a portfolio and my students explain and describe their work to the parents themselves. If they need to see me or talk to me, then I �m available. Sometimes parents leave my room with just a thank you , goodbye. If a student has a learning problem, I request a private meeting.
As for grading, I look over the portfolio of my students. I �m lucky because I �ve rarely had to defend my grading to a parent. |
9 Jun 2010
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zoemorosini
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I love the above comments! They made me smile.  Ishorton speaks fluent "conference-ese"!
In my school we are limited by the administration in how we can grade. Up to 20 per cent of the grade can be homework, behavior, effort, participation, etc. The other 80 per cent has to be projects, portfolios, essays, labs, exams, etc. that show "mastery of the material."
In ESL, however, I don �t think this proportion is fair, since participation during class IN ENGLISH is essential for progress over the course of a year. I can see how the 80/20 would work in content area classes, though. Unfortunately, in our public school district things have to be equal for everyone now to support "transparency" and fairness.
I end up counting certain assignments as things other than what they are to give the kids benefit, if that �s possible, and to make grading balanced from my point of view. For example, I �ll count a homework assignment as an essay depending on the work required. Other times, I �ll count review "homework" as a quiz or test.
I �m also interested in how others get along in this! |
9 Jun 2010
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MarianaC
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I think active participation and having the right attitude are key to ESL/EFL. Studying for the test is not always enough...
What has really worked for me, particularly with classes difficult to deal with, is give each student a mark at the end of EACH lesson for their participation and performance in class.
At the beginning of the school year, I ask each student to divide a sheet of paper into three columns: Mark, Teacher �s signature and Parent �s signature. I tell them from the beginning that at the end of each class I �ll give them a mark based on: homework, participation in class, use of English, group work and discipline. The key is they all start the day with a 10, and the mark starts going down as they misbehave/don �t follow tasks, etc. I make sure I let them know when their mark is going down so it serves as a warning.
Everyone wants to score a 10, so they all make a bigger effort. As I said, at the end of the lesson, I give each st a mark, sign their report sheet and check that the marks from the previous lessons have been signed. This helps to keep the parents informed of their child �s progress. If it �s not signed, they have one more class to get it signed or they lose one point of the marked that hasn �t been shown to the parent(s).
Now, to get the average mark for each quarter, I take these marks into account plus whatever test/s or task/s they �ve done. You �d be surprised to see how many students who actively participate in class do well in tests... That �s because they are paying attention in order to have a good mark today, and they don �t realise that while they �re at it, they are learning. I, as a teacher, do, and that �s why I highly recommend you try this. It �s worked really well for me. It is a bit time consuming, but it is better than spending the same amount of time trying to calm them down... and it encourages commitment and responsibility.
Hope this idea helps you for the future!
Cheers
Mariana |
9 Jun 2010
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manonski (f)
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@Mariana: I love this tip. We �re at the end of the schoolyear here but I �ll try to fit this in next September when we go back to school! |
9 Jun 2010
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MarianaC
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Great! I �m so glad I could help!!! :) |
9 Jun 2010
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Bruna Dutra
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I have to say I do not work with kids, and, in my country, the school system/approach for foreign languages is below lame (my personal opinion as a former student and current private teacher).
That being said, I have to agree with you, not as a language teacher, but as a teacher - full stop.
I believe this cartoon shows what society we currently live in, the cartoon is originally written in French, but I couldn �t find it online, so I �m posting the one I have in Portuguese:
Inside both ballons you read: What marks are these?
I think it says it all.
All I can say is that my daughter is going to have "old school" parents.
Hugs, Bruna.
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9 Jun 2010
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Larisa.
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Thank you everyone for your comments!
A special thank you to Lindsdey for her sence of humor. 
Have a wonderful day!
Hugs, Larisa
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9 Jun 2010
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