PORTFOLIO
Introducción al Diseño Curricular de Inglés para
6to año de la Secundaria
Bárbara Olavarría
As I had previously attended other courses on the
curriculum design for secondary school, I had an idea of
what CLIL was all about and I more or less knew how to
plan a unit of work.
However, throughout this course I began to realise that
there is a lot more to it than I had thought, mainly in the
assessment field.
FOR / OF / AS
The division of assessment
into these three “groups”
was completely new for me
and it’s highly important for
teachers to have the three
of them in mind all the time
because each of them
complements the other
two.
Language Testing: why and how?
Fulcher’s chapters made me think about
the actual purpose of tests and criteria.
Here are some quotations that called my
attention:
•Carroll (1961: 314) states: “The
purpose of language testing is always to
render information to aid in making
intelligent desicions about possible
courses of action.”
•“A test is selected for a particular
situation and purpose” (Cronbach (1984:
122).
•“The act of testing is designed to play a
role in the teaching and learning
processes, rather than certify ultimate
achievement” (Fulcher)
“For some, language tests are gatekeeping tools that
further the agendas of the powerful. For others, they are
a vehicle by which society can implement equality of
opportunity or learner empowerment” (Fulcher)
All this makes me wonder whether testing
on a meritocratic basis is a good thing…
Construct definition
Another concept that was new for me is the concept of
“construct”.
Constructs are the abilities of the learner that we
believe underlie their test performance, but which we
cannot directly observe. These being “concepts”, and we
can identify them because they are usually abstract
nouns. The oldest construct in education is propbably
“intelligence”.
When we abstract from what we observe and create
labels we are essentially building a basic theory to
explain observable phenomena.
The important thing is deciding what qualities you want
students to have and how you will assess them against
those qualities.
Washback
Tests can have positive and negative effects, or
washback. Positive washback refers to expected
test effects. For example, a test may encourage
students to study more or may promote a
connection between standards and instruction.
Negative washback refers to the unexpected,
harmful consequences of a test. For example,
instruction may focus too heavily on test
preparation at the expense of other activities.
One way to ensure positive washback is through
instructional planning that links teaching and
testing. By selecting a test that reflects your
instructional and program goals, you can more
closely align testing with instruction.
All in all, this course made me see assessment from a different perspective and I believe that what I’ve
learnt will definitely have an effect on my teaching.
I had never thought of all the steps we take during a unit just because a is coming soon! And all the
things we don’t do for the same reason.
Nonetheless, “test” and “assessment” should not become taboo words. The most important thing is to
have a clear idea of why and how we do it in order to have a positive effect. It is highly important for
tests to be as fair and objective as possible.
After all…
“Iinstitutional assessment efforts should not be concerned about valuing what can be measured but,
instead, about measuring that which is valued”. Banta, T. W., Lund, J. P., Black, K. E., & Oblander, F.
W., Assessment in practice: Putting principles to work on college campuses. San Francisco: JosseyBass.p. 5, 1996