ASSESSING MY BABIES! :)

Assessment plays an important role in how students learn and how teachers teach. According to Black and William (1998)  assessment refers to all those activities undertaken by teachers - and by their students in assessing themselves- that provide information to be used as feedback to modify teaching and learning activities. (p143).

I have taught English since almost one year. During this time I have worked with little kids between 4 to 5 years old. I have worked hard looking for activities that help them to learn due to they do not read and write yet.

My babies are in the Piaget's stage: Properational stage. In this stage children are able to think about things symbolically. They also develop memory and imagination. For that reason, it is necessary to create activities that help them to internalize all those words in a funny and innovative way. I use several materials in their learning process: flashcards, games such as "run and stop" or videos. Although, they do not write or read, I always include the word in the pictures because in that way they start to relate "the signifier" with "the signified". According to Ferdinand Saussure (1991 ) language is made up of signs and every sigh has two sides: The signifies, the "shape" of a word, its phonic component and the signified, ideational component, the concept or object that appears in our minds when we hear or read the singnifier.

Image taken from Wikipedia

I usually use observation for assessing them. Through this tool, I can see if they use English words when they want to say something like: "teacher, ayer mi mother me compró un black dog". so, in this way I know about  their English learning process. Gardner (1993) has suggested that children can vary individually across eight types of intelligence - linguistic, musical, logical-mathematical, spatical, bodily kinesthetics, interpersonal, intrapersonal and naturalistic. Taking into account that, I  use flashcards, games, videos and songs for assessing them. I use some phrases like: " corazón, te quedó muy lindo pero recuerda que debes colorear sin salirte de la línea" then, they ask me for another copy and try to do their best.

Another tool that I use in their assessing process is test with close-ended questions in their listening and speaking skills. They listen and connect dots or circle the word that they hear and they say the word that I show them.

 I love teaching English to little kids. They have made me discovered my creative sense in the way to teach them. I feel great when I see that my babies  know how to say many words in English, for that reason, I feel that I am in the right place. I do love my little kids!!!!