15th task -- Communicative approach

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Date Posted: 07:07:27 08/12/03 Tue
Author: Viviane Coelho Caldeira Ramos
Subject: 15th task

According to Sweet ( 1993) portfolios are �collections of student work representing a selection of performance�, i.e, students collect the material produced during a term in order to be assessed, this can be the best works or whatever the teacher and the students find relevant. Because of that, this sort of assessment helps to develop a sense of autonomy and critical- analysis in the students regarding their on learning, as they are an integral part of the evaluation process. As highlighted by Hancock �students are taught by example to become independent thinkers�.

Portfolios reflect the learning process, showing students� weakness and strengths what enables them to perceive their progress in the language and also the points that will need more effort to be improved. This portfolio characteristic also allow parents to perceive their kids� progress, being a �basis of parent-teacher conferences to review student's progress over time throughout the school year� ( California Department of Education). Portfolios can also help teachers to prepare his/her classes and even his/her way of teaching, as them can show the teachers� weakness, and, consequently, the points that will need improvement.

Personally, I had worked in a project for continued EFL teacher education and one of the issues discussed was new ways of assessment, as it was a consensus that the traditional testing was not being effective in its purposes. The use of portfolios was proposed and was very well received by many participants of the project. However, many of them narrated that the students and, specially, the parents seemed apprehensive to this idea. This can be explained as many of us ( if not all of us) only had the traditional testing throughout school, but I reckon that it is clear that a profound change in education is needed and only by trying we can change. Transformation has to start with us, teachers.

Bibliography
HANCOCK, Charles R Alternative Assessment and Second Language Study: What and Why. In http://www.cal.org/ericcll/digest/hancoc01.html
SWEET, David. Student Portfolios: Classroom Uses. In http://www.ed.gov/pubs/OR/ConsumerGuides/classuse.html
Development and Implementation of Student Portfolios in Foreign Language Programs. In http://www.stanford.edu/group/CFLP/research/portfolio/portfolio1.html

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Re: 15th task -- Vera Menezes, 15:25:02 08/13/03 Wed