WEEK 5 - EFFORT & EVALUATION

This week we started studying the concept of assessment, a key element in the teaching–learning process. Through participatory activities, personal reflections, and gamified tasks, we analyzed how to assess fairly, formatively, and in a motivating way. These sessions made me rethink the true meaning of assessment: to guide, to support, and to offer second chances.

SESSION 1

This week’s first session focused on evaluation — a topic that always generates both curiosity and discomfort. We began with several materials the teacher showed us, such as the European Language Portfolio, the passport, and other resources from foreign programs, which we will use throughout the course. We also continued working with the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) and the ELP. In pairs, we reflected on our own language level and later wrote a short piece about it.

We also played a Kahoot, which made the atmosphere much more dynamic. This kind of activity, based on gamification, allows students to review content while keeping their motivation high. It reminds us that learning doesn’t always have to be rigid — play, participation, and laughter can be powerful learning tools when used with purpose.

Later, we began exploring the topic of evaluation. The professor started a brainstorming activity, asking how we felt when we heard that word. Most of us admitted that it still makes us nervous, and that alone says a lot about how evaluation has been traditionally understood. We discussed formative and summative assessment, and how important it is to help students see that evaluation is not something negative, but a way to learn and improve.

This made me reflect deeply on my own experience in second year of Bachillerato. One of my teachers once told me that she “couldn’t imagine someone like me ever becoming a teacher” and that she “wouldn’t want me to teach her own children.” Because of her, I had to take her subject in the extraordinary exam period, which meant losing my chance to enter the Primary Education degree that year. I ended up studying Derecho & ADE instead, which in hindsight has helped me understand educational legislation and the structure of the system much better.
That experience, however, marked me — not because of failure, but because it showed me exactly what not to be as a teacher. A good teacher evaluates with empathy, fairness, and faith in their students’ potential. A bad one humiliates instead of motivating.

As our professor said, “the success of teaching depends not only on results, but on believing in people.” I couldn’t agree more. It reminded me of something that José Francisco Durán — or Kiko, as we knew him — used to say: “everyone deserves a second chance.” Those words have stayed with me, as well as the lessons from my maths teacher Ana, who believed that effort should always be recognized and opportunities should never be denied.

This session helped me understand how evaluation goes beyond grades — it’s about growth, self-awareness, and opportunity. Formative assessment, in particular, offers a way to transform evaluation into dialogue, not judgment. It’s something I wish that teacher from Bachillerato had understood.

Overall, the session was quite enjoyable. The Kahoot and the pair reflections made the class active and participatory. However, I would suggest balancing the theoretical explanations with more concrete classroom examples, so that we can better connect the theory to real teaching situations. Still, I appreciate how this class managed to turn such a loaded concept — evaluation — into a topic of hope and improvement.

SESSION 2

In the second session, we delved deeper into the concepts of assessment and evaluation. We revisited formative and summative approaches, now framed within the Assessment for Learning (AfL) perspective. The teacher emphasized that evaluation should be “for learning,” not “for exams.” The student must always be at the center of the process, while teachers should also remain open to learning and improving constantly.

We analyzed different types of assessment activities: projects, presentations, portfolios, games, visual thinking, and storytelling — all ways to make students active participants. I especially enjoyed connecting this with my own experience using StoryCubes in speaking lessons. They allow students to build creative stories while practicing language in context — a great balance of learning and play.

We also discussed the old versus new paradigms of evaluation. The new one promotes flexibility — for example, allowing students to redo an activity if they want to improve. Although I agree with this idea in principle, I found a bit of contradiction: our teacher encouraged repetition of activities but not of whole courses, which seems inconsistent. In my view, both should be guided by fairness and reflection — not by rigid rules.

Another part of the session focused on objectivity and subjectivity in grading. We worked in pairs to identify examples of each and discussed how to involve students in the assessment process — for example, co-creating rubrics or engaging in self-evaluation. This approach gives them responsibility and helps them understand evaluation as something shared, not imposed.

Still, I remain aware of the bureaucratic side of education. Excessive paperwork and rigid rubrics can sometimes turn evaluation into an administrative task rather than a formative one. While rubrics are useful, I think they should always be flexible and co-created, not static documents.

This session confirmed that the most meaningful evaluation happens when students are aware of their learning and when teachers act as guides, not judges. Making evaluation participatory builds trust, self-regulation, and responsibility — essential for genuine learning.

The session was dynamic and full of debate. I particularly liked the inclusion of gamified elements and collaborative work. However, I believe the class could focus more on realistic strategies to simplify bureaucratic demands, because in practice, teachers are often overwhelmed. A single, integrated project could demonstrate competencies more effectively than several isolated tasks.

In short, both sessions made me rethink the purpose of evaluation. It’s not about control or punishment — it’s about helping students grow, reflect, and feel capable. That, in the end, is what education should always aim for.

REFERENCES:

Azanon Cabeza, M. (2022, octubre). Desafíos del sistema educativo en España. Portafolio Digital María Azañón Cabeza. https://portafoliodigitalmariaazanoncabeza.blogspot.com/2022/10/desafios-del-sistema-educativo-en.html

Boletín Oficial del Estado. (2020). Ley Orgánica 3/2020, de 29 de diciembre, por la que se modifica la Ley Orgánica 2/2006, de 3 de mayo, de Educación (LOMLOE). BOE, nº 340.

CEIP José Ramón Villa. (s.f.). CEIP José Ramón Villa, Mora (Toledo): Inicio. https://ceip-joseramonvilla.centros.castillalamancha.es/

Durán, J. F. (2023). Comunicación personal en la asignatura Educación y Sociedad (Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo).

Facultad de Educación, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha. (s.f.). Facultad de Educación. Toledo: Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha. https://www.uclm.es/toledo/educacion

Gobierno de Castilla-La Mancha. (2022). Decreto 81/2022, de 26 de julio, por el que se establece el currículo de Educación Primaria en Castilla-La Mancha. https://docm.castillalamancha.es/

Junta de Castilla la Mancha. (2022). Decreto 81/2022, de 17 de mayo, por el que se establece la ordenación y el currículo de la Educación Primaria en la Comunidad Autónoma de Castilla-La Mancha. DOCM, nº 134.

Mars, B., Lawrence, P., Levine, A., Walton, K., & Cain, K. (2010). Don’t Give Up. Elektra Records.

Material provided by the professor.

Ministerio de Educación y Formación Profesional. (1970). Vídeo promocional de la Ley General de Educación [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/zl6iSEC0zeE

Ministerio de Educación, Formación Profesional y Deportes. (s.f.). Ministerio de Educación, Formación Profesional y Deportes. https://www.educacionfpydeportes.gob.es/portada.html

Microsoft. (s.f.). Bing. Microsoft. https://www.bing.com

Pixabay. (s.f.). Pixabay – Free images & royalty-free stock. https://pixabay.com

Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha. (n.d.). Campus Virtual. https://www.uclm.es/campusvirtual

Note on images: Some images included in this post are my own (Images by the author), and some photos from the school where I did my practicum, used with permission at the time of my placement.