How to challenge our own attitudes

STEP 6

The final session should be dedicated to the presentation of the various group problems and solutions (20’/group) to the class as a whole. There should be a plenary discussion and questions at the end of each presentation to allow for peer-led probing questions, clarification and justification. It is possible to further increase whole class participation by integrating peer evaluation into the evaluation process, through written evaluation (pro-forma) immediately after each presentation.

The performance criteria used in the evaluation should echo the aims of the course.

Read an example of performance criteria and assessment pro-forma here

An example of performance criteria

Performance criteria:

Through the assessment task participants should demonstrate that they have:

1. a critical awareness of the linguistic and cultural diversity of the schools in which they will work
2. an in-depth understanding of language discrimination and the attitudes underlying it
3. the capacity to critique the monolingual mono-cultural habitus of schools and to model strategies to transform them
4. a working understanding of a range of strategies to maximise the potential of additional language learners.

An example of the pro-forma used for peer assessment of each group presentation

Everyone in class assesses each group presentation according to the following performance criteria, rating on a scale of 1-5.

Through the assessment task participants have demonstrated that they have:

1. a critical awareness of the linguistic and cultural diversity of the schools in which they will work

                      1              2             3             4               5

         The criterion has not                                                   the criterion has been

           been met at all                                                                   met in full

2. an in-depth understanding of language discrimination and the attitudes underlying it

                      1              2             3             4               5

         The criterion has not                                                   the criterion has been

           been met at all                                                                   met in full

3. the capacity to critique the monolingual mono-cultural habitus of schools and to model strategies to transform them

                      1              2             3             4               5

         The criterion has not                                                   the criterion has been

           been met at all                                                                   met in full

4. a working understanding of a range of strategies to maximise the potential of additional language learners.

                      1              2             3             4               5

          The criterion has not                                                   the criterion has been

           been met at all                                                                   met in full

An example of the pro-forma used for peer assessment within each group

Everyone in each group assesses the contribution of each group member to the presentation according to the following performance criteria, rating on a scale of 1-5.

Contribution of (name of group member) to the presentation

              1              2             3             4               5

 No contribution                                                                   An extremely helpful contribution

Tutor assessment

The tutor assesses each group presentation according to performance criteria and rates on 1-5 scale, cf pro-forma used for peer assessment of each group presentation.

Email feedback can be provided which will include general feedback to the whole class and group specific feedback to each group member (based on tutor observations and a synthesis of the peer evaluation pro-forma).