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Self – Assessment to Improve Speaking about Plans

Abstract:

The study was applied to help learners improve their speaking skills using Gradual Release of Responsibility. Learners were provided a model, teacher’s guidance, individual and peer practice. The implementationof the innovation project took place during pandemic in 2021, so students had just been allowed to return to face-to-face classes progressively. It means that each school should present a document called Plan Institutional de Continuidad Educativa (PICE), only if their students had been vaccinated, among other requirements from the Ministry of Education in order to receive a limited number of students. As a result, the school merged students from two classrooms of the same level into a single classroom. Unfortunately, there were only ten students attending that class. During the first week, the participants were sent via WhatsApp a worksheet with a set of in-class and after-class activities to be worked during the four weeks. During the first two lessons of the first week, the students were presented the vocabulary related to plans for future. The activity consisted of matching vocabulary to picture cards. There was a whole-class check afterwards. Then, individually, participants stated their favorite future plan, and all the ideas were written on the board to be ranked according to a voting process. Next, a model dialogue was provided for pairs to practice, the first checklist (Appendix 3) was presented and explained how to be used descriptor by descriptor as well the level of performance. After the first practice, they were asked to self-assess. There was a whole-class discussion about self-assessment. They then commented their results and received group feedback. In addition, there was another model dialogue which was practiced with the teacher, and then self-assessed with the checklist. The last activity of that lesson was the assignment of a dialogue about their future plans for next holidays, which students sent through WhatsApp including the audio and the script. The participants of the project were provided a checklist to self-assess, which included Grammar and Vocabulary, Pronunciation, and Interactive Communication descriptors. All of them were measured under levels of performance as “accomplished”, “in progress”, and “needs improvement” assigning from 3 to 1 point respectively.