Self-Regulation and Academic Integrity
“The response was really positive…[Students] recognize the value they can get from [self-reflections] ” -Dr. Angela George
Background
SPAN 201: Beginners’ Spanish I is a popular course for students from a variety of faculties at the University of Calgary. Some take it to fulfil their program’s language requirement, while others are interested in learning some Spanish because they often take vacations to Spanish-speaking countries. Some just take the class for the challenge of exploring a new language. Students who take the course have little or no background speaking Spanish.
Language courses are most effective with fewer students, so SPAN 201 sections have a maximum of 34 people. Each semester, there are between five and nine sections and several different instructors, all of whom must follow the same course outline, grade distribution, and learning objectives. The assessment typically consists of exams, written composition, oral activities, and a participation grade. However, each instructor is free to design their own assessments that fit into these categories. Dr. Angela George, an Assistant Professor of Spanish, uses task-based scenarios to help students practice their speaking and listening, as well as self-reflection exercises to encourage goal setting and growth.
Strategies
There are four major focuses in the course: reading, writing, listening, and speaking in Spanish. A fifth focus is on the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world. Dr. George uses a wide variety of activities in class, such as small group and partner conversations, Kahoot questions, and responding to videos. One of the most popular strategies she uses are task-based scenarios. Students do a reading or watch a video and then make decisions or answer questions related to it. For example, they may watch a video where several people introduce themselves, and then in a small group, they have to decide which of them they would take to dinner and explain why in Spanish. Dr. George does not focus on the specifics of what they say, but rather how they are speaking and if they got the major point of the video. She notes that listening is one of the biggest challenges for students because Spanish is spoken very quickly and it is easy to miss important details when new to the language. The guiding questions and group discussions direct focus on the main ideas in the video. Students have several opportunities for self-assessment during the course, including after some of the task-based activities. The reflection sheets are designed using “I can” statements for reading, writing, listening, and speaking. This makes it clear for students which category they fit into best because they are able to describe themselves with the statements.
During other self-reflections, students rank whether they are able to do something competently on their own, with help, or not at all. Angela makes sure that she defines what the categories mean to her students. Doing something “with help” does not mean that a student can do something immediately after it is demonstrated to them. Instead, it means they know how to do it, but need a fluent speaker to ask questions or give hints to provoke the correct response. These reflections help students stay grounded in the course objectives and see how they are progressing overall on the different skills in the course.
Self-reflections have been completely ungraded so far, as their purpose is for students to think about how they are doing. Students are able to be completely honest in their responses and do not have to worry about being penalized if they are struggling with one area. Dr. George is able to use student’s reflections to see if there are gaps in her teaching and if many students are missing key concepts or skills. She can spend more time going over these areas in later lectures.
Outcomes
Dr. George surveyed her students at the end of the semester and specifically asked how they would rate how much they liked the self-assessments and “I can” statements out of five. 75% of students rated them as either a four or a five, and most others rated it as a three. They clearly saw value in taking time to reflect on their practice and skills over time. She notes that it is also helpful in keeping students grounded and focused on the goals. While it is not possible to become fluent in a language in one semester, students have the foundational knowledge needed to have basic conversations and to develop more intermediate skills. Most students who attend class and put effort into practicing and tracking their learning are quite successful in the class.
Using self-assessment and reflection is most beneficial when it becomes part of a routine. Students are better able to see their progress and they get into the habit of assessing their learning and challenges after every class or practice session. Dr. George intends to incorporate more self-reflection opportunities into her future iterations of the course. She is even considering allotting a few minutes at the end of each class for students to think about how they are doing, even if they do not hand in a reflection sheet. She hopes this will encourage them to always be thinking about their progress, and that they will be able to celebrate learning milestones, even if they are small. She also hopes to see self-reflection integrated into all the class sections, since it has been so beneficial. She will continue to share her experiences and resources with other instructors and will help them find ways to fit it into their classes.
-Ashley Weleschuk
