I recently received an email from a teacher asking how I would be using IPA's (Integrated Performance Assessments) while practicing social distancing/teaching virtually this year, and decided that many people might be wondering the same thing. So, I've decided to write a post about how I plan on incorporating IPA's with my language classes during this unprecedented school year.
What is an IPA? First of all, if you are unfamiliar with IPA's, they are defined as thus: "Integrated Performance Assessment is a classroom-based performance assessment model developed by ACTFL that can be used for evaluating student's communication skills in the three modes of communication (Interpretive, Presentational, Interpersonal) identified in the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (2015)." (source: CARLA) They are a great way to ensure students are meeting proficiency levels and gives you the ability to get a full picture of their abilities. So, how am I modifying my IPA's to fit the current school situation? To start, my class is based mostly on participation and completion work with 40% of the overall grade for participation. I track their participation by awarding 1 point for each time a student volunteers a response in our group discussions. These are generally students answering a question that I have posed in the TL. Ideally, almost every student chooses to offer an answer and I will allow every individual who wants to offer a response to a question the opportunity to do so. This gives the ones who are less confident the motivation to actually do it because they are basically repeating the content they have heard their classmates produce with slight modifications. They are required to earn 30 participation points per unit (I will probably raise that but I didn't want to set the bar too high to start.) Now, let's break down the three focus areas of IPA's and how I plan on conducting them this year. Interpersonal: "This is two-way communication in which both sides actively negotiate meaning through a process of observing, monitoring and clarification." An example would be a conversation in the TL. (source: Fluent U) These activities will often be graded as a test grade and in the past would be conducted in the hall with randomized partners. My plan is to conduct them via zoom still using randomized partners and having those individual students join me in a zoom while other students work independently. I will provide the guidelines for the activity ahead of time via google classroom and an explanation in a pre-recorded video/zoom. I will grade using a rubric in Kami so students will be able to see my notes and their proficiency level. I discovered several years ago, through a process of trial and error, that the best way to create a truly interpersonal activity without students memorizing full conversations was to randomize the partners or conduct an interview. So, I give students a basic scenario like, the following: You will either be the teenager buying supplies or the shopkeeper selling supplies in the following scenario. You will not know which one you are until your name is drawn in class. You will also be informed of your partner at that time. Upon the drawing of names, you will immediately begin the exam. Teenager: Your best friend is turning 15 and you are helping prepare for her quinceanera. You've been asked to pick up several items from your local hispanic shop for the party. They only speak spanish so you will need to be able to communicate your needs. You need to purchase the following: a pinata shaped like a star, 100 pink and yellow balloons, party streamers and candy to fill the pinata. You also need to inquire about when the cake and food that has already been ordered will be ready. Shopkeeper: You are working when a teenanger comes in to pick up some items for a party. Help them find the things they are looking for. As a good salesperson, you should also suggest a few more items they might need and have not already purchased. Additionally, you DJ on the side and are always looking for a new gig. Ask if they have already chosen a DJ and if not, offer your services. Because they do not know their partner ahead of time they cannot memorize the order in which the conversation will be conducted and will be forced to truly participate in an unscripted conversation but, will be prepared with appropriate general phrasing and vocabulary. Interpretive: "This is a type of one-way communication where students use their listening and/or reading skills to comprehend spoken and written language." Some examples would be listening to a conversation in the TL, or reading an article and answering questions. (source: Fluent U) We do many activities in class as a group where I may say something and have them do what I am asking. In the past I used paper manipulatives and handouts but I am going paperless this year so I am using digital resources like google slides for them to manipulate items. I will do this by creating a master slide so they are unable to disrupt anything but the items I want them to move. I created several bitmoji activities where they will do things like decorate a room using the items I describe or put the correct food items on a plate to represent a meal I describe. Today I conducted a pronunciation activity where students listened to the word and wrote down how they thought it was spelled to demonstrate their understanding of pronunciation. These activities would all be for completion grades only. Another activity I plan on doing regularly is using Kami to allow students to highlight articles when looking for specific types of words like cognates or identifying different types of speech like nouns, verbs and adjectives. Presentational: "Presentational communication occurs when your students use their writing and speaking skills to present information or knowledge on a topic. Examples include performing a prepared skit or dialogue, or presenting a slideshow." (source: Fluent U) Within each unit there are often activities where they will be given some sort of assignment that falls within this category. It varies but I will most likely be using google slides for them to create a presentation. Then, when it is time for them to present I would share my screen via zoom and show their presentation that they turned in on google classroom. Once the presentation is visible to all, I will have the student unmute themself and talk while all students can see the presentation via my shared screen and hear them through zoom. Putting it all together using backwards design. “To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you're going so that you better understand where you are now and so that the steps you take are always in the right direction.” - Stephen R. Covey I'm a believer in the backwards design method of creating lessons. If you start your planning by deciding the end goal or the three IPA categories, you can then build activities and lessons that focus on achieving them. For example, if I want my students to be able to carry-on a conversation with a shopkeeper to purchase items (interpersonal), identify items that one needs to celebrate a quinceanera from an article describing the celebration (interpretive) and then plan a quinceanera and share the plan with they have created with the class (presentational). I can then create lessons revolving around accomplishing those goals. This results in a very cohesive and easy to follow lesson process where students understand the end goal from the beginning of the unit. I hope that my process and plans for this year help you develop lessons and activities that work for your classes despite the fact that they are a mix of virtual and on-site with the added stress of social distancing. I have made many accommodations for this year but am actually really happy with how many of them are going already and may even keep the changes after we eventually return to normal. Don't hesitate to ask questions and comment with your own amazing ideas! We can always learn from each other!
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Everyone is in uncharted territory this year when it comes to teaching. Hybrid, simultaneous zooms while teaching, asynchronous videos, all in-person! There are so many variables and things to take into account. With all of the challenges and obstacles that we are dealing with this year, getting to know your students seems like an epic challenge. So, here are a few ways to conduct ice-breakers and get to know you activities with your students, no matter the situation in which you find yourself teaching. 2 Truths and A LieThis classic game can be transferred to our virtual situation by using video! Flipgrid (mentioned later as well) allows students to record a video and respond to videos with their own. Post the directions and record your own 2 truths and 1 lie. After all videos are posted, go through them with the class and decide which is the lie together! Bitmoji Lockers/Hydroflask/Computer/RoomThese are all the rage right now and can be a great activity to get to know your students and for them to get to know you! Grab a copy of one of the templates in the folder linked at the bottom of this page, add your about me content and then share the document with students. For them to edit you will have to allow them to create a copy just like you have. Jamboard - My InterestsJamboard is an awesome resource for many different kinds of lessons. It is a collaborative whiteboard that will allow students to work simultaneously no matter their location. To conduct an interests jamboard you have to open jamboard and share the link with your students. Then, you can ask a student to share something they are really into right now. Once a topic has been selected, it is the focus of the jamboard. You can give students a few minutes to use the tools provided on the jamboard page to contribute their thoughts on the topic! You can always expand the discussion afterwards by asking questions and sharing your own thoughts. Selfie Scavenger HuntThis activity is perfect for virtual classes. Make a list of selfies the students has to take and give them a time frame to capture them. Then, have your students start their hunt Word Art SelfieHave students share information about themselves through text with this activity. Direct students to a word cloud creator like wordart.com where they can upload their image for the words to be shaped to fit. When they're done adding words describing themselves they will end up with an image that looks like them made up of words! Check out the directions and template in the folder linked at the bottom of this post. Flipgrid VideosFlipgrid is an amazing resource for student created videos. They can respond to a video you post and respond to each others videos. Kick off the activity by posting your own video and let students record and post theirs. Once everyone has contributed you can go back and review videos together with the class and have a class discussion. Would You Rather?You can create a presentation with various "Would You Rather" questions, share your presentation screen and conduct a discussion with your students. Additionally, you could make this asynchronous by posting questions using a google form, jamboard or google slides presentation for students to answer on your own. Add audio to make it even more interactive. Question WheelThere are various sites where you can customize a spinner with your own content. Use this to create questions to ask your students. Spin the wheel for each student and then they answer the question on which the spinner stops. This spinner is a great choice! Design Your Own MaskStudents can share a lot about their interests and personality when given a creative task. This icebreaker takes advantage of our current circumstances by allowing students to decorate their own face covering. You can give specifics or just let them go crazy. Find the template in the Ice Breakers folder shared at the bottom of this post. The Class is Lava!Students are dividing into teams and must complete 10 different activities before the end of class. The best part is that ALL of the activities are setting them up for learning in your room like joining google classroom, bookmarking your website and other tools and more! They get comfortable with each other by working together in person or in break-out rooms AND they know how the class functions! Genius! Get the template from the folder and read more about it here. What other ideas do you have? Please share in the comments and good luck on the first week back!
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