Create a Standards-Based Integrated Performance Assessment Unit
Step-by-Step
Step 4: Design Performance Tasks
The Presentational Mode
The Presentational Mode asks learners to prepare a written or oral presentation for an audience. The process of preparing the presentation is very important and includes multiple drafts of written text and/or multiple rehearsals of an oral presentation with feedback in order to present a final, polished product.
Before watching the video
The teachers in this video segment share ideas for oral presentational tasks. They also explain why they had their students work on the presentational tasks before moving to the final interpersonal task. In your opinion, why might it be helpful to complete the presentational task before the interpersonal task?
It is helpful to complete the presentational task before the interpersonal task because the learners have many opportunities to practice new structures, vocabulary, and content in the presentational mode. There is ongoing feedback on how well they communicating using these new structures and vocabulary. Because the Interpersonal Mode is unrehearsed, it is important that the learners have multiple opportunities to practice using the new structures, vocabulary, and content so that the new structures and vocabulary become part of their permanent memory.
As you watch the video
Take notes below on the kinds of tasks that the teachers describe in the video. Also, note the role of rubrics in guiding the students through the preparation of their final, polished performances.
Presentational Tasks: Feng-yi’s students made maps of China and prepared presentations for the class on various cities in China. Dayna’s students wrote a role play between a merchant and a shopper in the market and presented the role play. Cristina’s students made videos that incorporated characteristics of Italian comedy.
Role of Rubrics: The teachers said that by giving the students rubrics before they went to work on the Presentational Task, the students knew what was expected of them and the qualities of an excellent product.
After watching the video
Think about the process and the final product:
- How would you balance the time spent on the process and the time to view the final products?
- How do rubrics help guide the students’ work preparing the presentations?
- Besides rubrics, how else can students receive helpful feedback during the drafting/rehearsing of their presentations?
Balance of time on process vs product: The process of creating the oral or written
presentation is extremely important for learning. With good feedback
learners can correct their errors, improve the content resulting in a product
of high quality.
How rubrics are helpful: Rubrics describe the characteristics of a high quality
product. When students are rehearsing or revising drafts, they can refer to the
rubrics to identify characteristics of an excellent product.
Sources for helpful feedback: Teacher, classmates, friends, family. It is important
that these people know the task requirements and can refer to the rubric to give appropriate and helpful feedback.
