davidlms | A personal blog

Important: Translated automatically from Spanish by 🌐💬 Aphra 1.0.0

When I started working as a teacher in Ciclos Formativos¹, I knew I would have to evaluate using Learning Outcomes (LO from now on) and Assessment Criteria (AC from now on). Another thing entirely was whether I had a clear understanding of what that meant.

So the first thing I did was to search for the content of the professional modules I had to teach, sequenced them into units, and decided which LO I would work on in each of them. That turned out to be my first big mistake.

Important: Translated automatically from Spanish by 🌐💬 Aphra 1.0.0

Research in fields related to social sciences, in my understanding, has several problems: These include the dependence on the specific context in which studies are conducted and generational changes, which can render the results of previous research obsolete.

When choosing a sample for a practical experiment, it is really complicated to have a universal one, due to how different we humans are in many aspects: ideology, interests, culture, economic situation, political stance, religion… We could say that there are practically as many different thoughts as there are human beings. Therefore, in any social research, it is complicated to reach conclusions that are not restricted to a specific context. They are even restricted to a specific moment, if we take into account the generational, economic, political, and evolutionary changes (as far as thinking is concerned) that we have as a species.

Important: Translated automatically from Spanish by 🌐💬 Aphra 1.0.0

Today, and especially in the wake of the lockdown, we have multiple quite effective tools for communication between teachers and families. At the very least, there’s some application available, whether provided by public or private administration¹. Email can also be used, and we have the resource of phone calls if we can’t achieve effective asynchronous communication.

However, far too little is said about communication among teachers. More coordination meetings are demanded, but much can be done without them, and I believe in this case we should look at how it’s done in the corporate world.

Important: Translated automatically from Spanish by 🌐💬 Aphra 1.0.0

It’s been almost a month since I embarked on this adventure of committing my thoughts to writing, with mixed results. So today I thought I could write a “How-to” type post (and not “How it was done,” because it’s still ongoing) explaining in more detail what I shared in the first post.

The first thing I did was register the domain davidlms.com. This step isn’t free, but it’s completely optional. Specifically, I used the namecheap platform, which cost $12.94 (including SSL certificate) that I’ll have the option to renew on May 11, 2021.

Important: Translated automatically from Spanish by 🌐💬 Aphra 1.0.0

I have long envied Estonia’s digital administration¹. Although, for many reasons, Spain cannot be compared, it is true that the technology is there and is underutilized.

Of course, a digital transformation² needs time… Until an epidemic arrives. Suddenly, many procedures that required going to a physical office can now be done from home. Restaurants have a QR code to read their menu. The doctor can attend to you through a phone call and prescribe what you need. Practically overnight. Has it suddenly become less complicated to implement?

Important: Translated automatically from Spanish by 🌐💬 Aphra 1.0.0

This is a personal reflection following the reading of Rafael Delgado Valdivielso’s article: NO MORE EXAMS, PLEASE. WE LIVE IN THE 21ST CENTURY. It’s worth pausing here to read his article instead.

I believe that exams are a fundamental tool for learning, as our educational system is currently structured, for several reasons:

• A good portion of students wouldn’t dedicate time to review¹ if they didn’t know they would face an exam at some point.
• The exam indicates areas for improvement for the learner.
• If appropriate feedback² is given at the right time, it serves not only to evaluate but also to facilitate learning.
• In any subject, as one progresses, it’s assumed that previous content has been understood. The exam allows for the detection of an erroneously acquired concept, making it possible to understand more complex ones.

This doesn’t mean I’m against what’s explained in the article; I’m very much in favor of ending exams as understood in the way described there, transitioning towards tests that resemble what can be found in a work environment. But for me, that’s also an exam; we shouldn’t demonize the word.