Influence of Self-Assessment Facilitated by Flipgrid to Improve EFL Students’ Speaking Skills Performance

Abstract

The lesson plan (appendix 1) was based on Understanding by Design (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005). The three stages are: identifying desired results, determining acceptable evidence and plan learning instruction. In this process, educators design learning experiences to achieve specific learning goals at the end of the unit. This study aimed to improve speaking skills performance through the self-assessment methodology. During the innovation, the students worked on their unit: How to protect the environment, which had a length of 4 weeks, two hours per week, one hour synchronous and the other asynchronous. The synchronous mode was given by Teams, a video conference platform. The asynchronous mode through WhatsApp, an electronic messaging application. In addition, PowerPoint presentations and Flipgrid, a video discussion platform, were used. The purpose of the innovation was that the students to communicate by using basic grammar structures. Such as, simple present of verb to be, so they can give opinion and share ideas about how to help their communities and protect the environment. Use of can/cannot to give instructions, use there is/there are to describe pictures, vocabulary related to the topic, intelligible pronunciation so their information will be easy to understand and how to assess themselves to improve their fluency and confidence. So that, in the long term and on their own, they can make responsable decision with the immediate environment, communicate it in simple sentences, and simple words. The innovation started in December 2021, during the first week, the students were introduced to the unit topic and the new way in which the class was going to be developed. The students watched the introductory video, they mentioned in Spanish what they saw in the video, what the message was, and what actions they can do to protect the environment. The teacher talked about the environmental problems in the community. Students showed interest in the topic, they tried to participate by sharing some English examples but it was noticeable that they had problems remembering vocabulary and using basic grammar structures to share an opinion. In order to have a global vision of what the students had to achieve at the end of the unit, the final task was presented with a video based on the mentor's text. Also, the students were instructed on the benefits and purpose of self-assessment and the checklist (Appendix 2) to learn how to assess themselves. Furthermore, the teacher uses the Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) model to provide scaffolding for students, so they can do it themselves.