It is time of the examination of
economic geography at school Virolai in Barcelona's Carmel district.
Students in 4th grade of Secondary (ESO) catch a pen and a paper,
open their laptops, look for information on the Internet and answer
the questions ... might even they see some data in their notes. The
exam grade will only depend on the information they find in these
sources. This is more than just play definitions. With the data that
they have and their prior knowledge must be enough to solve problems
and answer questions that test their ability to analyze and reflect.
This is what the teachers consider; to
adapt the tests to what is taught in classrooms every day, and
especially at how it is taught. "In one hand, they tend
increasingly to teach skills, teachers want the students to be able
to do something with the stuff they learn, think and analyze, but in
the opposite way we (teachers) mostly continue evaluating memory",
said Coral regi, Director of Virolai School and professor of Biology.
Regi raises another issue. The reality is this: people access to
various sources of information, books, manuals, journals, internet,
experts ... - to respond to the questions they face in their lives,
at work ... Do not rely all the data stored in their brain. But the
school does not allow it in testing. In this center, and in another
thirty Spain, have decided to turn around the situation.
Virolai center of Barcelona is part of
a program of DIM research group from Universat Autónoma de Barcelona
(UAB), coordinated by Pere Marquis, who proposes something similar.
Last academic year this group conducted a research in fifty schools
and colleges where they could realize the evaluation during the
exams. About 70% of teachers felt that the result for the students
was positive. Students who were good they continue good and those who
had difficulties improved with effort, but those who were dragging
deficits or who were unwilling to work could not perform well.
Therefore, this course has launched a second phase of research, which
will continue the 2012-2013, in which they propose a new approach to
the curriculum - called bimodal.
(Source: La Vanguardia – Spain)