My Favourite MindTap Function: Bongo for Talking Assessments. I’m a longtime consumer of MindTap for World Languages. As new options and functionalities are added to the platform, I’m at all times excited to strive them in my lessons.
One among my favourite instruments throughout the MindTap platform is the Bongo app. This app is designed for listening and talking actions. It may also be used for group tasks, writing tasks (with a file add), and video actions.
My Favourite MindTap Function
In my lessons, I take advantage of Bongo primarily for formative and summative talking assessments. I’ll share how I take advantage of this app in MindTap to get beneficial time again in my schedule, improve scholar engagement, and enhance scholar oral proficiency.
“I don’t have time in my schedule to do as many talking assessments as I would love.”
I hear this so typically from different college members, and I typically felt this fashion prior to now. For instance, conducting one-on-one oral interviews with college students took up two full class intervals.
Every interview lasted roughly 5-7 minutes per scholar and with 25-28 college students per class, that took two full days of sophistication. Since implementing Bongo for formative talking assessments and summative assessments. I can now use these days for different enriching content material corresponding to tradition or genuine readings.
Each teacher has felt the “pinch” at completely different instances through the semester after we really feel we should rush by content material to remain on observe with the syllabus. Bongo has given me again two days, and I couldn’t be happier!
Bongo for formative talking assessments
For a formative talking evaluation, the purpose in second-language acquisition is to extend college students’ time on duties. The extra instances we are able to get college students to follow talking, the higher.
It isn’t at all times straightforward (and in some instances corresponding to on-line studying), to get college students to follow talking in an genuine method. The problem we face is getting college students to submit genuine work that they created with out the assistance of any outdoors translation instruments.
With the Particular person Project function in Bongo, I usually give college students a immediate that I would like them to debate, describe, or narrate. With this kind of project, the coed can spend time making ready their submission by reviewing key phrases or phrases they need to use of their submission.
They will put together themselves and take their time in doing so. When they’re prepared, college students hit “report” and the video recording begins. Once they end their recording, college students can watch themselves and in the event that they aren’t glad with their recording.
They’ll delete and re-record as many instances as they want. Understanding they’ve limitless possibilities to create their finest recording, college students typically report and re-record many instances!
Bongo for summative talking assessments
As I beforehand talked about, one of many summative assessments I conduct in my lessons is the oral interview. I ask a query and college students reply the query. It’s one method to mimic “actual life” communication in a dialog format.
Utilizing the Query & Reply project kind on Bongo has been improbable. One of many best frustrations I’ve skilled lately is the pervasive use of instruments corresponding to Google Translate.
College students submit work that’s clearly not their very own, however it may be tough to impose any corrective motion as a result of it’s not usually one thing the place I can catch them “within the act.”
The Query & Reply project function is the answer. This permits me to ask a query of scholars (both in written query format or video format) and they don’t have time to cease, do a fast Google Translate, after which reply the query. I can set the time restrict earlier than the recording robotically begins.
College students see a video of me asking them a query, a countdown from 10 seconds begins, when the timer will get to zero, it robotically begins recording the coed. Since it is a summative evaluation, college students get one likelihood and may’t delete and re-record.
For finest follow, I inform my college students in the event that they notice they’ve made a mistake of their response and need to begin over to easily say “scratch that! I’m beginning over,” after which start once more with out stopping the recording.
Within the project creation course of you possibly can decide how lengthy you need the countdown to be. You may as well set the minimal and most recording time, and report the coed’s display screen.
Why is Bongo efficient on the planet language classroom?
Eighty-eight % of scholars report that their motive for taking a language class is to have the ability to talk within the goal language. Not as a result of it’s required, not as a result of their advisor advised them to.
However, as a result of they wished to have the ability to talk in one other language. The extra alternatives we give college students to talk within the goal language, the higher. In lessons of 25+ college students, that is typically a problem.
Bongo is an excellent device to provide college students alternatives to follow talking in a low-stakes surroundings utilizing the Particular person Project. The Query & Reply Assignments give instructors extra in-class time and assist remove educational dishonesty in oral talking assessments.
Ideas and finest practices
I can’t over-emphasize the significance of giving college students ample alternatives to follow talking within the goal language. The Particular person Project function in Bongo is ideal for college kids to have a low-stakes, low-stress alternative to report themselves.
The earlier you assign these actions, the higher. Getting them accustomed to talking within the goal language as shortly as potential results in elevated engagement in all talking actions.
For the Query & Reply Assignments, I’ve discovered that it’s necessary to assign one or two as follow or as a low-stakes project. That approach, college students can familiarize themselves with how the exercise works. I created this video that I put up in my MindTap studying path earlier than the Bongo project. It walks them by how Bongo works and helps them perceive what to anticipate.
The primary few semesters I used the Query & Reply exercise for a summative oral interview, I didn’t put together college students prematurely, and it didn’t go effectively. I noticed that it wasn’t essentially going poorly because of college students’ lack of potential.
However fairly, because of their lack of understanding of how the project would go (with the countdown to the automated recording, and many others.). As soon as I noticed this, I started assigning just a few Query & Reply assignments early on so they might get the grasp of it.
Including the video that reveals them precisely what to anticipate made the outcomes even higher. College students are at all times extraordinarily nervous about oral exams, so decreasing that affective filter is so necessary.
As a Cengage College Companion, I typically hear instructors inform me, “I don’t assume my college students can be able to do a talking exercise/evaluation as early within the semester as you might be describing.”
I at all times share that any alternative you may give college students to follow talking is time effectively spent. In over-filled lessons, it’s tough for every scholar to have the chance to talk and obtain suggestions. That is the place Bongo is the reply.
The extra instances a scholar makes an attempt the identical talking exercise, the more adept they change into. With elevated proficiency comes elevated confidence adopted by elevated participation.
Elevated participation results in communication and because the statistics present, that’s the purpose of most language learners. I can’t wait so that you can strive Bongo in your class. I might like to collaborate with you on matters or talking prompts!
Be a part of Jennifer for a walkthrough of the Bongo MindApp on this tutorial video
