Assessing student knowledge is not the ultimate goal of a subject, but a fundamental part of the learning process itself. It is the only way for both learners and teachers to understand how students are progressing, what their strengths and areas for improvement are, and what the practical application of what they are learning is, among other aspects.

Now that we have access to the internet and artificial intelligence, oral evaluation is an interesting alternative with multiple benefits.

What is the purpose of oral assessment?

Well-designed, spoken rather than written tests allow boys and girls, at any stage and in any subject, to develop skills in dialogue, reflection, critical thinking and personal transformation , which are fundamental to making sense of what they have learned .

We are talking about spoken tests, which are not limited to the traditional oral exam (the teacher asks and the student answers), but also include debate, individual and group presentations, speaking circles, and the creation of podcasts or videos.

The main advantages of these oral tests are the exchange of disciplinary viewpoints and understandings, the strengthening of listening skills, familiarization with collective work, and the possibility of constant feedback on what each person is proposing.

Advantages of oral assessment

Oral tests allow us to overcome the traditional logic of knowledge transmission , modifying the role of the teacher, who becomes listening or dialoguing, and that of the learner, who becomes explaining and arguing.

To achieve this, it is important to pose questions without a single or predetermined answer. These types of questions encourage students to pay attention to the arguments and engage in dialogue with them, rather than simply relying on the teacher’s preconceived notions.

Another essential requirement is that the students conduct prior research to broaden their understanding of the topics they are studying. This ensures that when expressing their viewpoints, they cite and explicitly reference the sources they have consulted. In this context, technology and AI are used as resources to expand research and inquiry, as simply replicating the results they provide is insufficient.

Of course, making one’s own conclusions known is essential in an oral evaluation process, because it is in this act of selecting the central elements of the arguments presented that what was learned is reaffirmed.

Motivation and ability

The challenge posed by an oral exam especially helps students to perceive themselves as more capable and motivated, as they recognize that consolidating their own arguments is a process that requires preparation, consultation of various sources, comparison of perspectives, and dialogue with others.

In this context, creating evaluation rubrics, in which teachers explicitly state in advance the criteria they will take into account, is a good resource to reduce anxiety before the oral exam and to establish a habit of preparation when speaking in an academic setting.

Possible in all educational settings

Oral assessment does not necessarily mean turning a written exam into a spoken test, nor does it consist exclusively of reporting on content covered during a specific period of time.

It is more about creating spaces for students to justify their work proposals, explain the processes and procedures that allowed them to reach the results obtained, share their concerns and identify their mistakes, while proposing possible solutions to correct them.

For example, when faced with a theoretical issue being addressed in a course, the instructor can propose a discussion circle to students, where each student collectively presents their own perspective to their classmates. Afterward, the students will organize themselves into subgroups to propose possible solutions, which they will then share and justify to the whole group.

In this circle of words, the teacher is attentive to what his students express, asks questions to request clarifications or further explanations, asks them to rework an idea when it is not clear, and determines the transformation of thought that occurred in the boys and girls, along with the suitability of their speeches to the already established evaluation rubric.

The education of the question

Through case studies, workshops, or classroom games, you can experience a way of learning that goes beyond simply repeating what was read in a text or answered by a chatbot .

Oral assessments, in this way, allow us to enhance the education of questioning , rather than the education of answering, and to understand educational spaces as places not only for instruction, but for study, debate and reflection.

Author Bio: Angela Patricia Vargas González is a Lecturer, Faculty of Education – Early Childhood Education at the University of La Sabana