PRESENTATIONS OF LEARNING: AN ACT OF ASSESSMENT, VISIBILITY AND RECOGNITION

Garcia, A. (2025). [Bruna rehearses her learning presentation in front of two teachers and several classmates, at Les Vinyes school-institute] [Photograph]. El País. https://elpais.com/educacion/2025-05-23/el-metodo-educativo-opuesto-al-atracon-de-la-selectividad-las-presentaciones-de-aprendizaje.html

This year I experienced two educational moments of assessment and recognition that I want to share. I was at Institut Escola Les Vinyes in Castellbisbal and at Institut Angeleta Ferrer in Barcelona. In both schools, I was invited to take part in the end-of-year POLs—Presentations of Learning—of secondary students.

These presentations are a deeply meaningful form of formative assessment that deserves to be told. Each student has an individual space of about 15 to 20 minutes to share everything they learned throughout the year. They do so by bringing concrete evidence of their learning, organized into different dimensions: academic learning, personal and social growth, and projects. They also share the challenges they faced, their goals for the future, and, at the end, they express gratitude to the people who have been key in their journey.

The presentation does not begin directly with the student’s exposition. Before that, another person—chosen by the student—introduces them in front of all invited guests, usually a classmate or friend. This person takes the floor to publicly acknowledge who that student is, what their strengths are, and what their relationship is like. A simple yet powerful gesture that creates the atmosphere of solemnity that characterizes these learning presentations.

Then the student begins their presentation, and in the audience are the people they chose to invite: classmates, friends, family, current or former teachers, primary school teachers, a neighbour, the football coach… significant people. Some presentations have many guests because the student wanted it that way; others include only close family or one friend, because the student preferred a more intimate moment. The tutor, another teacher, and an external panelist connected to the educational field also take part. And this is important: this is not a general event. It is an individual act, created for and by each student, attended by those who have been part of their path.

After the presentation, the feedback moment begins. First, the external panelist speaks; then the tutor and the other teacher. Finally, family members or guests are invited to share. It is a carefully held space, where the feedback is formative, kind, honest and profound.

I heard teachers become emotional as they spoke to their students, saying things like: “I’m very proud of you,” “I really enjoy being your teacher,” “I want to take this opportunity to publicly acknowledge what you did,” “This used to be hard for you, and now look at what you’ve achieved.” I also heard comments aimed at growth: “You need to believe you are capable,” they said to one student; “You have so much potential, but you hold yourself back because you’re afraid of making mistakes.”

And this is what I want to underline: this practice is not just a different way of assessing. It is a clear expression of recognition in its purest form, exactly as we understand it at the Instituto Relacional. One of our mottos is, in fact, “I learn when you recognize me.”

Because what is recognized here is not only performance, but the person’s journey and effort. There is recognition of their story, their strengths, their dignity. The student is the first to acknowledge what they learned, what was difficult, and what they want to improve. And then the community around them, gathered for their sake, also recognizes it.

This practice made me think of that phrase that says “it takes a tribe to raise a child.” This is a scene that makes that tribe visible. It also made me think about something we have been developing and supporting for a long time (particularly through EDUR): that relational development is not only what happens spontaneously between people, out of affinity or chance. Relational growth can also be designed, organized, and sustained through institutional decisions. It can be a structural part of an educational project.

These learning presentations are a very clear example of this. They are not only an emotional or symbolic moment: behind them lies an organizational commitment with the intention of fostering learning and recognition. There is a leadership team that decides to prioritize this, teachers who adapt schedules, structures intentionally designed so that each student has their space, their moment, their recognition. It is relationality transformed into a concrete, visible, formal educational practice.

What takes place here is not an assessment that frightens or punishes. It is an assessment that recognizes, that brings joy, that commits the student to keep learning.

I believe it is important to share this. Because it shows that it is possible to make school different. That it is possible to build an assessment that focuses in the process, invites reflection, and centers the recognition of the work accomplished, the singularity of each student, and their growth journey.

I also want to share an article from El País that describes this very practice at Les Vinyes: https://elpais.com/educacion/2025-05-23/el-metodo-educativo-opuesto-al-atracon-de-la-selectividad-las-presentaciones-de-aprendizaje.html