I love the topic “reassess how we assess.” ; similar to student-led conferences, I believe student-led assessments are critical in classrooms today. I have experience with having scholars review and assess their final product. As a fan of peer editing, I believe there’s a place for scholars to not only assess their peers but assess their own pieces. I agree with this weeks literature that scholars may be to critical and possibly underestimate their abilities and their end product. This will take time; but can eventually become where a scholar is goal oriented. They will become masters of their own assessment by the end of the school year. Scholars will learn how they can improve and self motivate enhancing the feeling of success and accomplishment. These intrinsic goals are critical for all learners. As a veteran teacher, I am a proponent of self assessment and choice.
I agree with you on the hack's language, reassessing and having the children become more comfortable with being "wrong". I also want to start using self-assessment as a tool to reinforce content with them, by getting them to self-assess, and think critically about why they got a question wrong, or why an answer is wrong.
I too love the topic "reassess how we assess". This will also give you the opportunity to ensure that scholars understand and take ownership of there learning. If the expectation of how this will look will ensure that you will have little to no disruptions.
I really never thought about using self-assessments and
peer assessments due to the students I teach being very young. I guess I've always been hesitant to use them because of the scholars not truly understanding how to do it, the fact that it might be too complex for them or being too tough on themselves or each other. But the more I read about it, the more I became convinced that it would be very productive and a positive thing for them to begin doing.
I am definitely going to research it more extensively so I do it the correct way. I don't want to stress out my students or cause them to worry. I truly want them to understand why they are doing it and that it's okay to make mistakes. We will implement it slowly so they can understand the importance of why we are doing it. I really think this will help my first graders develop into better writers and learners.
That’s awesome that you’re open to and looking into incorporating it! It can definitely be tricky for scholars to get at first, but just like with anything else they’ll get better with practice and consistency :)
I have not tried self-assessments before. I like to do "corrections" where after I grade their assessments. If they do corrections on the questions they missed they can earn half the credit of the problem back. I like to do this so they can actually learn about what they missed. Or if they made a "silly mistake" that they actually knew, they can not feel as bad about it. I do like this idea of self-assessment. I think it would be a great way to take it to the next level. For peer-assessment, I think it might be good to start after we have built up a classroom community. I think that could also be the same for self-assessment so they can see what my grading is like.
I like the practice of letting scholars correct their mistakes, especially if they are getting to correct immediately or soon after (waiting too long can decrease the effectiveness) and I think building self-assessment and peer assessment into your classroom (even in small pieces as you're beginning to build your community) will have a positive effect. Amanda Rouse PLA@103 Instructional Coach
I love that you allow your scholars to correct their mistakes. Many times, we don't know what has happened in their lives either that morning or the night before. By allowing them to do this builds trust! Jenelle Miller PLA
I really like the idea of letting them correct their own and receiving half credit. Do you let them for multiple choice too? Do they just have to show their work? How much time do you give them to make the corrections after you return it to them? 1 class period? Take home? Gale Reed PLA@93
I like using that same method as well for quizzes! Often, it can bring their grade up at least half a letter or so. Do you think your students would self grade appropriately? I feel they do once they have a vested stake in their assignment, (such as a choice they made for it.)
I like the idea of self-assessment for the kids, especially when it comes to the minor every-day activity that's done in class to learn vocabulary and to familiarize students with new concepts. When they get to make an attempt, and then check their own work, they can discover their own misconceptions, and then eliminate them. With guided self-assessment from me, with rubrics or answer keys, they can have more immediate feedback about their work, and can eliminate misconceptions in real time. I think in the science classroom, after the scientific method is taught, buy-in is easy to get if you tie anything the students do, to "experimentation" or "data gathering", just about themselves. A con of self-assessment is the subjective nature of it, which can lead to being too easy or too harsh oneself. So I think self-assessment is not as appropriate when final assessment of concept understanding is needed more objectively. Peer assessment is harder, because subjectivity can be an issue, especially if a student is grading a friend or an enemy's work. Peer assessment can work, but it has to be monitored.
I agree with Alicia in that scholars can make corrections if they self assess on minor, routine items from day to day. This is a good way for them to form habits. I also like the idea of the jars with popsicle sticks where the scholars tell the teacher whether they understand information or need more in-depth assistance. This would be very easy to do.
Self-assessment works wonder with behaviors in my classroom and I can imagine it would work wonders would used effectively on assignments. I can also see this working with the whole class. "How did the behavior of this person make you feel?" How did that affect the learning environment?" If we can ask these questions to our scholars, I think we can translate those types of questions into peer assessments without talking down to their peers.
Libby Taylor PLA@Jones Clark Allowing scholars to assess themselves gives ownership for learning. I have downloaded great assessments from TPT for my scholars. Many are free but you must keep track daily and this can be tedious for the teacher. I kept a data board where the scholars wrote their progress for sight words. It became competetive, especially if some of the younger scholars knew more than older scholars.
Hey Libby! I am excited to look at some peer and self assessments on TPT. I have found a lot of rubrics and I can't wait to find different assessments.
Hey Libby! I am excited to look at some peer and self assessments on TPT. I have found a lot of rubrics and I can't wait to find different assessments.
Libby, I like your idea of having a data tracker. My scholars and I did something similar. Also, before each of our mandated assessments we would have data talks around where they were at and how much they think they have grown. This was a great way to not only see where they were at a month ago but to say where do you think you are going and how can you get there. I believe scholars love seeing their growth just as much as we do. Jenina Sorenson PLA@103
I agree I think it gives the students ownership and love the data tracking idea! I can’t wait to go on TPT for some peer and self assessment ideas! Brittany Connett PLA@93
Teachers pay teachers is an amazing website with so many resources. I also find resources at some of the teacher stores in the area. One is very close to me on 10th St. and it offers a lot of free items to enhance your classroom. They’re not all student assessment directed, but they can be helpful in other ways.
I like the practice of peer and self assessments. Of course, this is something that needs to be modeled and practiced as our scholars often don't have experience with it. I think starting with small things and teaching scholars how to give and accept constructive feedback is a great way to build independence and community within the classroom. The cons of this practice would be that it can often be subjective and some scholars are too hard/not hard enough on themselves and others, but if modeled and practiced often, I think this con would definitely be outweighed by all the benefits. Amanda Rouse PLA@103 Instructional Coach
Action 1: I love peer and self assessments. Personally, I think that there are times where me as the teacher grading it will benefit them more. Especially with writing, I think that peer and self assessments are amazing for writing because students are able to see what their classmates think with a peer evaluation. With the projects that I make that I have a rubric, I always have them grade themselves before I grade them. As the teacher, it always interesting to see how your students grade themselves compared to how the teacher grades. Action 2: I think that there are some assessments that it wont benefit the student if a peer grades their assessment. An example that I can think of is a unit test. I am not a big fan of the trade and grade because I always felt awkward as a student watching one of my classmates grade my test.
Paige, I agree with you! I think peer assessments are wonderful for writing as well. I taught first grade this past year and have a hard time imaging this at this grade level when students are just beginning to learn to write. Perhaps this could be done later on in the school year as students become better readers and writers. I also think utilizing peer assessments in writing makes students better writers while they are critiquing others' work.
I also agree with your thoughts on the "trade and grade" method. I certainly wouldn't want my struggling learners to feel embarrassed and/or ashamed giving their work to another student to grade. Cathy Branch, Middlebury Academy
Paige, I agree about peer grading. I think that this should be done only after a classroom community has been built with certain expectations. I want my scholars to know that we support and help each other.
I agree with you in that the peer and self-assessments need to be modeled and practiced before they can be come effective. In my experience I think students would appreciate the community building aspect as well as the independence they gain. Dessalee Cook/Greater Height Academy
Action #1: Self-Assessment pros and cons. I have tried having students use rubics to self-assessment and found that students didn’t necessarily understand the scoring process, which is a downside, but I think with practice it can work. The whole key to any of these types of assessment is practice and understanding of what the intended target learning and teaching students how to ask themself “Did I meet the learning target?” “Does my product reflect what I was trying to convey about what I learned?” is something that will have to be modeled. On the other hand, a con to this type of assessment is that students might be too hard on themselves when it comes to grading. And what about the parent who says isn’t that the teachers job to grade? Or what about the student who inflates their grade for the sake of receiving a good grade. Both sides have to be weighed and perhaps traditional and self-assessments grading is the remedy.
Action #2: My opinion of allowing peers to self assess is why not allow them to do it. As a second grade teacher, it would be a great way to build community and commitment to learning. Start by using “exit tickets” to assess understanding of concepts and they gradually adding on is the way I would like to do it this year and see how it goes. Dessalee Cook/Greater Heights Acadmey
I think you are correct and that peer assessing could be a great way to build community in your classroom. I think your way of introducing peer assessment is a way to gradually release the responsibility and make sure they are prepared to complete the assessments.
Pros of self-assessment: If students are given clear & detailed rubrics it will be easy for the students to self assess & teachers to check the students’s self assessments. Parents, students, co-teachers, & administrators love when clarity is used on self assessments. It gives students responsibility & develops metacognition reflection & awareness.
Cons of self-assessment: If students are given vague rubrics it will be frustrating & confusing for the students to self assess & teachers to check the students’s self assessments. Parents, students, co-teachers, & administrators do not like vague self assessments.
Action two:
My opinion is, if students are given clear & detailed rubrics it will be easy for the students to peer assess & teachers to check the students’s peer assessments. Parents, students, co-teachers, & administrators love when clarity is used on peer assessments. It gives students responsibility & develops metacognition reflection & awareness. Also, it will develop trust between students and between the teacher & students. If students are given vague rubrics it will be frustrating & confusing for the students to peer assess & teachers to check the students’s peer assessments. Parents, students, co-teachers, & administrators do not like vague peer assessments.
Peer assessment & self assessment will prepare students for workforce & social relationships.
I think it is important for students to have clear expectations and rubrics like you mentioned. This will make it easier for students to accurately assess themselves. I can see how it could also be confusing for students to self-assess if this is something they haven't done before.
Janine, do you normally make the rubrics yourself or use one from the Internet? I feel like I sometimes struggle starting from scratch but having a starting point can really help me break down what I need my students to understand.
I think there are several pros for letting scholars do self-assessment. First, I love the second grade example that was given in the book. Some of these hacks are hard for me to imagine establishing in a first grade classroom. The second grade example given of a teacher who had her students place their work in baskets labeled "not yet," "almost," and "got it" would be simple to set up in a first grade classroom as well. Having students do this would force them to actually think about their learning process. I also like how the teacher stated the students talk about and know what their strengths and weaknesses are. What a wonderful realization to have at such a young age!
Another pro of self-assessment involves self-grading. I think the method of having students get out their red pens and grade their work as the class goes over it together offers a much more in-depth learning process as opposed to the teacher grading the tests and just moving on to the next chapter.
I think a con of self-assessment especially in the younger grades is the time it would take to introduce the concept and getting them used to doing it. I also think self-grading may be challenging as well because I feel like some students may use this opportunity to change their answers. Cathy Branch, Middlebury Academy
C. Louketis The pros in self-assessment, is to let students check their own work, so they can see how well they understood the information that was given. I also like the idea of the students getting out their red pens and grading their work as the class goes over the information. This helps them to see what they need to work on the most. It also opens up discussion in the classroom, where students become comfortable in asking questions. I agree that a con of self-assessment in the younger grades would take a lot of time to explain how it works. It would be hard to explain to younger students that it is okay to be wrong. I like the way the book,says "I'm fine with students self-assessing, but I don't feel comfortable letting students assess each other".
I agree with Cathy. It has been difficult to imagine some of these hacks for the younger students because many of them are not fluent readers yet. Rubrics need to have symbols and clearly explained directions. We use self check lists for writing assignments for first-third grade. They are great tools to get the students to self assess. I like the idea of the labeled baskets too. Stefanie Sheridan A+ Fair Ave.
I think a pro would be the transfer of responsibility to the students. They get the opportunity to really examine their work and think about whether or not they met all the standards on the rubric. I can see students taking pride in their self-assessment and working hard to show their teacher that they are capable of grading correctly without making increasing their score beyond what they deserve. I think another pro is that we can use self-assessments to help show students that it is okay to make mistakes and that they provide opportunities for growth.
I think a con of self-assessment is the time it would take to prepare your class to do it accurately. We are already so behind after last year and I feel like there is a great deal of learning to make up, but also building relationships and getting students back into a routine. Teaching students the expectations of self-assessing might be too much for them when they finally get back to school. Another con is that students might be harder on themselves than the teacher would. This could make them feel negative and like they did not do quality work.
My opinion on allowing scholars do peer assessments depends on how things with COVID go. I would love to let students do peer assessments, but only if it can be done in a safe way. I do not really want students to be touching each other’s work. This is a way to spread a great deal of germs. Perhaps if I could hang up student work and then give students a clipboard so that they could walk around and look at each other’s work, they could still complete the + and – chart the chapter discussed.
I agree with Courtney that during this COVID situation we definitely have to be creative in how we go about peer assessments. But hanging up the work and allowing students to use clipboards may be a great idea. I also think that it may take some time for the students to get the hang of peer assessments but it can be done. I agree that with last year we may need to spend more time on getting caught up and then add peer assessment.
Courtney, I had the same thought run through my mind as I was reading through this hack and talking about scholars do peer assessments. I kept asking myself how will this look with all the new mandates in place with the whole COVID thing. I think you are on to something with using clipboards and having the work hanging up. Great thinking :) Jenina Sorenson PLA@103
I think that a pro for this hack would be that the student would get a chance to actually read and take in what they did instead of just doing it and getting it done. They would come out with a better understanding of the lesson. I think a con to this hack is that students would look at their work and just give themselves a high grade.
My opinion on allowing students to do peer assessments is that it can work with guidelines in place. I have allowed this to sort of take place on some projects. I have allowed students to read through another student's project and give tips on how to make it great and unique project. They seemed to take the advice of their peers pretty good and this allowed another set of eyes to view before it came to me. I could probably change this a little and make the assessment by the peer be the final assessment. Sohn'a Duff PLA@103
I totally agree with your con on the self assessment. if they don't have a buy in or want, they will just give themselves a higher grade. I have given them a guideline of " If you give yourself a high grade and I find out it was not true, you will repeat the assignment and I will remove points for not being honest.
The pro of self assessment is they get to see where they need to work more on or what they need to correct. A con of self assessment is if they don't take it seriously and if they don't know the material they miss what they know and don't know. Self assessment - when done correctly can foster confidence and give the student ownership of their content. I have done peer assessment and again, if they have a since of importance and empathy, they will do well and really help each other. The scholar needs to WANT to do better and help others do better too. Also having a since of Growth Mindset in the classroom before peer assessments helps also.
You have presented your pro and con in a thoughtful manner. I like your use of the term "empathy!" It takes much of that to lead scholars in self-grading, self-grading that's discussion-based, and peer review self-assessment. Thank you for sharing!
Sarah, I did not even think about the whole Growth Mindset piece, but what a great connection. Establishing that kind of community would make self and peer assessments more meaningful. Great connection :) Jenina Sorenson PLA@103
I personally have never done self assessments within my classroom before. I really like the idea of self assessments so scholars are able to see what they did wrong and correct it for next time, but do see cons to it as well. I feel that self assessment can be beneficial through teaching the scholars responsibility as well as constructive criticism. Some of the cons could be that scholars become really hard on themselves when they find a mistake or think their work is never good enough. A lot of scholars take pride in their work and I do not want to discourage them in any way!
I personally think doing self assessments depends upon the class and how it is introduced and taught within the classroom. I feel there definitely has to be an introduction period where you introduce the idea as well as model how to self assess correctly and safely. I personally would love to try it this upcoming school year! Kelsey Barrix PLA 103
I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. In my summation, letting student self-assessment is an awesome opportunity for students to stretch their thinking. On the other hand, as you stated in paragraph #2, scholars need an introduction period. Thank you for sharing. Welcome to PLA@103!
Action 1: A pro with letting scholars do self assessments is that they receive immediate feedback. When scholars have the opportunity to do a self assessments they immediately know how they have done on their assessment. Unlike when they take a traditional assessment and receive the grade a few days or a a week later. A con I can see in self assessments is that not all educators assess this way. Especially when it comes to state mandated assessments. If this is the only way that a scholar has been assessed they may struggle when it comes time to take state mandated assessments.
Action 2: I personally think doing self assessments is a great tool, but not the only tool. I have used a variety of self assessments in my classroom before. I can quickly see which scholars understand the concept and which ones need additional instruction. Also, I have used student led conferences in the past. These conferences seemed to be more impactful as the scholars were able to share their learning and thinking with their parents. Jenina Sorenson PLA@103
I can see your thought on standard tests and how the students can get confused if they are not familiar with that testing type. I wonder how they can be molded together?
The benefits of Self Assessment and Self-Grading has been an interest of mine for a long time.
The following statement, caught my attention: "I need to use the time in class for teaching, not grading." I have felt this way, because the daily classroom life of educating scholars can be filled with a plethora of TASKS mandated by many.
Action #1: PRO-I now understand the importance of students being able to reflect on their work. I believe that it leads to a better understanding of what is being required of them at a deeper level. Especially, when a rubric is used.
Action 2: CON-I have come to realize that this is very time-consuming; and requires an educator to relinquish the guilt of not getting to the next task at hand. The word that comes to mind is BALANCE. How do I keep moving; and stay balanced as I take the TIME to acclimate my scholars to the procedures of---"How to Self-Assess?" Yet, pondering.
Mackcine, I appreciate your honesty because it does sound really hard and time consuming. In fact, all of the hacks do. However, I feel like once we put in some time and hard work in the beginning, I feel like we will see the benefits and how it will pay off with our students. I also think that this is going to be a tough year no matter what. There are so many unknowns and insecurities. My thought going into this year is to try new things, experiment with these hacks and find what works well and what I don't enjoy as much. We can do this!
I also appreciate that you stated how self assessments seem so time consuming when we have so much to fit in already. The amount of time being spent of self assessments was definitely the first thing that came to my mind. I love that Colleen mentioned once you have spent the time and hard work developing the expectations it will pay off. I completely agree with her thoughts on that as well.
Action 1-I think that if I'd give scholars a self assessment at the beginning of a topic and find out where they are and where they want to be it would help everyone in getting there. I think I SHOULD teach my scholars how to do self and peer assessments. I should ask them more how and why questions to help them to think about what they are really learning and how it will benefit their education. I would make them give a real answer to "why did we learn this?" Not just "because you made us." I spend time each day asking them why and a lot of "W" questions to make them really think. Sometimes when I make them question and answer they think I'm correcting them. I have to tell them, "I'm not saying your wrong, I just want you to explain it to me and help me understand your thinking" Scholars are beginning to know me and are mostly comfortable with the way I question them and have them question themselves and each other I love seeing them growing in their own abilities for learning.
Action 2-I think it can be very good if scholars are taught how to use it for their betterment and not just to give themselves an "A". If it's used as a tool for growth it can be very beneficial.
Action 1- Self assessments are great tools to use in the classroom. Students are able to see what they need to improve on and they can quickly apply necessary corrections if the assessment is ongoing. Peer assessments can also be helpful as are quick checks for understanding with a buddy. Action 2- I like the idea of allowing students to do peer assessments. They can be a great way for students to learn from one another. I have used Glows and Grows T Charts with students. The peer writes things done well on the Glows side of the chart and what the student can Grow on or improve upon in the other side of the chart. Stefanie Sheridan A+ Arts Fair Ave.
Hello Stefanie, I agree with you completely, I love that you mentioned the idea of making corrections more quickly. I believe that peer assessments will help with a lot of having to reach! Great post
One advantage to allowing scholars to partake in self assessment is that it allows scholars to see and reflect on their peers' contribution. It also allows scholars to develop their judgment skills and Honor Code. The biggest con of self-assessment is that it is difficult to be objective and sometimes scholars can find the task overwhelming.
I love the idea of peer assessment, I am all for learning thru collaborative. This allows scholars to exchange ideas. Although some scholars may be too critical of their peers' work, I always encourage positive feedback. So that they scholars can feel comfortable learning and growing from each other.
I think self assessment can be a useful tool for the classroom. For my first graders, I would keep it simple but reflective. It would be something that would need modeled. The cons would be that some students would be too hard on themselves or a little too generous. I do agree eight this hack that sometimes grades cause distress because it doesn’t allow the student to focus on the growth. Sometimes all they tend to see is that it wasn’t a 100%. I think peer assessments can be used in the classroom, but it is harder with younger students. I have done a gallery walk where the students look at everyone’s work (a story or art work) and we do two stars and a wish. The students say two things like they liked and one thing they would do to improve the work. I haven’t tried anything formal but I am going to look at some ideas to see if they would work for first grade. Brittany Connett PLA@93
Brittany I love the idea of gallery walk and the two stars and a wish. I might have to use that in my classroom. Then by the time they get to you they will know the procedure.:)
The cons of allowing students to do self-assessments are the possibility of cheating and the stress students put on themselves to get high grades. Those two cons actually go hand in hand as students put the stress on themselves to do well and when given the opportunity will do anything to assure that happens. The pros of self-assessment far outweigh the cons, like the other hacks, because when students are properly taught how to do self-assessments, they will take ownership of the grade they are receiving. Students will also have the chance to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses instead of comparing themselves against other students.
I believe that my third graders could be taught how to properly do self-assessments, self-grading and peer assessments. It would begin as a very guided activity until they gained mastery and a positive learning environment was established. When using peer assessments, I need to stress to my students the trust I am putting in them and explain that they are solely commenting on another student's work, not grading or editing it.
Hey Colleen...I agree with the scholars being able to self reflect on the strengths and weaknesses. It’s a quicker reflection individual grades and the scholars can focus on their successes and struggles. Mindi Spychalski-Pla@103
I like self assessment but I feel it’s more difficult with the younger ones. I’ve done self assessment with writing and projects that have a rubric so they know exactly what is expected. The pro to self assessment is that the scholars see quicker success or what needs work. It doesn’t come back a week later when we’ve moved in to another skill. The cons is the cheating part of self assessment. They all want to do well so the little ones try to change answers or add to answers so they achieve higher. As for peer assessment, I see it as a way the scholars can help each other through encouragement or suggestions. It’s also helps the scholars to learn to work together in the younger grades. Mindi Spychalski-Pla@103
I do like the idea of self assessments. I do think that kids should be involved. This keeps them knowing what and why they are learning the topic. The downfall is the possibility of cheating. Hack 2 covers trusting students.
Pros: - Scholars can see their work through their eyes - Scholars are challenged to meet rubric criteria - Scholars can reflect on their work before turning in a "final" draft. Works great with writing.
Cons: - Scholars may feel like failures if they self-assess and they have a lot of discussion with the teachers - Scholars may not care enough to make it better at no fault of the teacher - Scholars may not want to take the time to do the self-assessment, therefore, may not be honest with their answers/feelings.
Action #2:
- Peer assessments are a huge challenge for me. Personally, when I was in Middle School, I was shamed by my peers. I would read other assignments and feel like an idiot because mine wasn't as good as someone else's. I also recall being made fun of my peers for common spelling and grammar mistakes. Now, this isn't such a big deal in the lower grades, but as scholars get older, they get wiser. I hesitated to trade-and-grade in my classroom at the cost of embarrassing my scholars. However, I do want to try peer assessments with writing this year. I think it will really be helpful if the precedent is set for how that assessing should look in a non-judgmental manner.
Zach, Teens can definitely be ruthless! For trade-&-grades, I'd select the work based on the students' personalities or friendships. For example, a shy student's work would be given to a more mature student so that feelings aren't hurt. It takes a bit of planning, but I successfully had students peer review essays. Tricia- Middlebury Academy Akron, OH
I love how you listed pros and cons! There is always the chance that scholars may not put in the time or effort, but I think fostering a classroom culture or reflection and mistakes really helps with this.
Totally understand your thoughts on peer grading/assessments. I did this, but did it more as a reflection than a grading process and spent a lot of time modeling how to give feedback, both positive and negative and created anchor charts for scholars to refer too. Within writing, I woudl focus on writing ideas and strategies over spelling/grammar as you mentioned. I'm happy to help this year, if you'd like!
I do like the idea of self assessments. I do think that kids should be involved. This keeps them knowing what and why they are learning the topic. The downfall is the possibility of cheating. Hack 2 covers trusting students.
I have mixed feelings regarding self-assessments. As long as there's a rubric outlining expectations, students should be good-to-go. Self-reflection is a life skill that students can be taught at an early age, which would benefit them long-term. Peer editing is a fun way for students to collaborate; it allows them to be a little more comfortable with a friend reading and giving feedback. Tricia- Middlebury Academy Akron, OH
Hi Tricia! I really love how you pointed out the necessity of a rubric when it comes to self-assessment. There should definitely be a rubric when it comes to students looking over their own work. We should be going over the rubric with them, clarifying and rewording things as we go. Then, that enables them to look for the crucial pieces within their work!
Action 1: I love self-assessments and I think this chapter does a great job breaking down the different types and benefits. Scholars often say teachers are “giving” them a grade in contrast to them “earning” the grade, using rubrics and self-assessments allows not only more buy-in from scholars, but an opportunity to see how their individual effort allows them to earn a grade. When I was in the classroom I used self-reflections, like a self-assessment. Additionally. I we used rubrics and would do study guides that we would self-grade like suggested in the book for tests. I found it deepened my scholar’s understanding of the content, the assignment, and their effort.
Action 2: I go back and forth on scholars doing peer assessments. I did do peer reflections, where peers gave feedback, not a grade. My biggest tip for teachers wanting to try this would be to MODEL, MODEL, MODEL what does it look like to give both positive feedback and constructive criticism. This allows for deeper refection and discussion. Early in the year scholars would say I like your introduction or it’s good, but after modeling they would explain why and the specifics. For example, I liked your introduction. I noticed you used questioning to hook your audience. That really got me thinking about the topic. On the other hand, when giving constructive criticism scholars started with basic statement of I didn’t understand this paragraph. And the by the end of the year could articulate what about the paragraph was confusing or off topic, while providing tips to peers.
Sarah Rahrig GVPLA Culture and Trauma Informed Specialist
As a student I felt the same way. I was uncomfortable with peer assessments in case I was wrong., If the scholars had boundaries and guidelines for this process from the beginning of the year it may be more effective.
Your post encouraged me to keep trying with different types of assessments. I have tried different assessments but I think the key is to use them consistently and to model them. Model them often. I like the idea of having scholars complete a study guide and then self-assess. I have done this where scholars answer the questions and then when we go over the questions as a class, scholars use a blue pen to add details to "complete" their answer.
I notice that my 3rd grade scholars tend to be rather critical. Constructive criticism and positive feedback are critical in the peer assessment being a success and encouraging scholars to have self-confidence. An anchor chart of different ways to provide feedback would be beneficial for scholars who struggle. Michelle Lisco, Middlebury Academy
Action 1: As a student myself, I did not like to have peer review/assessment. I was always scared that I would have the wrong answer and I didn't want my classmates to know. So, I have not used it in my classroom. I do use self assessment. I will use self assessment. We usually do an assignment with the "I do, we do, you do" method. I will then let the kids check their own answers to mine. I do think a positive of any form or self assessment is that scholars will be able to see their mistakes and then they usually self reflect with what they did. Action 2: I think that having self assessment is okay but I really don't like peer assessment. One thing, it is hard in the lower grades. I then worry about kids not being fair or nice to each other in the upper grades. But, I guess if you set up a procedure and rules about grading each others papers it might work.
I agree with you Karen, I didn't like peer reviews and assessments as a kid. I don't know very many kids I went to school with who did. I also use the "I do, we do, you do" method, especially in math. I also agree that with the proper procedures it could work. With the little ones (I teach K) sometimes we have to take some of these ideas and adapt them to the younger students.
The pros of self assesssment is immediate feedback for the student. The cons would be inflated grades by the student. I like this assessment practice because it creates dialogue between teacher and student. The student will need to explain their grade based off the rubric. I think more honestly will come out once this practice is established. I like peer assessment but it is a process that must be created. If you can start with just one volunteer to share their work, the class can assess the strengths and areas of improvement. Then you can develop more assessment groups and build the confidence of the ones who are shy to share. I don't have to use both practices every time but I like the choice of both assessment practices.
Allowing scholars to do self-assessment allows students more ownership and responsibility over their learning. This can help students to identify their areas of strength and areas in which they need to see improvement to fill any learning gaps. Through the self- assessment process this also encourages students to work towards higher levels of understanding, not just working towards a grade. I think that allowing students to do self-assessment in the classroom is extremely beneficial, however requires structures and guidelines put into place so that the students understand the expectations.
I agree that self assessment encourages students to work towards higher levels of understand. The key is providing the structure and guidelines so that scholars fully know why and how to do the type of self assessment. Its a slow process before scholars master the skill set and appreciate it. However, in the end students better know what is expected and how to become a successful learner with absolute targets to reach out and accomplish as best as they are able. They also share in the learning with others and their peer praise and suggestions motivate them to continue to make gains in their own learning accomplishments.
Action 1: Pro and Cons of Self-Assessments. Pro- instant feedback. Which is great. Con- My kindergarten students will still come to me asking "Is this right?!" However. I can see it being very helpful for a more informal assessment. I also think self assessment can be very helpful in a teacher/student conference for example.
Action 2: Peer Assessments. Pro- Students can collaborate with each other, learn from each other's mistakes, ask each other questions and make corrections as needed.
Con- As a kid, I hated these because I didn't want my peers to know I got an answer wrong. Again, I can see this being helpful in an more informal situation. For example, we would work on some math problems as a group, the student would try it on their own then check their answers with a neighbor.
Teaching primary I have a problem with peer correction. I don't see how I will be able to implement it into my classroom. I do like to allow my scholars to self correct their work and allow them to correct their mistakes. I have worked with my scholars to correct their work and it amazes me how much they learn about the subject as well as learn about taking responsibility for their own learning. Jenelle Miller PLA103
Action 1- Pro: Immediate feedback is a great tool in student learning. Peer Assessment is another way for both scholars to learn. Con: I teach Kindergarten and I struggle with self assessment at this age. The majority of our learning is hands on and therefore results in that immediate feedback.
Action 2: I advocate self assessment in upper grades. I believe that students need that immediate conversation in order to correct /applaud their thinking .
Action 1-Pros and cons of self assessment: Pros--scholars learn to set goals for their assignments related to a clear and concise rubric and other details. It is very clear what their goal for success is and also they learn with peer assessment as well. It prepares them for future grade levels and the workplace where goals are set and directive are provided to be successful. Students learn to respect each others diverse ways of expressing their learning. Cons--Some scholars are fearful of failure above all else. It takes time to establish trust in self assessment and peer assessment, however they soon learn that making mistakes or falling short of a learning goal simply is a process to getting better and understanding that we all learn from our mistakes. I have a wooden quote block in both my home and school environment that reads: WINNERS: Build on mistakes, losers dwell on them. Action 2 -- My opinion related to allowing peer assessment is very positive. In my gifted and talented class this past year I found that peer assessments were not well received in the beginning, but soon began to have motivational outcomes. Scholars were given goals, outcomes and rubrics for assessment. The measurement of learning and applying what they learned in writing set examples for success for students who were not yet as skilled. Each scholar, knowing others would assess their work in alignment with the rubrics had a better focus on how to achieve their desired outcome. They enjoyed others seeing their work...and the praise or suggestions. Jean Faillace, TLJ Academy, Ft. Wayne, IN
I'm so glad to hear that your scholars were pleased to do the peer assessments. In my experience many scholars have been afraid of others seeing their answers and absolutely ashamed if they have the incorrect answer. That connects to one of the cons you mentioned regarding fear of failure. We as teachers have a instill in our scholars that it is okay to make mistakes.
Activity 1: PROS *students more engaged *less discipline issues *allows students to discuss process in getting 'wrong' answer on math test *allows student to see work of students that have a completed assignment well
CONS *takes time to teach process *some students will take advantage which goes back to time to teach the process *not as easily used in math where answer is right or wrong
Activity 2:
I think self assessment can be used effectively in the classroom. It has many benefits. The biggest benefit is it can be engaging for the student. I have done peer assessment on short answer written questions where the students only see answers and not student names. Students in small groups then discuss and assess each other's work. It allows them to discuss and possible convince others on their opinion of why or why not an answer should receive partial credit. It can be taken further to a full classroom discussion as well.
I love when scholars can sit and discuss answers to questions while being respectful of each other answers and willing to grow and learn from each other.
I agree that some of these methods may not be as easy to use with math because answers are right or wrong but you could turn those discussions in another direction. Instead of discussing if an answer is right or wrong, look more at the process students took to arrive at their answers. I think these could be rich math discussions if implemented correctly.
Pros: Allowing scholars to do self assessments gives immediate feedback to the scholar on where they are regarding their knowledge of a topic. Self assessments also help with classroom management because scholars are more motivated to work harder to learn and take ownership of their learning instead of just working for a grade. It also allows scholars to see their strengths and weaknesses which leads to the first con on my list. Cons- Scholars struggle with making mistakes and being wrong. It takes a lot of time to model and convince scholars its okay to make mistakes. Self assessments are also time consuming in their selves. Self assessments also take a lot of trust on both the student and the teacher.
Action 2: I believe that self and peer assessment are a great tool to use in the classroom. If a teacher is willing to put in effort and create the right culture in the classroom to make the assessments possible scholars will grow and learn tremendously in my opinion. Self reflection is something that every single person must know how to do and be willing to do in order to grow in education and life itself.
Self-assessment is a tool that can be beneficial for scholars to gauge their own understanding of the content being taught. When my own children were in elementary school, their teachers often used self-assessments before a topic and after. I remember seeing them in their folders. In the younger K-3 grades, I think it can be challenging for them to self-assess. With a rubric as a guide, I think self-assessment would be a valuable tool for many scholars. Self-assessments can really shed light into how scholars feel about themselves and their abilities. Peer assessment has continually been a struggle for my third graders. I typically try to train scholars to mark their peers papers like I grade their papers. I have offered scholars red or blue pens for grading with hopes that this would motivate scholars to follow my grading directives. I am not a fan of doodles and lots of marks on scholar papers. I have found that scholars will tease others for getting answers wrong or say mean things. I think it would be better if scholars could not see who's paper they were grading so that they would grade fairly and objectively. If a scholar has an issue with a peer and gets their paper, I have seen scholars try to change answers and make poor choices. I find that so much energy goes into trying to get through grading with flow that it is easier to grade the work myself. I am sure I will try it again. . . every group of scholars is different. Michelle Lisco, Middlebury Academy
Action 1 Pros: Scholars will have feedback quicker, will help with classroom management, scholars will be more engaged
Cons: Scholars might feel bad for getting answers wrong, takes time to teach the process
Action 2: I believe that peer assessment can be a positive experience. It will be up to the teacher to ensure that the scholars have a clear understanding of the expectations.
At first I had a hard time with this hack. I teach kindergarten and though how can I really use this. I read this hack several times and then I realized that we have a writing rubric posted on the board so that every time we do any writing they can check to ensure that they will be able to get the best possible grade. So I have using this hack in that way.
I would think it would be challenging to do this with kindergarten also, but I like how you are using it by posting the writing rubric for them to see and use.
I do self grading daily with my morning work. I give the students time to do the work and then we grade it together. I do not take a grade on the morning work though. This is a way for us to review concepts and if scholars still don't understand, it's a way to continue to learn the concept.
I like the idea of having two students critique their classmate's work. I see how this could really be useful for improving writing. The pros would be students can learn from their peers, peers can learn by seeing others work, and classmates can learn to be critical. The cons would be some students have difficulty reading the work, some students might need to learn to write more than "good".
I like the idea of scholars having to grade their morning work together, that is a great way in getting the entire class engaged at the start of the day.
Also, I could see where a scholar would struggle in deciphering their peers handwriting. Perhaps that would be a good point for another scholar to make to their peers and something a student may need to work on. While the handwriting may not be the main point of that particular lesson, maybe having a scholar focusing on their writing in the future could be beneficial. I do understand the point you are making, but looking back on my own experience in school, I do wish that there had been more input on my own handwriting in grade school. - Maybe I would not have developed some bad habits by middle school, which could have been resolved from having done peer grading in earlier grades.
I think the idea of having self-assessment and self-grading is a good addition to traditional grading, especially where it enables scholars to understand how grading occurs. I think the greatest strength for self-grading is that a scholar can have an idea of their own strengths/weaknesses on a particular lesson. I would think the con would be that a scholar could be rather harsh on their own work or still maintain the belief that errors are "bad", so it would be important to have discussions about why errors are not "bad".
I have done self-grading on short assignments and quizzes, which are useful tools for enabling scholars to understanding why answers are right and wrong. Having the ability to cover the work allows scholars to fully understand why and how grading occurs, adding to the point, that transparency adds to the scholars ownership in their learning.
Action 1: Self-grading/self-assessment should be routinely used. If a scholar is not confident in a topic, their assessment will reflect that. In terms of self-grading, I like to do it on low stakes assessments/activities. I think that as a classroom, we need to embrace errors we make and then explain how and why we made them. If you spend the time discussing a rubric, allowing for questions, you'll see a greater understanding of expectations and improvement in grades.
Action 2: As far as peer grading, I prefer it be when a grade is not the end result. I do like to do peer editing and feedback throughout the learning process, but not on summative assessments. It is important that students are able to understand areas for opportunity, voicing feedback, and having discussions with peers.
Mitch, I liked how you stated that self-assessment should be used for low stakes assessments/activities. It really gives a student an opportunity to reflect, correct mistakes and figure out how to improve before a summative test. DeEtta Crane GHA
Mitch, I liked how you stated that self-assessment should be used for low stakes assessments/activities. It really gives a student an opportunity to reflect, correct mistakes and figure out how to improve before a summative test. DeEtta Crane GHA
I think there are a lot of pros to self and peer assessments. Scholars take ownership of their learning, which creates a sense of responsibility and pride in their work. I think it's important for scholars to learn that incorrect answers are not a bad thing. It helps us understand better and learn from our mistakes. I think a con of self and peer assessment/grading is that it can sometimes make students feel bad and compare themselves to their peers in a negative way. I believe self and peer assessments/grading is important for teaching self growth. When scholars see their progress and have ownership over it, it teaches them to be reflective learners.
Pros: Allowing students to self assess themselves and another opportunity to see and reaffirm the learning. Additionally, it provides accountability, students need to know their material in order to provide feedback to peers. It is time effective, as students will know right away how much they learned and how much they don't know. Students ultimately will learn from the process, seeing the material again and again.
Cons- One of the big problems could be that if a mistake was made, students can assimilate the wrong information. Students might not be honest about their and defeating the purpose.
I agree with the pro that you shared for allowing scholars to peer assessments. Scholars are able to take on some responsibilities for their learning goals and outcomes.
I absolutely loved this hack. I have used all three of these assessments in my classroom. Using the self assessment and peer review to self assessment in writing. Using the self grading with quizzes and tests. I like doing the self grading because it gives my students a chance to debate and discuss with me why the question had that answer. I like that the student have the confidence to debate with me and they have been known to sway my decision on an answer and change it. The only con I can think of is the amount of time these would take. Making sure everything is explained properly or going over a test. Just making sure you have the time to do this. As far as peer grading, I have done with with my students in writing. I make sure to do a final assessment and adjust any scores.
Action 1: One of the pros of allowing scholars to do self-assessments is building accountability in their learning outcome. Self-assessments let the scholars see and understand what mistakes were made and why also the areas that they are strong in. A con can be scholars not using their time wisely. For example, instead of self-assessing, they may want to cheat or prolong the process.
Action 2: In my opinion, allowing scholars to do peer assessments is a great responsibility that can be very rewarding and provide skills that they can apply for many years to come. Self-assessments will open the doors for allowing scholars to pace themselves on assessments to do their best.
Action 1: Some of the pros of self assessment is that Scholars become involved in wanting to understand ideas and concepts taught, take ownership of their assessments, allows Students to have a voice in grading, most importantly they reflect and are more engaged in learning. Cons of self assessment, Scholars can become intimidated by concepts they don't understand which can result in them acting out, become disruptive and perhaps cheat.
Action 2: My opinion of allowing Scholars to peer assess is something that I have tried, when it comes to making a grade some of my scholars were upset when they didn't make a passing score and were embarrassed that their peers knew about it. I like the idea that not grading each other but rather reviewing each others work, and commenting on strengths, and weaknesses.
I like that you mentioned scholars potentially being embarrassed because that is a concern I sometimes have as well. It is important to show that some scholars may be stronger in certain areas and weaker in others, but also that everyone can still grow and improve!
I believe the pros to allowing scholars to self and/or peer asses allows them to realize what they still may not know as it’s still fresh in their mind. As opposed to possibly having to wait a day or more to get that feedback, and by that point the thought of it is already long gone to them. In addition, I think it’ll build their integrity. While a con is the potential for them to attempt to cheat or not do their best work it still gives the scholars the opportunity to make the decision not to. Another con is the possibility of a peer being more harsh in their assessing if it’s another scholar they may not get along with or vice versa if it’s their friend. Again though, I believe this goes back to building integrity.
I do incorporate self and peer assessments in my classroom. Sometimes I may use it for the grade book, but I often like to use it as a moment of discussion so that scholars are getting their potential questions about why an answer was what it was.
Some positives to self and peer assessment are: 1. Scholars have the opportunity to reflect on the expectations of the assignment. 2. Scholars are able to see what they still need to master based on the expectations of the assignment.
I do incorporate self assessment in my classroom. I ask my scholars write in a daily journal. I ask them to write about what they feel they did well that day, and what they feel they should work on in the future.
Hello Anne, I do like the idea of self assessment being used in your classroom. You have given me an idea to use this idea with my scholars by utilizing the journal to express what they did well on and what needs improvement. This could be helpful to the scholar and to the teacher to help with instruction for the next day.
Action 1: Allowing scholars to self assess is a useful tool for the classroom for this helps them to be more involved in the learning process. We as teachers can get an idea of understanding of the lesson and furthermore the scholar can extend the learning to tell what they did not understand or apply prior knowledge to expand it. On the other hand a con would be that the concept could lack critical thinking or HOTS (higher order thinking skills).
Action 2: I would like to give this a try in my class with a rubric of what the assessment should like. The scholar would have a voice in the assessment and as the teacher I could make sure critical thinking and HOTS would be incorporated to make sure understanding is taking place.
Hack 7 The Benefits of Self-Assessment and Self-Grading
I still grade all my student’s work. I remember when I was in school we used to grade each other work. I would like to incorporate the Hack of students self-grading this year in my classroom. I am not sure what method to use, it will probably be trial and error. I give my students Exit Tickets for math. I pair up my students and let them work together to solve the problems. That way they can ask each other questions and work together to figure out the solution. It has been very successful. I loved watching how engaged my students were figuring out each problem. I tell my students that it is ok not to understand and that it can be frustrating learning new things. I reassure them that together we will figure it out.
Action #1: As the author states, one of the main "cons" of using self-assessments is the idea that students will judge themselves too easily, or too harshly. This can be dealt with by modeling, discussing protocols, explaining the purpose of assessment, and building a sense of student ownership in the learning environment. Giving students choices in assignments fits well with giving those same students the opportunity to assess their own work. Another characteristic of this "con" is the pushback a teacher could receive from parents, and the main way to combat this is communication. Set up a time to explain the rationale, and even have the class conduct student-led conferences. Finally, another "con" may be the use of this assessment style only, when it should be used in concert with other forms. While ownership is important, the teacher is still the expert, and there will be times that their opinions will be the one that matters. "Pro" like student ownership, a deeper understanding of the material, and more dialogue are obvious. Also, this strategy may lead to teachers examining their own opinions on the purpose of grades. I have long said that the vicious cycle of teaching is that most teachers were students who enjoyed their experiences in school, so, of course, they are going to do teach as they were taught. The problem is that classrooms are not always full of future teachers, so it is important to examine how to best teach (and assess) students who may not enjoy school as much as they did. Self-reflection on teaching strategies is important, and new strategies like this cause us to re-examine long-accepted strategies, and maybe diminish the tendency to do things "because that's how it has always been done".
Act #2: Peer assessments are good for the open exchange of ideas, but once again, there has to be lots of preparation. Students have to be constantly reminded of their role, and understand that any criticism has to be constructive. Students have to be as eager to receive feedback as they are to give it, and a emphasis on the positive has to be the focus. Also, I think the process of peer assessment is at the halfway mark of the assignment. Students should take the feedback as a means to improve their work before submitting it for a grade. In this way, a feeling of teamwork and community is strengthened in the classroom.
I agree that the scholars may lean toward either too harshly judging their work or going too easy. I believe that self-assessments are wonderful but they must be completed along with conferencing.
Action #1: Share pros and cons of letting scholars do self-assessments.
Personally, I LOVE using self-assessment within my Language Arts classroom, especially when it comes to the writing process. When my students engage in writing workshop or on summative essay writing, I have used peer-review strategies when it comes to revision. As the text touches on enabling students to change their perspective on making errors, I have found that peer-reviewing leads my students to see common errors that their classmates make & encourage them to understand that everyone is learning to write effectively! In my classroom, I also have students keep a binder of their previous work to have them reflect on their writing over time. As the year goes on, students see the strides that they have made in their writing (and reading comprehension!). This self-assessment, as I have seen, has really motivated students to continue to grow in their work. The pros of self-assessment are endless. The cons would amount to how honest a student is in surveying their own work (which, from my experience, all of my students have been very honest in reviewing what they turn in and how much time they have spent on an assignment). It is so important to discuss what self-assessment is with your students, examples of you assessing your own work, etc. We should always be modeling for our students and self-assessment is included in this.
Action #2: What is your opinion of allowing scholars to do peer assessments?
I believe that scholars should be able to do peer assessments! We, as teachers, should discuss the parameters that we set into place for the peer assessments (such as what constructive feedback looks like, how to give meaningful feedback, etc.). Students love to help each other and I believe that peer assessments further develop the classroom community. Peer assessments definitely need to be structured and discussed about before being put into action, however, they enable scholars to communicate to one another about the assignment.
Action 1: The pros of allowing students to complete self-assessments are that they are able to begin to work toward learning reflective practices. Many times as an adult we need to work on becoming reflective and better understanding how we can continually improve in all aspects of life.
The cons include students not being truthful. I think that the best way to fix that is by completing an assessment as well and then using conferencing to discuss why or why not your assessments match.
Action 2: I think that students should offer feedback to their peers. Sometimes they can offer feedback in a way that is more easily understood and accepted. I do think that peer-feedback should not be the only form of feedback students should receive.
I agree with the self reflection... I think it would give them an idea of what they really need help with without me telling them and giving a grade on a concept that they are frustrated with.
Action #1- The only con I can really see to the idea of self-assessment is the amount of time it may take from class. With the number of standards to be taught it feels like we're always rushing to try to get through everything and this would be "one more thing" that would take away from that time. I feel there are more pros to the idea. Self-assessment leads to self-awareness. The more aware of their strengths and weaknesses scholars are, the more they will strive to reflect on their work and improve it. I also think it provides scholars with a better understanding of the concepts being taught and will lead to rich discussions between scholars and teachers.
Action #2: I think students should be able to provide feedback to one another but don't like the term "peer assessment". I think the word assessment has the connotation of grading. I prefer the use of peer review. Scholars are reviewing the work another student did and providing them feedback or suggestions. I do think this is a skill that will need to be taught as scholars tend to either be very hard on or very easy on themselves or one another. It also needs to be mixed with feedback from instructors.
Tammy Ahern-TBLA (sorry this is so late! I forgot and then was out of town and my ipad would not post it)
I like the idea of calling it something else besides assessment...peer review sounds so much better.. it give the idea that they are helping rather than grading peers work.
Action I - I think there are several pros and cons of letting students do self assessments. Pros can include having students see whether the effort they're putting into their work is enough, the realization that what they're doing matters, and motivation to do better, for themselves, not for the teacher. Cons can include students basing their assessments too high or too low, feeling uncomfortable or unsure about discussing their academic choices, and less class time for teaching.
Personally, I have seen self assessments work well in between graded assignments on a long-term project to help keep students on track for what they need to accomplish. If they feel their work is at a C or below effort wise, it usually helped nudge them in the direction they needed to go so that their final product turns out the way they want it to.
Action II - My opinion on allowing scholars to do peer assessments is usually positive. When I taught a Journalism class in which the scholars wrote articles for a class newspaper, I would have students peer assess their classmates' articles before they would be turned in to the teacher. This not only lessened the amount of smaller corrected errors I would need to go over for them, but also helped improve their writing because they then would include the suggestions from their peer into their article. It also held them accountable because their own work couldn't be handed in until they'd had two peers assess their own & then revised it accordingly.
Action 1:I like the idea of self assessment, giving them more ownership for their learning.... I think they would benefit from self reflection on what they have learned. I think starting with self assessment would be good, then wait to do the peer assessment. I would start with easy topics and then develop into harder concepts. Maybe start with math and move slowly into reading skills and self/peer assessments. I do worry about the students taking the assessments of their work seriously... I would want to conference with them to see if they are really being honest with themselves. Action 2: I think they would work, but we would have to work at it. I can see them being over critical to certain peers. I think it would have to be monitored by the teacher at the beginning and lead into total peer assessment. It would be worth a try... to see how they think and what they learn. It would be nice not to have to grade all the papers... I would still look at the assessments to collect data to see what they still need to work on.
I like the self-assessment idea too. I agree with you Julie to start with easier topics and then develop into harder concepts. I also think some students will be overly critical with themselves. As they learn to be kinder to themselves when assessing this will lead them into being kinder to one another when they do peer assessing. I agree with you also, that conferencing is an easy way to stay in communication with students about all assessments.
I have used student self-grading in math classes and seen the pros and cons. I feel the pros outweigh the cons with this method. I can see the good that can come from peer assessing but think it will take practice to train the students to do it in a kind way.
I agree with all of this, where it is a good idea for easier topics and maybe slowly introduce the concept with harder topics. I wonder how difficult it would be to implement with the higher grade levels in classes like math and science, but could be integrated slowly throughout the year as this new method progresses with stuents learning.
I like the idea of self-assessments because it gives the scholars an opportunity to take accountability in their own learning. They can correct their mistakes and have a better understanding of the content. I think self-assessments provide room for the scholars to grow. It will need to be modeled and practiced before hand so scholars can understand what is being asked of them. I think I will try this for my classroom this coming year.
I think peer assessments can be a great tool in the classroom as well. I think it will require building a positive classroom community before starting it out.
I definitely agree that there needs to be a positive environment when doing peer assessments. If there isn't, the students will just end up with hurt feelings and in an argument. I wonder if we could do peer assessments with part of the class that could handle it and do teacher assessments with the other part of the class until they are ready to participate.
Angela Posey PLA @ 103 I think it is very important for scholars to self assess themselves in testing situations. Allowing students to see their strengths and weakenesses is a powerful payoff for students' learning. I often use self assessment when I give students a practice/review test. The students are able to see, hear, and write why the answer is correct or why the answer is wrong. This is powerful feedback. One drawback is the scholar might not see all of his/her strengths or weakenesses. This problem can be resolved by having a conference with the student. Action 2- I am a firm believer that students learn from each other. Peer assessing allows students to learn from each other. Also, students develop their critical thinking about the subject matter. Students have to evaluate, reason, and apply knowledge when they participate in Peer Assessment. All of these are higher order thinking skills.
Self-Assessment: Pros--Scholars form a true representation of their work and take this information to improve their performance in the future. I also think that having a detailed rubric is essential. Cons--Scholars have to be 100% honest with themselves in order for this to be most successful and for them to get the most out of it.
Peer assessments/reviews is a new concept for me, but it seems like it could be very helpful to students because this form of assessment allows for students to hear from someone other than the teacher. As long as their as anonymity, this could work.
Queamani Mickens, I agree that scholar self-assessment provides a full representation of their work and will require honesty, which is a great benefit and value to enhanced learning. Although the peer-assessment is a new concept, be encouraged that it may start out as the teacher modeling with one item for the class to provide feedback within the whole group setting. Of course scholar names would need to be anonymous. The next phase would be in groups to give feedback. This process continues until the class is calibrated to ensure that the assessment tools are reliable and free from user error and subjectivity.
Action #1: There are many pros to scholar self-assessments. The first is that it shows that students have a begin with end in mind process. In order to assess their progress they need to have clear measurable criteria and expectations. Students tend to ask more specific questions when they are required to hold themselves accountable. Another pro is that students will become more proactive to set themselves up for success. The con to scholar self-assessment is when there are ineffective tools selected, and if there is a scholar who has an inaccurate lens or perspective which prevents the scholar to accurately rate their success.
Action#2: I largely believe that peer assessment is the start to a collaborative environment. It communicates to scholars that every voice in the classroom can support their growth and add value to their learning. The cons is the time that it takes to train scholars for the feedback process and how to utilize the instrument. This requires teachers to utilize specific age appropriate assessment tools and the gradual release of responsibility method before permitting the students to initiate scholar-to-scholar feedback in written and/or verbal forms.
Action 1: I have used self assessments mostly when I taught 3 grade, the students would correct their own daily IRead warm up, to get immediate feedback, the goal was to obtain 80% accuracy. This was used as their goal to pass IRead. Sometimes a peer would grade the paper and then give back. Students were very supportive of each other. The students that didn't reach the goals, knew they had time to improve. It helped scholars be focused on the goals. A con would be sometimes some scholars are not mature enough in how to give positive feedback when a mistake has occurred. Even if the correct form has been modeled. It also is more difficult with K students. Action 2: Peer assessments are a good way of supporting the community sense of the classroom. The teacher does have to model and monitor, so it is done correctly. I have used with older students more than my actual K students. I look forward in trying to figure how to do this with COVID expectations.
I think there are many benefits for students to conduct self-assessments, they will have the ability to become more self-aware about their strengths and weaknesses. I think doing self-assessments will entail some conversation with the class too, as discussed within this hack, where one should discuss that it is ok to be wrong and reinforces the need to be honest with oneself. I have used a short self-assessment tool in the library setting, which focused more on the goals that a reader would set for themselves throughout the semester.
I think it is important to have set clear guidelines when having a class do any sort of peer reviews or self-assessments, again, requiring a conversation on how they should be conducted and discussed once completed. These exercises could have a powerful impact on how students learn, but I do agree they need to be closely monitored in some settings. I like the idea of giving students some power in the feedback and grading system within the classroom and can see how this could assist students in further understanding/ownership for their grades.
Heather, I love how you said self-assessments will make students more "self-aware." I could not agree more! It will absolutely show them their strengths and weaknesses and those weaknesses are something that we can help scholars with! Thank you for sharing!
Some pros of letting students to a self-assessment would be that they are taking ownership of their work. What I mean by this is that they can literally grade themselves on their performance. In the beginning, before the students do their first self-assessment, I would go through some example assignments and have them help me grade. I feel like this will show them exaclty what to do and what's expected.
A con I immediately thought was that students wouldn't grade themselves sincerely. If this happens, then I can pull them aside and guide them through it and show them that if they don't like the grade they got, how they can improve next time. Giving them the freedom is something I want to do, but honesty is going to play a HUGE role in this.
The same for peers assessing their work. They may be friends and want to give each other good grades, but at the same time, the same rules apply. They need to grade honestly and if their peer doesn't like the grade they get back, then need to come talk to me, not their peer. If I do this, which I definitely can see myself doing both, I will have guidelines put in place and we will go through some examples as a whole group like I mentioned earlier.
When students do self assessments, I believe it allows them to see the things that they may need more help with. It helps them see what they are already good at as well. I believe it allows students to do some self reflection and have more of a discussion about what went right and what went wrong with the teacher if needed.
I believe the cons of letting students do self assessments include not getting an accurate assessment of their work. In my experience, students change their answers to make sure they get them right. They are more worried about the grade on the assignment than actually talking about it. It has to be said that it's ok to make mistakes and fix them, but they have to be honest when doing self assessments.
I believe that there needs to be a healthy balance of allowing students to do self assessments and have the teacher doing assessments. I think that it helps to have both and have time for students to ask questions about the ones they got wrong if they would like to. I also like going through a graded assignment with the class to give them that opportunity. This helps in case there is something that I missed or they can explain to me why they did what they did. If they have a good explanation, they might get a better grade than had been originally given.
I love the topic “reassess how we assess.” ; similar to student-led conferences, I believe student-led assessments are critical in classrooms today. I have experience with having scholars review and assess their final product. As a fan of peer editing, I believe there’s a place for scholars to not only assess their peers but assess their own pieces. I agree with this weeks literature that scholars may be to critical and possibly underestimate their abilities and their end product. This will take time; but can eventually become where a scholar is goal oriented. They will become masters of their own assessment by the end of the school year. Scholars will learn how they can improve and self motivate enhancing the feeling of success and accomplishment. These intrinsic goals are critical for all learners. As a veteran teacher, I am a proponent of self assessment and choice.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the hack's language, reassessing and having the children become more comfortable with being "wrong". I also want to start using self-assessment as a tool to reinforce content with them, by getting them to self-assess, and think critically about why they got a question wrong, or why an answer is wrong.
DeleteAngela Hill Pla @ 103 I agree with Melanie peer assessment helps the scholars grow and learn how to improve their learning.
DeleteI too love the topic "reassess how we assess". This will also give you the opportunity to ensure that scholars understand and take ownership of there learning. If the expectation of how this will look will ensure that you will have little to no disruptions.
DeleteI really never thought about using self-assessments and
Deletepeer assessments due to the students I teach being very young. I guess I've always been hesitant to use them because of the scholars not truly understanding how to do it, the fact that it might be too complex for them or being too tough on themselves or each other. But the more I read about it, the more I became convinced that it would be very productive and a positive thing for them to begin doing.
I am definitely going to research it more extensively so I do it the correct way. I don't want to stress out my students or cause them to worry. I truly want them to understand why they are doing it and that it's okay to make mistakes. We will implement it slowly so they can understand the importance of why we are doing it. I really think this will help my first graders develop into better writers and learners.
Heidi Hilt A+ Arts Academy Fair Avenue
That’s awesome that you’re open to and looking into incorporating it! It can definitely be tricky for scholars to get at first, but just like with anything else they’ll get better with practice and consistency :)
DeleteKayla Walker PLA@103
I have not tried self-assessments before. I like to do "corrections" where after I grade their assessments. If they do corrections on the questions they missed they can earn half the credit of the problem back. I like to do this so they can actually learn about what they missed. Or if they made a "silly mistake" that they actually knew, they can not feel as bad about it.
ReplyDeleteI do like this idea of self-assessment. I think it would be a great way to take it to the next level.
For peer-assessment, I think it might be good to start after we have built up a classroom community. I think that could also be the same for self-assessment so they can see what my grading is like.
Chynna Triska PLA@103
I like the practice of letting scholars correct their mistakes, especially if they are getting to correct immediately or soon after (waiting too long can decrease the effectiveness) and I think building self-assessment and peer assessment into your classroom (even in small pieces as you're beginning to build your community) will have a positive effect.
DeleteAmanda Rouse PLA@103 Instructional Coach
I love that you allow your scholars to correct their mistakes. Many times, we don't know what has happened in their lives either that morning or the night before. By allowing them to do this builds trust!
DeleteJenelle Miller PLA
I really like the idea of letting them correct their own and receiving half credit. Do you let them for multiple choice too? Do they just have to show their work? How much time do you give them to make the corrections after you return it to them? 1 class period? Take home? Gale Reed PLA@93
DeleteI like using that same method as well for quizzes! Often, it can bring their grade up at least half a letter or so. Do you think your students would self grade appropriately? I feel they do once they have a vested stake in their assignment, (such as a choice they made for it.)
DeleteAshley Pierce - JRPLA
I like the idea of self-assessment for the kids, especially when it comes to the minor every-day activity that's done in class to learn vocabulary and to familiarize students with new concepts. When they get to make an attempt, and then check their own work, they can discover their own misconceptions, and then eliminate them. With guided self-assessment from me, with rubrics or answer keys, they can have more immediate feedback about their work, and can eliminate misconceptions in real time. I think in the science classroom, after the scientific method is taught, buy-in is easy to get if you tie anything the students do, to "experimentation" or "data gathering", just about themselves. A con of self-assessment is the subjective nature of it, which can lead to being too easy or too harsh oneself. So I think self-assessment is not as appropriate when final assessment of concept understanding is needed more objectively.
ReplyDeletePeer assessment is harder, because subjectivity can be an issue, especially if a student is grading a friend or an enemy's work. Peer assessment can work, but it has to be monitored.
Alicia Turner-PLA SMITH
I agree with Alicia in that scholars can make corrections if they self assess on minor, routine items from day to day. This is a good way for them to form habits. I also like the idea of the jars with popsicle sticks where the scholars tell the teacher whether they understand information or need more in-depth assistance. This would be very easy to do.
DeleteSelf-assessment works wonder with behaviors in my classroom and I can imagine it would work wonders would used effectively on assignments. I can also see this working with the whole class. "How did the behavior of this person make you feel?" How did that affect the learning environment?" If we can ask these questions to our scholars, I think we can translate those types of questions into peer assessments without talking down to their peers.
DeleteBrubaker - GVPLA
Libby Taylor PLA@Jones Clark
ReplyDeleteAllowing scholars to assess themselves gives ownership for learning. I have downloaded great assessments from TPT for my scholars. Many are free but you must keep track daily and this can be tedious for the teacher. I kept a data board where the scholars wrote their progress for sight words. It became competetive, especially if some of the younger scholars knew more than older scholars.
Hey Libby!
DeleteI am excited to look at some peer and self assessments on TPT. I have found a lot of rubrics and I can't wait to find different assessments.
Great post!
Hey Libby!
DeleteI am excited to look at some peer and self assessments on TPT. I have found a lot of rubrics and I can't wait to find different assessments.
Great post!
Libby,
DeleteI like your idea of having a data tracker. My scholars and I did something similar. Also, before each of our mandated assessments we would have data talks around where they were at and how much they think they have grown. This was a great way to not only see where they were at a month ago but to say where do you think you are going and how can you get there. I believe scholars love seeing their growth just as much as we do.
Jenina Sorenson
PLA@103
I agree I think it gives the students ownership and love the data tracking idea! I can’t wait to go on TPT for some peer and self assessment ideas!
DeleteBrittany Connett PLA@93
Teachers pay teachers is an amazing website with so many resources. I also find resources at some of the teacher stores in the area. One is very close to me on 10th St. and it offers a lot of free items to enhance your classroom. They’re not all student assessment directed, but they can be helpful in other ways.
DeleteI like the practice of peer and self assessments. Of course, this is something that needs to be modeled and practiced as our scholars often don't have experience with it. I think starting with small things and teaching scholars how to give and accept constructive feedback is a great way to build independence and community within the classroom.
ReplyDeleteThe cons of this practice would be that it can often be subjective and some scholars are too hard/not hard enough on themselves and others, but if modeled and practiced often, I think this con would definitely be outweighed by all the benefits.
Amanda Rouse PLA@103 Instructional Coach
Amanda, I agree self assessment and peer assessment must be modeled and practiced. Janine Shafer PLA 103
DeleteAction 1: I love peer and self assessments. Personally, I think that there are times where me as the teacher grading it will benefit them more. Especially with writing, I think that peer and self assessments are amazing for writing because students are able to see what their classmates think with a peer evaluation. With the projects that I make that I have a rubric, I always have them grade themselves before I grade them. As the teacher, it always interesting to see how your students grade themselves compared to how the teacher grades.
ReplyDeleteAction 2: I think that there are some assessments that it wont benefit the student if a peer grades their assessment. An example that I can think of is a unit test. I am not a big fan of the trade and grade because I always felt awkward as a student watching one of my classmates grade my test.
Paige, I agree with you! I think peer assessments are wonderful for writing as well. I taught first grade this past year and have a hard time imaging this at this grade level when students are just beginning to learn to write. Perhaps this could be done later on in the school year as students become better readers and writers. I also think utilizing peer assessments in writing makes students better writers while they are critiquing others' work.
DeleteI also agree with your thoughts on the "trade and grade" method. I certainly wouldn't want my struggling learners to feel embarrassed and/or ashamed giving their work to another student to grade.
Cathy Branch, Middlebury Academy
Paige, I agree about peer grading. I think that this should be done only after a classroom community has been built with certain expectations. I want my scholars to know that we support and help each other.
DeleteChynna Triska PLA@103
I agree with you in that the peer and self-assessments need to be modeled and practiced before they can be come effective. In my experience I think students would appreciate the community building aspect as well as the independence they gain.
ReplyDeleteDessalee Cook/Greater Height Academy
Action #1: Self-Assessment pros and cons. I have tried having students use rubics to self-assessment and found that students didn’t necessarily understand the scoring process, which is a downside, but I think with practice it can work. The whole key to any of these types of assessment is practice and understanding of what the intended target learning and teaching students how to ask themself “Did I meet the learning target?” “Does my product reflect what I was trying to convey about what I learned?” is something that will have to be modeled. On the other hand, a con to this type of assessment is that students might be too hard on themselves when it comes to grading. And what about the parent who says isn’t that the teachers job to grade? Or what about the student who inflates their grade for the sake of receiving a good grade. Both sides have to be weighed and perhaps traditional and self-assessments grading is the remedy.
ReplyDeleteAction #2: My opinion of allowing peers to self assess is why not allow them to do it. As a second grade teacher, it would be a great way to build community and commitment to learning. Start by using “exit tickets” to assess understanding of concepts and they gradually adding on is the way I would like to do it this year and see how it goes.
Dessalee Cook/Greater Heights Acadmey
I think you are correct and that peer assessing could be a great way to build community in your classroom. I think your way of introducing peer assessment is a way to gradually release the responsibility and make sure they are prepared to complete the assessments.
DeleteCourtney Sandmann (Main Prep)
Action one:
ReplyDeletePros of self-assessment: If students are given clear & detailed rubrics it will be easy for the students to self assess & teachers to check the students’s self assessments. Parents, students, co-teachers, & administrators love when clarity is used on self assessments. It gives students responsibility & develops metacognition reflection & awareness.
Cons of self-assessment: If students are given vague rubrics it will be frustrating & confusing for the students to self assess & teachers to check the students’s self assessments. Parents, students, co-teachers, & administrators do not like vague self assessments.
Action two:
My opinion is, if students are given clear & detailed rubrics it will be easy for the students to peer assess & teachers to check the students’s peer assessments. Parents, students, co-teachers, & administrators love when clarity is used on peer assessments. It gives students responsibility & develops metacognition reflection & awareness. Also, it will develop trust between students and between the teacher & students. If students are given vague rubrics it will be frustrating & confusing for the students to peer assess & teachers to check the students’s peer assessments. Parents, students, co-teachers, & administrators do not like vague peer assessments.
Peer assessment & self assessment will prepare students for workforce & social relationships.
Janine Shafer PLA 103
I think it is important for students to have clear expectations and rubrics like you mentioned. This will make it easier for students to accurately assess themselves. I can see how it could also be confusing for students to self-assess if this is something they haven't done before.
DeleteCourtney Sandmann (Main Prep)
Janine, do you normally make the rubrics yourself or use one from the Internet? I feel like I sometimes struggle starting from scratch but having a starting point can really help me break down what I need my students to understand.
DeleteAshley Pierce - JRPLA
I think there are several pros for letting scholars do self-assessment. First, I love the second grade example that was given in the book. Some of these hacks are hard for me to imagine establishing in a first grade classroom. The second grade example given of a teacher who had her students place their work in baskets labeled "not yet," "almost," and "got it" would be simple to set up in a first grade classroom as well. Having students do this would force them to actually think about their learning process. I also like how the teacher stated the students talk about and know what their strengths and weaknesses are. What a wonderful realization to have at such a young age!
ReplyDeleteAnother pro of self-assessment involves self-grading. I think the method of having students get out their red pens and grade their work as the class goes over it together offers a much more in-depth learning process as opposed to the teacher grading the tests and just moving on to the next chapter.
I think a con of self-assessment especially in the younger grades is the time it would take to introduce the concept and getting them used to doing it. I also think self-grading may be challenging as well because I feel like some students may use this opportunity to change their answers.
Cathy Branch, Middlebury Academy
C. Louketis The pros in self-assessment, is to let students check their own work, so they can see how well they understood the information that was given. I also like the idea of the students getting out their red pens and grading their work as the class goes over the information. This helps them to see what they need to work on the most. It also opens up discussion in the classroom, where students become comfortable in asking questions.
DeleteI agree that a con of self-assessment in the younger grades would take a lot of time to explain how it works. It would be hard to explain to younger students that it is okay to be wrong.
I like the way the book,says "I'm fine with students self-assessing, but I don't feel comfortable letting students assess each other".
C.Louketis (A+ Arts Academy, Maybury)
DeleteI agree with Cathy. It has been difficult to imagine some of these hacks for the younger students because many of them are not fluent readers yet. Rubrics need to have symbols and clearly explained directions. We use self check lists for writing assignments for first-third grade. They are great tools to get the students to self assess. I like the idea of the labeled baskets too.
DeleteStefanie Sheridan A+ Fair Ave.
I think a pro would be the transfer of responsibility to the students. They get the opportunity to really examine their work and think about whether or not they met all the standards on the rubric. I can see students taking pride in their self-assessment and working hard to show their teacher that they are capable of grading correctly without making increasing their score beyond what they deserve. I think another pro is that we can use self-assessments to help show students that it is okay to make mistakes and that they provide opportunities for growth.
ReplyDeleteI think a con of self-assessment is the time it would take to prepare your class to do it accurately. We are already so behind after last year and I feel like there is a great deal of learning to make up, but also building relationships and getting students back into a routine. Teaching students the expectations of self-assessing might be too much for them when they finally get back to school. Another con is that students might be harder on themselves than the teacher would. This could make them feel negative and like they did not do quality work.
My opinion on allowing scholars do peer assessments depends on how things with COVID go. I would love to let students do peer assessments, but only if it can be done in a safe way. I do not really want students to be touching each other’s work. This is a way to spread a great deal of germs. Perhaps if I could hang up student work and then give students a clipboard so that they could walk around and look at each other’s work, they could still complete the + and – chart the chapter discussed.
Courtney Sandmann (Main Prep)
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI agree with Courtney that during this COVID situation we definitely have to be creative in how we go about peer assessments. But hanging up the work and allowing students to use clipboards may be a great idea.
DeleteI also think that it may take some time for the students to get the hang of peer assessments but it can be done. I agree that with last year we may need to spend more time on getting caught up and then add peer assessment.
Courtney,
DeleteI had the same thought run through my mind as I was reading through this hack and talking about scholars do peer assessments. I kept asking myself how will this look with all the new mandates in place with the whole COVID thing. I think you are on to something with using clipboards and having the work hanging up. Great thinking :)
Jenina Sorenson
PLA@103
I think that a pro for this hack would be that the student would get a chance to actually read and take in what they did instead of just doing it and getting it done. They would come out with a better understanding of the lesson. I think a con to this hack is that students would look at their work and just give themselves a high grade.
ReplyDeleteMy opinion on allowing students to do peer assessments is that it can work with guidelines in place. I have allowed this to sort of take place on some projects. I have allowed students to read through another student's project and give tips on how to make it great and unique project. They seemed to take the advice of their peers pretty good and this allowed another set of eyes to view before it came to me. I could probably change this a little and make the assessment by the peer be the final assessment. Sohn'a Duff PLA@103
I totally agree with your con on the self assessment. if they don't have a buy in or want, they will just give themselves a higher grade. I have given them a guideline of " If you give yourself a high grade and I find out it was not true, you will repeat the assignment and I will remove points for not being honest.
DeleteThe pro of self assessment is they get to see where they need to work more on or what they need to correct. A con of self assessment is if they don't take it seriously and if they don't know the material they miss what they know and don't know.
ReplyDeleteSelf assessment - when done correctly can foster confidence and give the student ownership of their content.
I have done peer assessment and again, if they have a since of importance and empathy, they will do well and really help each other. The scholar needs to WANT to do better and help others do better too. Also having a since of Growth Mindset in the classroom before peer assessments helps also.
Hi, Sarah Castle:
DeleteYou have presented your pro and con in a thoughtful manner. I like your use of the term "empathy!" It takes much of that to lead scholars in self-grading, self-grading that's discussion-based, and peer review self-assessment. Thank you for sharing!
Mackcine Jordan, PLA@103
Sarah,
DeleteI did not even think about the whole Growth Mindset piece, but what a great connection. Establishing that kind of community would make self and peer assessments more meaningful. Great connection :)
Jenina Sorenson
PLA@103
I personally have never done self assessments within my classroom before. I really like the idea of self assessments so scholars are able to see what they did wrong and correct it for next time, but do see cons to it as well. I feel that self assessment can be beneficial through teaching the scholars responsibility as well as constructive criticism. Some of the cons could be that scholars become really hard on themselves when they find a mistake or think their work is never good enough. A lot of scholars take pride in their work and I do not want to discourage them in any way!
ReplyDeleteI personally think doing self assessments depends upon the class and how it is introduced and taught within the classroom. I feel there definitely has to be an introduction period where you introduce the idea as well as model how to self assess correctly and safely. I personally would love to try it this upcoming school year!
Kelsey Barrix
PLA 103
Mackcine Jordan@PLA103
DeleteHello Kelsey Barrix,
I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. In my summation, letting student self-assessment is an awesome opportunity for students to stretch their thinking. On the other hand, as you stated in paragraph #2, scholars need an introduction period. Thank you for sharing. Welcome to PLA@103!
Mackcine Jordan @ PLA103
Action 1: A pro with letting scholars do self assessments is that they receive immediate feedback. When scholars have the opportunity to do a self assessments they immediately know how they have done on their assessment. Unlike when they take a traditional assessment and receive the grade a few days or a a week later. A con I can see in self assessments is that not all educators assess this way. Especially when it comes to state mandated assessments. If this is the only way that a scholar has been assessed they may struggle when it comes time to take state mandated assessments.
ReplyDeleteAction 2: I personally think doing self assessments is a great tool, but not the only tool. I have used a variety of self assessments in my classroom before. I can quickly see which scholars understand the concept and which ones need additional instruction. Also, I have used student led conferences in the past. These conferences seemed to be more impactful as the scholars were able to share their learning and thinking with their parents.
Jenina Sorenson
PLA@103
I can see your thought on standard tests and how the students can get confused if they are not familiar with that testing type. I wonder how they can be molded together?
DeleteHack #7
ReplyDeleteThe benefits of Self Assessment and Self-Grading has been an interest of mine for a long time.
The following statement, caught my attention: "I need to use the time in class for teaching, not grading." I have felt this way, because the daily classroom life of educating scholars can be filled with a plethora of TASKS mandated by many.
Action #1: PRO-I now understand the importance of students being able to reflect on their work. I believe that it leads to a better understanding of what is being required of them at a deeper level. Especially, when a rubric is used.
Action 2: CON-I have come to realize that this is very time-consuming; and requires an educator to relinquish the guilt of not getting to the next task at hand. The word that comes to mind is BALANCE. How do I keep moving; and stay balanced as I take the TIME to acclimate my scholars to the procedures of---"How to Self-Assess?" Yet, pondering.
Mackcine Jordan@PLA103
Mackcine, I appreciate your honesty because it does sound really hard and time consuming. In fact, all of the hacks do. However, I feel like once we put in some time and hard work in the beginning, I feel like we will see the benefits and how it will pay off with our students. I also think that this is going to be a tough year no matter what. There are so many unknowns and insecurities. My thought going into this year is to try new things, experiment with these hacks and find what works well and what I don't enjoy as much. We can do this!
DeleteColleen Hanrahan, A+Arts Academy
I also appreciate that you stated how self assessments seem so time consuming when we have so much to fit in already. The amount of time being spent of self assessments was definitely the first thing that came to my mind. I love that Colleen mentioned once you have spent the time and hard work developing the expectations it will pay off. I completely agree with her thoughts on that as well.
DeleteAction 1-I think that if I'd give scholars a self assessment at the beginning of a topic and find out where they are and where they want to be it would help everyone in getting there. I think I SHOULD teach my scholars how to do self and peer assessments. I should ask them more how and why questions to help them to think about what they are really learning and how it will benefit their education. I would make them give a real answer to "why did we learn this?" Not just "because you made us." I spend time each day asking them why and a lot of "W" questions to make them really think. Sometimes when I make them question and answer they think I'm correcting them. I have to tell them, "I'm not saying your wrong, I just want you to explain it to me and help me understand your thinking" Scholars are beginning to know me and are mostly comfortable with the way I question them and have them question themselves and each other I love seeing them growing in their own abilities for learning.
ReplyDeleteAction 2-I think it can be very good if scholars are taught how to use it for their betterment and not just to give themselves an "A". If it's used as a tool for growth it can be very beneficial.
Kay Clabaugh TLJA-FW
Action 1- Self assessments are great tools to use in the classroom. Students are able to see what they need to improve on and they can quickly apply necessary corrections if the assessment is ongoing. Peer assessments can also be helpful as are quick checks for understanding with a buddy.
ReplyDeleteAction 2- I like the idea of allowing students to do peer assessments. They can be a great way for students to learn from one another. I have used Glows and Grows T Charts with students. The peer writes things done well on the Glows side of the chart and what the student can Grow on or improve upon in the other side of the chart.
Stefanie Sheridan A+ Arts Fair Ave.
Hello Stefanie,
DeleteI agree with you completely, I love that you mentioned the idea of making corrections more quickly. I believe that peer assessments will help with a lot of having to reach! Great post
Leshun Horne PLA@Jones Clark
One advantage to allowing scholars to partake in self assessment is that it allows scholars to see and reflect on their peers' contribution. It also allows scholars to develop their judgment skills and Honor Code. The biggest con of self-assessment is that it is difficult to be objective and sometimes scholars can find the task overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of peer assessment, I am all for learning thru collaborative. This allows scholars to exchange ideas. Although some scholars may be too critical of their peers' work, I always encourage positive feedback. So that they scholars can feel comfortable learning and growing from each other.
Leshun Horne PLA@JonesClark
I think self assessment can be a useful tool for the classroom. For my first graders, I would keep it simple but reflective. It would be something that would need modeled. The cons would be that some students would be too hard on themselves or a little too generous. I do agree eight this hack that sometimes grades cause distress because it doesn’t allow the student to focus on the growth. Sometimes all they tend to see is that it wasn’t a 100%. I think peer assessments can be used in the classroom, but it is harder with younger students. I have done a gallery walk where the students look at everyone’s work (a story or art work) and we do two stars and a wish. The students say two things like they liked and one thing they would do to improve the work. I haven’t tried anything formal but I am going to look at some ideas to see if they would work for first grade.
ReplyDeleteBrittany Connett PLA@93
Brittany I love the idea of gallery walk and the two stars and a wish. I might have to use that in my classroom. Then by the time they get to you they will know the procedure.:)
DeleteThe cons of allowing students to do self-assessments are the possibility of cheating and the stress students put on themselves to get high grades. Those two cons actually go hand in hand as students put the stress on themselves to do well and when given the opportunity will do anything to assure that happens. The pros of self-assessment far outweigh the cons, like the other hacks, because when students are properly taught how to do self-assessments, they will take ownership of the grade they are receiving. Students will also have the chance to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses instead of comparing themselves against other students.
ReplyDeleteI believe that my third graders could be taught how to properly do self-assessments, self-grading and peer assessments. It would begin as a very guided activity until they gained mastery and a positive learning environment was established. When using peer assessments, I need to stress to my students the trust I am putting in them and explain that they are solely commenting on another student's work, not grading or editing it.
Colleen Hanrahan, A+ Arts Academy
Hey Colleen...I agree with the scholars being able to self reflect on the strengths and weaknesses. It’s a quicker reflection individual grades and the scholars can focus on their successes and struggles.
DeleteMindi Spychalski-Pla@103
I like self assessment but I feel it’s more difficult with the younger ones. I’ve done self assessment with writing and projects that have a rubric so they know exactly what is expected. The pro to self assessment is that the scholars see quicker success or what needs work. It doesn’t come back a week later when we’ve moved in to another skill. The cons is the cheating part of self assessment. They all want to do well so the little ones try to change answers or add to answers so they achieve higher.
ReplyDeleteAs for peer assessment, I see it as a way the scholars can help each other through encouragement or suggestions. It’s also helps the scholars to learn to work together in the younger grades.
Mindi Spychalski-Pla@103
I do like the idea of self assessments. I do think that kids should be involved. This keeps them knowing what and why they are learning the topic. The downfall is the possibility of cheating. Hack 2 covers trusting students.
ReplyDeleteAction #1:
ReplyDeletePros:
- Scholars can see their work through their eyes
- Scholars are challenged to meet rubric criteria
- Scholars can reflect on their work before turning in a "final" draft. Works great with writing.
Cons:
- Scholars may feel like failures if they self-assess and they have a lot of discussion with the teachers
- Scholars may not care enough to make it better at no fault of the teacher
- Scholars may not want to take the time to do the self-assessment, therefore, may not be honest with their answers/feelings.
Action #2:
- Peer assessments are a huge challenge for me. Personally, when I was in Middle School, I was shamed by my peers. I would read other assignments and feel like an idiot because mine wasn't as good as someone else's. I also recall being made fun of my peers for common spelling and grammar mistakes. Now, this isn't such a big deal in the lower grades, but as scholars get older, they get wiser. I hesitated to trade-and-grade in my classroom at the cost of embarrassing my scholars. However, I do want to try peer assessments with writing this year. I think it will really be helpful if the precedent is set for how that assessing should look in a non-judgmental manner.
Zach Brubaker - GVPLA
Zach,
DeleteTeens can definitely be ruthless! For trade-&-grades, I'd select the work based on the students' personalities or friendships. For example, a shy student's work would be given to a more mature student so that feelings aren't hurt. It takes a bit of planning, but I successfully had students peer review essays.
Tricia- Middlebury Academy Akron, OH
Hi Mr. Brubaker!
DeleteI love how you listed pros and cons! There is always the chance that scholars may not put in the time or effort, but I think fostering a classroom culture or reflection and mistakes really helps with this.
Totally understand your thoughts on peer grading/assessments. I did this, but did it more as a reflection than a grading process and spent a lot of time modeling how to give feedback, both positive and negative and created anchor charts for scholars to refer too. Within writing, I woudl focus on writing ideas and strategies over spelling/grammar as you mentioned. I'm happy to help this year, if you'd like!
Hope all is well!!!!
Sarah Rahrig
GVPLA
I do like the idea of self assessments. I do think that kids should be involved. This keeps them knowing what and why they are learning the topic. The downfall is the possibility of cheating. Hack 2 covers trusting students.
ReplyDeleteChris Truesdell Trix Academy
I have mixed feelings regarding self-assessments. As long as there's a rubric outlining expectations, students should be good-to-go.
ReplyDeleteSelf-reflection is a life skill that students can be taught at an early age, which would benefit them long-term.
Peer editing is a fun way for students to collaborate; it allows them to be a little more comfortable with a friend reading and giving feedback.
Tricia- Middlebury Academy Akron, OH
Hi Tricia! I really love how you pointed out the necessity of a rubric when it comes to self-assessment. There should definitely be a rubric when it comes to students looking over their own work. We should be going over the rubric with them, clarifying and rewording things as we go. Then, that enables them to look for the crucial pieces within their work!
DeleteMarcella Largent, Middlebury Academy
Action 1: I love self-assessments and I think this chapter does a great job breaking down the different types and benefits. Scholars often say teachers are “giving” them a grade in contrast to them “earning” the grade, using rubrics and self-assessments allows not only more buy-in from scholars, but an opportunity to see how their individual effort allows them to earn a grade. When I was in the classroom I used self-reflections, like a self-assessment. Additionally. I we used rubrics and would do study guides that we would self-grade like suggested in the book for tests. I found it deepened my scholar’s understanding of the content, the assignment, and their effort.
ReplyDeleteAction 2: I go back and forth on scholars doing peer assessments. I did do peer reflections, where peers gave feedback, not a grade. My biggest tip for teachers wanting to try this would be to MODEL, MODEL, MODEL what does it look like to give both positive feedback and constructive criticism. This allows for deeper refection and discussion. Early in the year scholars would say I like your introduction or it’s good, but after modeling they would explain why and the specifics. For example, I liked your introduction. I noticed you used questioning to hook your audience. That really got me thinking about the topic. On the other hand, when giving constructive criticism scholars started with basic statement of I didn’t understand this paragraph. And the by the end of the year could articulate what about the paragraph was confusing or off topic, while providing tips to peers.
Sarah Rahrig
GVPLA
Culture and Trauma Informed Specialist
As a student I felt the same way. I was uncomfortable with peer assessments in case I was wrong., If the scholars had boundaries and guidelines for this process from the beginning of the year it may be more effective.
DeleteYour post encouraged me to keep trying with different types of assessments. I have tried different assessments but I think the key is to use them consistently and to model them. Model them often. I like the idea of having scholars complete a study guide and then self-assess. I have done this where scholars answer the questions and then when we go over the questions as a class, scholars use a blue pen to add details to "complete" their answer.
DeleteI notice that my 3rd grade scholars tend to be rather critical. Constructive criticism and positive feedback are critical in the peer assessment being a success and encouraging scholars to have self-confidence. An anchor chart of different ways to provide feedback would be beneficial for scholars who struggle.
Michelle Lisco, Middlebury Academy
Action 1:
ReplyDeleteAs a student myself, I did not like to have peer review/assessment. I was always scared that I would have the wrong answer and I didn't want my classmates to know. So, I have not used it in my classroom. I do use self assessment. I will use self assessment. We usually do an assignment with the "I do, we do, you do" method. I will then let the kids check their own answers to mine. I do think a positive of any form or self assessment is that scholars will be able to see their mistakes and then they usually self reflect with what they did.
Action 2:
I think that having self assessment is okay but I really don't like peer assessment. One thing, it is hard in the lower grades. I then worry about kids not being fair or nice to each other in the upper grades. But, I guess if you set up a procedure and rules about grading each others papers it might work.
I agree with you Karen, I didn't like peer reviews and assessments as a kid. I don't know very many kids I went to school with who did. I also use the "I do, we do, you do" method, especially in math. I also agree that with the proper procedures it could work. With the little ones (I teach K) sometimes we have to take some of these ideas and adapt them to the younger students.
DeleteAnna Callender A+ Arts Academy Fair Ave.
The pros of self assesssment is immediate feedback for the student. The cons would be inflated grades by the student. I like this assessment practice because it creates dialogue between teacher and student. The student will need to explain their grade based off the rubric. I think more honestly will come out once this practice is established.
ReplyDeleteI like peer assessment but it is a process that must be created. If you can start with just one volunteer to share their work, the class can assess the strengths and areas of improvement. Then you can develop more assessment groups and build the confidence of the ones who are shy to share.
I don't have to use both practices every time but I like the choice of both assessment practices.
lmo. jrpla
Allowing scholars to do self-assessment allows students more ownership and responsibility over their learning. This can help students to identify their areas of strength and areas in which they need to see improvement to fill any learning gaps. Through the self- assessment process this also encourages students to work towards higher levels of understanding, not just working towards a grade. I think that allowing students to do self-assessment in the classroom is extremely beneficial, however requires structures and guidelines put into place so that the students understand the expectations.
ReplyDeleteAbby Gaddis- IS
I agree that self assessment encourages students to work towards higher levels of understand. The key is providing the structure and guidelines so that scholars fully know why and how to do the type of self assessment. Its a slow process before scholars master the skill set and appreciate it. However, in the end students better know what is expected and how to become a successful learner with absolute targets to reach out and accomplish as best as they are able. They also share in the learning with others and their peer praise and suggestions motivate them to continue to make gains in their own learning accomplishments.
DeleteAction 1: Pro and Cons of Self-Assessments. Pro- instant feedback. Which is great. Con- My kindergarten students will still come to me asking "Is this right?!" However. I can see it being very helpful for a more informal assessment. I also think self assessment can be very helpful in a teacher/student conference for example.
ReplyDeleteAction 2: Peer Assessments.
Pro- Students can collaborate with each other, learn from each other's mistakes, ask each other questions and make corrections as needed.
Con- As a kid, I hated these because I didn't want my peers to know I got an answer wrong. Again, I can see this being helpful in an more informal situation. For example, we would work on some math problems as a group, the student would try it on their own then check their answers with a neighbor.
Anna Callender A+ Arts Academy Fair Ave.
Teaching primary I have a problem with peer correction. I don't see how I will be able to implement it into my classroom. I do like to allow my scholars to self correct their work and allow them to correct their mistakes. I have worked with my scholars to correct their work and it amazes me how much they learn about the subject as well as learn about taking responsibility for their own learning.
ReplyDeleteJenelle Miller
PLA103
Action 1-
ReplyDeletePro: Immediate feedback is a great tool in student learning.
Peer Assessment is another way for both scholars to learn.
Con: I teach Kindergarten and I struggle with self assessment at this age. The majority of our learning is hands on and therefore results in that immediate feedback.
Action 2:
I advocate self assessment in upper grades. I believe that students need that immediate conversation in order to correct /applaud their thinking .
Action 1-Pros and cons of self assessment:
ReplyDeletePros--scholars learn to set goals for their assignments related to a clear and concise rubric and other details. It is very clear what their goal for success is and also they learn with peer assessment as well. It prepares them for future grade levels and the workplace where goals are set and directive are provided to be successful. Students learn to respect each others diverse ways of expressing their learning.
Cons--Some scholars are fearful of failure above all else. It takes time to establish trust in self assessment and peer assessment, however they soon learn that making mistakes or falling short of a learning goal simply is a process to getting better and understanding that we all learn from our mistakes. I have a wooden quote block in both my home and school environment that reads: WINNERS: Build on mistakes, losers dwell on them.
Action 2 -- My opinion related to allowing peer assessment is very positive. In my gifted and talented class this past year I found that peer assessments were not well received in the beginning, but soon began to have motivational outcomes. Scholars were given goals, outcomes and rubrics for assessment. The measurement of learning and applying what they learned in writing set examples for success for students who were not yet as skilled. Each scholar, knowing others would assess their work in alignment with the rubrics had a better focus on how to achieve their desired outcome. They enjoyed others seeing their work...and the praise or suggestions. Jean Faillace, TLJ Academy, Ft. Wayne, IN
I'm so glad to hear that your scholars were pleased to do the peer assessments. In my experience many scholars have been afraid of others seeing their answers and absolutely ashamed if they have the incorrect answer. That connects to one of the cons you mentioned regarding fear of failure. We as teachers have a instill in our scholars that it is okay to make mistakes.
DeleteCharlene Long- Trix
Activity 1:
ReplyDeletePROS
*students more engaged
*less discipline issues
*allows students to discuss process in getting 'wrong' answer
on math test
*allows student to see work of students that have a completed
assignment well
CONS
*takes time to teach process
*some students will take advantage which goes back to time to
teach the process
*not as easily used in math where answer is right or wrong
Activity 2:
I think self assessment can be used effectively in the classroom. It has many benefits. The biggest benefit is it can be engaging for the student. I have done peer assessment on short answer written questions where the students only see answers and not student names. Students in small groups then discuss and assess each other's work. It allows them to discuss and possible convince others on their opinion of why or why not an answer should receive partial credit. It can be taken further to a full classroom discussion as well.
Mary Ann Staten
PLA @93
I love when scholars can sit and discuss answers to questions while being respectful of each other answers and willing to grow and learn from each other.
DeleteCharlene Long- Trix
I agree that some of these methods may not be as easy to use with math because answers are right or wrong but you could turn those discussions in another direction. Instead of discussing if an answer is right or wrong, look more at the process students took to arrive at their answers. I think these could be rich math discussions if implemented correctly.
DeleteAction 1:
ReplyDeletePros: Allowing scholars to do self assessments gives immediate feedback to the scholar on where they are regarding their knowledge of a topic. Self assessments also help with classroom management because scholars are more motivated to work harder to learn and take ownership of their learning instead of just working for a grade. It also allows scholars to see their strengths and weaknesses which leads to the first con on my list.
Cons- Scholars struggle with making mistakes and being wrong. It takes a lot of time to model and convince scholars its okay to make mistakes. Self assessments are also time consuming in their selves. Self assessments also take a lot of trust on both the student and the teacher.
Action 2: I believe that self and peer assessment are a great tool to use in the classroom. If a teacher is willing to put in effort and create the right culture in the classroom to make the assessments possible scholars will grow and learn tremendously in my opinion. Self reflection is something that every single person must know how to do and be willing to do in order to grow in education and life itself.
Charlene Long-Trix
Yes, it's all about creating that culture of feedback and self-improvement. We can embrace errors and learn from mistakes.
DeleteSelf-assessment is a tool that can be beneficial for scholars to gauge their own understanding of the content being taught. When my own children were in elementary school, their teachers often used self-assessments before a topic and after. I remember seeing them in their folders. In the younger K-3 grades, I think it can be challenging for them to self-assess. With a rubric as a guide, I think self-assessment would be a valuable tool for many scholars. Self-assessments can really shed light into how scholars feel about themselves and their abilities.
ReplyDeletePeer assessment has continually been a struggle for my third graders. I typically try to train scholars to mark their peers papers like I grade their papers. I have offered scholars red or blue pens for grading with hopes that this would motivate scholars to follow my grading directives. I am not a fan of doodles and lots of marks on scholar papers. I have found that scholars will tease others for getting answers wrong or say mean things. I think it would be better if scholars could not see who's paper they were grading so that they would grade fairly and objectively. If a scholar has an issue with a peer and gets their paper, I have seen scholars try to change answers and make poor choices. I find that so much energy goes into trying to get through grading with flow that it is easier to grade the work myself. I am sure I will try it again. . . every group of scholars is different.
Michelle Lisco, Middlebury Academy
Action 1
ReplyDeletePros: Scholars will have feedback quicker, will help with classroom management, scholars will be more engaged
Cons: Scholars might feel bad for getting answers wrong, takes time to teach the process
Action 2: I believe that peer assessment can be a positive experience. It will be up to the teacher to ensure that the scholars have a clear understanding of the expectations.
At first I had a hard time with this hack. I teach kindergarten and though how can I really use this. I read this hack several times and then I realized that we have a writing rubric posted on the board so that every time we do any writing they can check to ensure that they will be able to get the best possible grade. So I have using this hack in that way.
I would think it would be challenging to do this with kindergarten also, but I like how you are using it by posting the writing rubric for them to see and use.
DeleteI do self grading daily with my morning work. I give the students time to do the work and then we grade it together. I do not take a grade on the morning work though. This is a way for us to review concepts and if scholars still don't understand, it's a way to continue to learn the concept.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of having two students critique their classmate's work. I see how this could really be useful for improving writing. The pros would be students can learn from their peers, peers can learn by seeing others work, and classmates can learn to be critical. The cons would be some students have difficulty reading the work, some students might need to learn to write more than "good".
I like the idea of scholars having to grade their morning work together, that is a great way in getting the entire class engaged at the start of the day.
DeleteAlso, I could see where a scholar would struggle in deciphering their peers handwriting. Perhaps that would be a good point for another scholar to make to their peers and something a student may need to work on. While the handwriting may not be the main point of that particular lesson, maybe having a scholar focusing on their writing in the future could be beneficial. I do understand the point you are making, but looking back on my own experience in school, I do wish that there had been more input on my own handwriting in grade school. - Maybe I would not have developed some bad habits by middle school, which could have been resolved from having done peer grading in earlier grades.
I think the idea of having self-assessment and self-grading is a good addition to traditional grading, especially where it enables scholars to understand how grading occurs. I think the greatest strength for self-grading is that a scholar can have an idea of their own strengths/weaknesses on a particular lesson. I would think the con would be that a scholar could be rather harsh on their own work or still maintain the belief that errors are "bad", so it would be important to have discussions about why errors are not "bad".
ReplyDeleteI have done self-grading on short assignments and quizzes, which are useful tools for enabling scholars to understanding why answers are right and wrong. Having the ability to cover the work allows scholars to fully understand why and how grading occurs, adding to the point, that transparency adds to the scholars ownership in their learning.
Action 1: Self-grading/self-assessment should be routinely used. If a scholar is not confident in a topic, their assessment will reflect that. In terms of self-grading, I like to do it on low stakes assessments/activities. I think that as a classroom, we need to embrace errors we make and then explain how and why we made them. If you spend the time discussing a rubric, allowing for questions, you'll see a greater understanding of expectations and improvement in grades.
ReplyDeleteAction 2: As far as peer grading, I prefer it be when a grade is not the end result. I do like to do peer editing and feedback throughout the learning process, but not on summative assessments. It is important that students are able to understand areas for opportunity, voicing feedback, and having discussions with peers.
Mitch Mosbey, GVPLA
Mitch,
DeleteI liked how you stated that self-assessment should be used for low stakes assessments/activities. It really gives a student an opportunity to reflect, correct mistakes and figure out how to improve before a summative test.
DeEtta Crane
GHA
Mitch,
DeleteI liked how you stated that self-assessment should be used for low stakes assessments/activities. It really gives a student an opportunity to reflect, correct mistakes and figure out how to improve before a summative test.
DeEtta Crane
GHA
I think there are a lot of pros to self and peer assessments. Scholars take ownership of their learning, which creates a sense of responsibility and pride in their work. I think it's important for scholars to learn that incorrect answers are not a bad thing. It helps us understand better and learn from our mistakes. I think a con of self and peer assessment/grading is that it can sometimes make students feel bad and compare themselves to their peers in a negative way. I believe self and peer assessments/grading is important for teaching self growth. When scholars see their progress and have ownership over it, it teaches them to be reflective learners.
ReplyDeleteHeather Hill
DeletePLA @93
Pros: Allowing students to self assess themselves and another opportunity to see and reaffirm the learning. Additionally, it provides accountability, students need to know their material in order to provide feedback to peers. It is time effective, as students will know right away how much they learned and how much they don't know. Students ultimately will learn from the process, seeing the material again and again.
ReplyDeleteCons- One of the big problems could be that if a mistake was made, students can assimilate the wrong information. Students might not be honest about their and defeating the purpose.
I agree with the pro that you shared for allowing scholars to peer assessments. Scholars are able to take on some responsibilities for their learning goals and outcomes.
DeleteI absolutely loved this hack. I have used all three of these assessments in my classroom. Using the self assessment and peer review to self assessment in writing. Using the self grading with quizzes and tests. I like doing the self grading because it gives my students a chance to debate and discuss with me why the question had that answer. I like that the student have the confidence to debate with me and they have been known to sway my decision on an answer and change it. The only con I can think of is the amount of time these would take. Making sure everything is explained properly or going over a test. Just making sure you have the time to do this.
ReplyDeleteAs far as peer grading, I have done with with my students in writing. I make sure to do a final assessment and adjust any scores.
Action 1:
ReplyDeleteOne of the pros of allowing scholars to do self-assessments is building accountability in their learning outcome. Self-assessments let the scholars see and understand what mistakes were made and why also the areas that they are strong in. A con can be scholars not using their time wisely. For example, instead of self-assessing, they may want to cheat or prolong the process.
Action 2:
In my opinion, allowing scholars to do peer assessments is a great responsibility that can be very rewarding and provide skills that they can apply for many years to come. Self-assessments will open the doors for allowing scholars to pace themselves on assessments to do their best.
Action 1: Some of the pros of self assessment is that Scholars become involved in wanting to understand ideas and concepts taught, take ownership of their assessments, allows Students to have a voice in grading, most importantly they reflect and are more engaged in learning. Cons of self assessment, Scholars can become intimidated by concepts they don't understand which can result in them acting out, become disruptive and perhaps cheat.
ReplyDeleteAction 2: My opinion of allowing Scholars to peer assess is something that I have tried, when it comes to making a grade some of my scholars were upset when they didn't make a passing score and were embarrassed that their peers knew about it. I like the idea that not grading each other but rather reviewing each others work, and commenting on strengths, and weaknesses.
Deborah Dominick,
Kindergarten Teacher
PLA@ Jones-Clark Elem.
I like that you mentioned scholars potentially being embarrassed because that is a concern I sometimes have as well. It is important to show that some scholars may be stronger in certain areas and weaker in others, but also that everyone can still grow and improve!
DeleteKayla Walker PLA@103
I believe the pros to allowing scholars to self and/or peer asses allows them to realize what they still may not know as it’s still fresh in their mind. As opposed to possibly having to wait a day or more to get that feedback, and by that point the thought of it is already long gone to them. In addition, I think it’ll build their integrity. While a con is the potential for them to attempt to cheat or not do their best work it still gives the scholars the opportunity to make the decision not to. Another con is the possibility of a peer being more harsh in their assessing if it’s another scholar they may not get along with or vice versa if it’s their friend. Again though, I believe this goes back to building integrity.
ReplyDeleteI do incorporate self and peer assessments in my classroom. Sometimes I may use it for the grade book, but I often like to use it as a moment of discussion so that scholars are getting their potential questions about why an answer was what it was.
Kayla Walker PLA@103
Some positives to self and peer assessment are:
ReplyDelete1. Scholars have the opportunity to reflect on the expectations of the assignment.
2. Scholars are able to see what they still need to master based on the expectations of the assignment.
I do incorporate self assessment in my classroom. I ask my scholars write in a daily journal. I ask them to write about what they feel they did well that day, and what they feel they should work on in the future.
Anne MacDonald
A+ Arts Academy
Fair Campus
Hello Anne,
DeleteI do like the idea of self assessment being used in your classroom. You have given me an idea to use this idea with my scholars by utilizing the journal to express what they did well on and what needs improvement. This could be helpful to the scholar and to the teacher to help with instruction for the next day.
Clarissa Price PLA @Jones Clark Elementary
Action 1: Allowing scholars to self assess is a useful tool for the classroom for this helps them to be more involved in the learning process. We as teachers can get an idea of understanding of the lesson and furthermore the scholar can extend the learning to tell what they did not understand or apply prior knowledge to expand it. On the other hand a con would be that the concept could lack critical thinking or HOTS (higher order thinking skills).
ReplyDeleteAction 2: I would like to give this a try in my class with a rubric of what the assessment should like. The scholar would have a voice in the assessment and as the teacher I could make sure critical thinking and HOTS would be incorporated to make sure understanding is taking place.
Clarissa Price PLA @ Jones Clark Elementary
Hack 7 The Benefits of Self-Assessment and Self-Grading
ReplyDeleteI still grade all my student’s work. I remember when I was in school we used to grade each other work. I would like to incorporate the Hack of students self-grading this year in my classroom. I am not sure what method to use, it will probably be trial and error.
I give my students Exit Tickets for math. I pair up my students and let them work together to solve the problems. That way they can ask each other questions and work together to figure out the solution. It has been very successful. I loved watching how engaged my students were figuring out each problem.
I tell my students that it is ok not to understand and that it can be frustrating learning new things. I reassure them that together we will figure it out.
DeEtta Crane
Greater Heights Academy
Action #1: As the author states, one of the main "cons" of using self-assessments is the idea that students will judge themselves too easily, or too harshly. This can be dealt with by modeling, discussing protocols, explaining the purpose of assessment, and building a sense of student ownership in the learning environment. Giving students choices in assignments fits well with giving those same students the opportunity to assess their own work. Another characteristic of this "con" is the pushback a teacher could receive from parents, and the main way to combat this is communication. Set up a time to explain the rationale, and even have the class conduct student-led conferences. Finally, another "con" may be the use of this assessment style only, when it should be used in concert with other forms. While ownership is important, the teacher is still the expert, and there will be times that their opinions will be the one that matters.
ReplyDelete"Pro" like student ownership, a deeper understanding of the material, and more dialogue are obvious. Also, this strategy may lead to teachers examining their own opinions on the purpose of grades. I have long said that the vicious cycle of teaching is that most teachers were students who enjoyed their experiences in school, so, of course, they are going to do teach as they were taught. The problem is that classrooms are not always full of future teachers, so it is important to examine how to best teach (and assess) students who may not enjoy school as much as they did. Self-reflection on teaching strategies is important, and new strategies like this cause us to re-examine long-accepted strategies, and maybe diminish the tendency to do things "because that's how it has always been done".
Act #2: Peer assessments are good for the open exchange of ideas, but once again, there has to be lots of preparation. Students have to be constantly reminded of their role, and understand that any criticism has to be constructive. Students have to be as eager to receive feedback as they are to give it, and a emphasis on the positive has to be the focus. Also, I think the process of peer assessment is at the halfway mark of the assignment. Students should take the feedback as a means to improve their work before submitting it for a grade. In this way, a feeling of teamwork and community is strengthened in the classroom.
I agree that the scholars may lean toward either too harshly judging their work or going too easy. I believe that self-assessments are wonderful but they must be completed along with conferencing.
DeleteAction #1: Share pros and cons of letting scholars do self-assessments.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I LOVE using self-assessment within my Language Arts classroom, especially when it comes to the writing process. When my students engage in writing workshop or on summative essay writing, I have used peer-review strategies when it comes to revision. As the text touches on enabling students to change their perspective on making errors, I have found that peer-reviewing leads my students to see common errors that their classmates make & encourage them to understand that everyone is learning to write effectively! In my classroom, I also have students keep a binder of their previous work to have them reflect on their writing over time. As the year goes on, students see the strides that they have made in their writing (and reading comprehension!). This self-assessment, as I have seen, has really motivated students to continue to grow in their work. The pros of self-assessment are endless. The cons would amount to how honest a student is in surveying their own work (which, from my experience, all of my students have been very honest in reviewing what they turn in and how much time they have spent on an assignment). It is so important to discuss what self-assessment is with your students, examples of you assessing your own work, etc. We should always be modeling for our students and self-assessment is included in this.
Action #2: What is your opinion of allowing scholars to do peer assessments?
I believe that scholars should be able to do peer assessments! We, as teachers, should discuss the parameters that we set into place for the peer assessments (such as what constructive feedback looks like, how to give meaningful feedback, etc.). Students love to help each other and I believe that peer assessments further develop the classroom community. Peer assessments definitely need to be structured and discussed about before being put into action, however, they enable scholars to communicate to one another about the assignment.
Marcella Largent, Middlebury Academy
Action 1: The pros of allowing students to complete self-assessments are that they are able to begin to work toward learning reflective practices. Many times as an adult we need to work on becoming reflective and better understanding how we can continually improve in all aspects of life.
ReplyDeleteThe cons include students not being truthful. I think that the best way to fix that is by completing an assessment as well and then using conferencing to discuss why or why not your assessments match.
Action 2: I think that students should offer feedback to their peers. Sometimes they can offer feedback in a way that is more easily understood and accepted. I do think that peer-feedback should not be the only form of feedback students should receive.
Melissa Bailey GVPLA
I agree with the self reflection... I think it would give them an idea of what they really need help with without me telling them and giving a grade on a concept that they are frustrated with.
DeleteAction #1- The only con I can really see to the idea of self-assessment is the amount of time it may take from class. With the number of standards to be taught it feels like we're always rushing to try to get through everything and this would be "one more thing" that would take away from that time. I feel there are more pros to the idea. Self-assessment leads to self-awareness. The more aware of their strengths and weaknesses scholars are, the more they will strive to reflect on their work and improve it. I also think it provides scholars with a better understanding of the concepts being taught and will lead to rich discussions between scholars and teachers.
ReplyDeleteAction #2: I think students should be able to provide feedback to one another but don't like the term "peer assessment". I think the word assessment has the connotation of grading. I prefer the use of peer review. Scholars are reviewing the work another student did and providing them feedback or suggestions. I do think this is a skill that will need to be taught as scholars tend to either be very hard on or very easy on themselves or one another. It also needs to be mixed with feedback from instructors.
Tammy Ahern-TBLA
(sorry this is so late! I forgot and then was out of town and my ipad would not post it)
I like the idea of calling it something else besides assessment...peer review sounds so much better.. it give the idea that they are helping rather than grading peers work.
DeleteAction I - I think there are several pros and cons of letting students do self assessments. Pros can include having students see whether the effort they're putting into their work is enough, the realization that what they're doing matters, and motivation to do better, for themselves, not for the teacher. Cons can include students basing their assessments too high or too low, feeling uncomfortable or unsure about discussing their academic choices, and less class time for teaching.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I have seen self assessments work well in between graded assignments on a long-term project to help keep students on track for what they need to accomplish. If they feel their work is at a C or below effort wise, it usually helped nudge them in the direction they needed to go so that their final product turns out the way they want it to.
Action II - My opinion on allowing scholars to do peer assessments is usually positive. When I taught a Journalism class in which the scholars wrote articles for a class newspaper, I would have students peer assess their classmates' articles before they would be turned in to the teacher. This not only lessened the amount of smaller corrected errors I would need to go over for them, but also helped improve their writing because they then would include the suggestions from their peer into their article. It also held them accountable because their own work couldn't be handed in until they'd had two peers assess their own & then revised it accordingly.
Ashley Pierce - JRPLA
Action 1:I like the idea of self assessment, giving them more ownership for their learning.... I think they would benefit from self reflection on what they have learned. I think starting with self assessment would be good, then wait to do the peer assessment. I would start with easy topics and then develop into harder concepts. Maybe start with math and move slowly into reading skills and self/peer assessments. I do worry about the students taking the assessments of their work seriously... I would want to conference with them to see if they are really being honest with themselves. Action 2: I think they would work, but we would have to work at it. I can see them being over critical to certain peers. I think it would have to be monitored by the teacher at the beginning and lead into total peer assessment. It would be worth a try... to see how they think and what they learn. It would be nice not to have to grade all the papers... I would still look at the assessments to collect data to see what they still need to work on.
ReplyDeleteI like the self-assessment idea too. I agree with you Julie to start with easier topics and then develop into harder concepts. I also think some students will be overly critical with themselves. As they learn to be kinder to themselves when assessing this will lead them into being kinder to one another when they do peer assessing. I agree with you also, that conferencing is an easy way to stay in communication with students about all assessments.
ReplyDeleteI have used student self-grading in math classes and seen the pros and cons. I feel the pros outweigh the cons with this method. I can see the good that can come from peer assessing but think it will take practice to train the students to do it in a kind way.
Michelle Fendrick A+ Arts Academy Fair Ave
I agree with all of this, where it is a good idea for easier topics and maybe slowly introduce the concept with harder topics. I wonder how difficult it would be to implement with the higher grade levels in classes like math and science, but could be integrated slowly throughout the year as this new method progresses with stuents learning.
DeleteI like the idea of self-assessments because it gives the scholars an opportunity to take accountability in their own learning. They can correct their mistakes and have a better understanding of the content. I think self-assessments provide room for the scholars to grow. It will need to be modeled and practiced before hand so scholars can understand what is being asked of them. I think I will try this for my classroom this coming year.
ReplyDeleteI think peer assessments can be a great tool in the classroom as well. I think it will require building a positive classroom community before starting it out.
Dottie Lerche PLA@103
I agree we first have to establish our positive environment. Also, not sure how to do with COVID, if you have ideas feel free to share.
DeleteI definitely agree that there needs to be a positive environment when doing peer assessments. If there isn't, the students will just end up with hurt feelings and in an argument. I wonder if we could do peer assessments with part of the class that could handle it and do teacher assessments with the other part of the class until they are ready to participate.
DeleteAngela Posey PLA @ 103
ReplyDeleteI think it is very important for scholars to self assess themselves in testing situations. Allowing students to see their strengths and weakenesses is a powerful payoff for students' learning. I often use self assessment when I give students a practice/review test. The students are able to see, hear, and write why the answer is correct or why the answer is wrong. This is powerful feedback.
One drawback is the scholar might not see all of his/her strengths or weakenesses. This problem can be resolved by having a conference with the student.
Action 2- I am a firm believer that students learn from each other. Peer assessing allows students to learn from each other. Also, students develop their critical thinking about the subject matter. Students have to evaluate, reason, and apply knowledge when they participate in Peer Assessment. All of these are higher order thinking skills.
Self-Assessment: Pros--Scholars form a true representation of their work and take this information to improve their performance in the future. I also think that having a detailed rubric is essential. Cons--Scholars have to be 100% honest with themselves in order for this to be most successful and for them to get the most out of it.
ReplyDeletePeer assessments/reviews is a new concept for me, but it seems like it could be very helpful to students because this form of assessment allows for students to hear from someone other than the teacher. As long as their as anonymity, this could work.
Queamani Mickens, I agree that scholar self-assessment provides a full representation of their work and will require honesty, which is a great benefit and value to enhanced learning. Although the peer-assessment is a new concept, be encouraged that it may start out as the teacher modeling with one item for the class to provide feedback within the whole group setting. Of course scholar names would need to be anonymous. The next phase would be in groups to give feedback. This process continues until the class is calibrated to ensure that the assessment tools are reliable and free from user error and subjectivity.
Delete~Charmaine Jennings, PLA Training Specialist
Action #1: There are many pros to scholar self-assessments. The first is that it shows that students have a begin with end in mind process. In order to assess their progress they need to have clear measurable criteria and expectations. Students tend to ask more specific questions when they are required to hold themselves accountable. Another pro is that students will become more proactive to set themselves up for success. The con to scholar self-assessment is when there are ineffective tools selected, and if there is a scholar who has an inaccurate lens or perspective which prevents the scholar to accurately rate their success.
ReplyDeleteAction#2: I largely believe that peer assessment is the start to a collaborative environment. It communicates to scholars that every voice in the classroom can support their growth and add value to their learning. The cons is the time that it takes to train scholars for the feedback process and how to utilize the instrument. This requires teachers to utilize specific age appropriate assessment tools and the gradual release of responsibility method before permitting the students to initiate scholar-to-scholar feedback in written and/or verbal forms.
~Charmaine Jennings, PLA Training Specialist
Action 1: I have used self assessments mostly when I taught 3 grade, the students would correct their own daily IRead warm up, to get immediate feedback, the goal was to obtain 80% accuracy. This was used as their goal to pass IRead. Sometimes a peer would grade the paper and then give back. Students were very supportive of each other. The students that didn't reach the goals, knew they had time to improve. It helped scholars be focused on the goals.
ReplyDeleteA con would be sometimes some scholars are not mature enough in how to give positive feedback when a mistake has occurred. Even if the correct form has been modeled. It also is more difficult with K students.
Action 2: Peer assessments are a good way of supporting the community sense of the classroom. The teacher does have to model and monitor, so it is done correctly. I have used with older students more than my actual K students. I look forward in trying to figure how to do this with COVID expectations.
I think there are many benefits for students to conduct self-assessments, they will have the ability to become more self-aware about their strengths and weaknesses. I think doing self-assessments will entail some conversation with the class too, as discussed within this hack, where one should discuss that it is ok to be wrong and reinforces the need to be honest with oneself. I have used a short self-assessment tool in the library setting, which focused more on the goals that a reader would set for themselves throughout the semester.
ReplyDeleteI think it is important to have set clear guidelines when having a class do any sort of peer reviews or self-assessments, again, requiring a conversation on how they should be conducted and discussed once completed. These exercises could have a powerful impact on how students learn, but I do agree they need to be closely monitored in some settings. I like the idea of giving students some power in the feedback and grading system within the classroom and can see how this could assist students in further understanding/ownership for their grades.
Heather, I love how you said self-assessments will make students more "self-aware." I could not agree more! It will absolutely show them their strengths and weaknesses and those weaknesses are something that we can help scholars with! Thank you for sharing!
DeleteAudree Zabel GVPLA
Some pros of letting students to a self-assessment would be that they are taking ownership of their work. What I mean by this is that they can literally grade themselves on their performance. In the beginning, before the students do their first self-assessment, I would go through some example assignments and have them help me grade. I feel like this will show them exaclty what to do and what's expected.
ReplyDeleteA con I immediately thought was that students wouldn't grade themselves sincerely. If this happens, then I can pull them aside and guide them through it and show them that if they don't like the grade they got, how they can improve next time. Giving them the freedom is something I want to do, but honesty is going to play a HUGE role in this.
The same for peers assessing their work. They may be friends and want to give each other good grades, but at the same time, the same rules apply. They need to grade honestly and if their peer doesn't like the grade they get back, then need to come talk to me, not their peer. If I do this, which I definitely can see myself doing both, I will have guidelines put in place and we will go through some examples as a whole group like I mentioned earlier.
Audree Zabel GVPLA
When students do self assessments, I believe it allows them to see the things that they may need more help with. It helps them see what they are already good at as well. I believe it allows students to do some self reflection and have more of a discussion about what went right and what went wrong with the teacher if needed.
ReplyDeleteI believe the cons of letting students do self assessments include not getting an accurate assessment of their work. In my experience, students change their answers to make sure they get them right. They are more worried about the grade on the assignment than actually talking about it. It has to be said that it's ok to make mistakes and fix them, but they have to be honest when doing self assessments.
I believe that there needs to be a healthy balance of allowing students to do self assessments and have the teacher doing assessments. I think that it helps to have both and have time for students to ask questions about the ones they got wrong if they would like to. I also like going through a graded assignment with the class to give them that opportunity. This helps in case there is something that I missed or they can explain to me why they did what they did. If they have a good explanation, they might get a better grade than had been originally given.