Chapter 2 of our text, How to Assess Through Higher Order Thinking Skills in Your Classroom, wraps up with a section on student self assessment. The author, Brookhart, references a study in which students in a math class were given an opportunity to self assess over a long period of time. These students experienced a significant increase in achievement after participating in the 12 week self evaluation training. Do you use student self evaluation in your classroom? What format do you use? Do you think there should be a greater emphasis on using this assessment technique in all classrooms? Why? Look forward to your input.
As I attempt to post this for the third time.....I do use self-assessment infrequently in class. The most typical way in which I use it would be when giving back a test or quiz, I'll say "alright folks, take five minutes to review the test before we go over it as a class". Undoubtedly, I'll get three students who say "oh man, I got that multiple choice wrong and I had the right answer the first time!". I usually respond by telling them that their first instinct is typically right. This simple exchange may seem silly but it is the students evaluating their own work and coming to a conclusion about what they scored incorrectly and why. It also gives them an opportunity to discern what are "silly" mistakes (carelessness) versus unavoidable mistakes because they did not know the material. Sometimes I will have a student come to me at the end of class and say "I didn't study hard enough" or "I should have come for extra help because clearly I didn't get it". What better self-assessment than to know when you don't know? Bottom line is that self-assessment on the part of students works effectively the same as it does with teachers: when it is mature, honest, and forthright .
ReplyDeleteI'm a Pre-k teacher and so, the self-evaluation process is a little bit different. I tend to use the self-evaluation technique in a small group, but with my middle and high level students. The method is informal and very simple, ex - "Are you sure that is a ABB pattern?" "Look at it again, what could you have done differently?" or "How do you know?" With the little ones there needs to be a bit more guidance when it comes to the self-evaluation process, so that when they get to the higher grades, they may start self-evaluating independently. I do feel that the self-evaluation process is an essential teaching technique not only for students, but for teachers, especially when it comes to teaching a lesson. Self-evaluating may be way for educators to analyze what went well or wrong within the lesson and how to improve or modify the lesson for next time.
ReplyDeleteDuring my teaching, I can think of a few ways that I allowed the students to self asses themselves. First, I often allowed my students to peer edit and self-check their writing as part of the writing process. This allowed the students to understand and have immediate feedback about their thoughts. Second, my students were occasionally allowed to grade in pen their weekly multiple choice questions from their reading story. Once my students did this, we discussed any questions that many students got wrong. Third, my students were able to use checklist in order to complete their assignments. This helped them stay on task and accomplish more in a short amount of time. I think there should be more emphasis on self-assessments in the classroom. It is a great method for students to identify any mistakes and make improvement before the next test or assignment.
ReplyDeleteI believe self-evaluation is beneficially for not only students but teachers as well. When teaching the younger students I will ask them to think about what they just said or I will simply say to the students “Let me see if I understood you” or “ok so you are saying…” and then restate what they had just said. Most of the time they will respond with “Wait! I meant to say..” and then they will correct their answer. I feel as though if they correct themselves they have realized what might have confused them in the first place and even though they answered incorrect the first time, they understand the lesson enough to correct their answer. With the younger students sometimes it is just blurting out the answer because they don’t have the patience. When doing this with the students I also have the materials between myself and the student so we are able to go back in the book for example and reread what was stated. Even for adults I feel as though self-evaluation is necessary because let’s face it when being told by someone else you have done something incorrectly it doesn’t go down as easily as catching a mistake on your own. Therefore, yes I think this type of assessment is beneficial in a classroom.
ReplyDeleteI just recently had students self edit their work on a compare and contrast essay that they wrote in class. While it went alright, there were definitely some changes I should have made and will make going forward. Self-assessment can be a challenge at times as I find that certain students take self-assessment personally. For instance, for a student to make a change to their work means admitting to a previous mistake. Some students do not want to admit to this mistake while others just want to complete the self-assessment as fast as possible so that they can move onto the next task. While students are capable of completing a self-assessment activity, like anything we introduce, it takes guidance and practice.
ReplyDeleteAs Brookhart mentions on page 59, self-assessment skills need to be taught. In order for students to self-assess or edit their work it is important that we spend the time showing students how to properly do so. Next time I go through a self-assessment exercise, I will provide students with a rubric or checklist so that they can connect their work to the criteria. Then, I can model an example on the board, and walk the class through the corrections that need to be made so they can better understand the process.
In conclusion, I think self-assessment is beneficial and should be tied into more lessons as it allows students to practice higher level thinking skills, through analyzing and evaluating their work.
I think self-assessment is an important part of students’ learning process. It gives students a great opportunity to reflect upon not only on their strengths but on their weaknesses. In my class, I do both self-assessment and peer-assessment. For example, after presenting a project, I have my students give specific feedback to the presenter. At the same time, I let the presenter evaluate his own work. Finally, I let the presenter read through the comments made by his peers and eventually come up with a grade that he/she thinks is appropriate. Through self-assessment and some assistance from peers, students can develop a much greater insight into their work. This process also gives students an opportunity to notice and realize things about their work they otherwise would not have noticed.
ReplyDeleteI think that self-assessment is an important of student learning and growth in he classroom. There are a few ways that I have had students self asses themselves. Editing and checking their own writing pieces has been beneficial in my classrooms. I think this is good bc it allows a student to proofread their work and correct mistakes they pick up on before I even see it. I like when each student gets a partner and they go over and edit each others work as well. I have even had them work in pairs to give advice and feedback about how the student can improve their writing piece. I feel getting feedback from peers is beneficial to a students growth and sometimes more effective than my marks on their papers. I have also had students fill out planning, monitoring, and evaluation sheets to asses their work. These ask students how they think they did and how they can improve for next time. I have used these sheets mostly with students with special needs as they were required for APA state testing as a tool for students to assess their own work. I found these to be a good way to create a conversation with my students that made them discuss their work and how they could improve. I have also had my students my use checklists and rubrics to complete their work. These helped them because then they knew exactly what was expected of them for the assignment and could check how they were doing throughout the time it took them to complete the assignment. I believe that there should be more emphasis on self-assessments in the classroom. It helps students pick up on their errors and plan for better work next time. These self-assessments should be used in general education as well as special education.
ReplyDeleteThis is from Donna Russomanno:
ReplyDeleteSelf evaluation: I believe there are great benefits of of students judging the quality of their work, based on evidence and a specific rubric given to them. From my experience it has shown that it will help them do better in the future and there is a lot to gain from it. I do use it in my classroom, I start by making it known how self-evaluation can benefit them. Any time I give them any form of an assignment, they are given a rubric to guide them. I always give them a evaluation to fill out after tests, asking them what was an effect strategy when they studied or what was not. Sometimes, just being asked that can get them to ponder their study habits, when they may have not done so had they not been ask.
Self assessment for children is absolutely an important task because children need to evaluate their own work and know if they can personally identify their strengths and weaknesses. I would like to know what my students feel they need help on, even at the kindergarten level they catch on quickly. I have students that tell me I need to fix the way I make that letter. This allows the teacher and the student to work as a team and set goals for themselves. If you’re teaching at a higher level, perhaps the teacher can have the student set a goal for themselves such as “I will study real hard and know all my 12 times tables by next Friday. The child is telling the teacher a goal they have been able to set for themselves which turns out to be real beneficial for both the teacher and student. Teachers also should give frequent enough tests to allow students to get familiar with the test process because this can be really scary for young children.
ReplyDeleteI would allow students in my classroom to self-assess themselves by editing their own work. Students in kindergarten are told not to use their erasers. So just imagine what I go through grading their work it can be very difficult to read but they are getting better everyday. I always have the children go back and fix any mistakes they see whether it’s a short writing example or during a Math lesson. My children are still to young for peer assessment but perhaps by the end of the year I can incorporate it somehow. It certainly is beneficial because it challenges the students to use higher order thinking skills and apply them to their work.