Say what, Gwenie pig? You think junior high kids can assess themselves?
Yes, they can and they do. Constantly, who is your biggest critic? Yourself, and the same goes for them as well. Allowing students to work through an assignment, giving them specific details as to what classifies them as each step on the scale, and then asking them to put their score on the paper gives the students ownership not only of the work, but of the amount of practice they need to master the concept more fully. It helps them realize how much they truly know and how much homework, classwork and practice really does help them.
Yes, it does require coaching and a few students will need individual guidance with what the steps look like because they may rank themselves too low or too high. Students don't always fully grasp how it works. This is a big shift for the teacher and the students. Start small and be gentle. Remember these scores, although they can be seen in the gradebook do not actually affect their end grade if they are practice or homework scores, they are just a symbol of where they are performing right now.
The only grades that are to be scored as grades that count are the ones that assess the end product, after they have learned the material, practices at home and are now at a point where they should be at mastery if both the teacher and student have done their job. If the students are not completing homework, another form of consequence should be initiating if they are not reaching mastery without it. Tutoring, parent phone calls, practice at lunch, something where they can have the exposure so they will gain the skills needed.
The key to success with self-assessment is having clear guidelines for what is necessary for reaching each level on the scale. Identifiable benchmarks broken down from within the standard should be clearly defined or the terms such as how much explaining, completion and organization could be identified, but without this it will not be easy for kids to know what level they are at. It is important to set kids up for success!
Yes, they can and they do. Constantly, who is your biggest critic? Yourself, and the same goes for them as well. Allowing students to work through an assignment, giving them specific details as to what classifies them as each step on the scale, and then asking them to put their score on the paper gives the students ownership not only of the work, but of the amount of practice they need to master the concept more fully. It helps them realize how much they truly know and how much homework, classwork and practice really does help them.
Yes, it does require coaching and a few students will need individual guidance with what the steps look like because they may rank themselves too low or too high. Students don't always fully grasp how it works. This is a big shift for the teacher and the students. Start small and be gentle. Remember these scores, although they can be seen in the gradebook do not actually affect their end grade if they are practice or homework scores, they are just a symbol of where they are performing right now.
The only grades that are to be scored as grades that count are the ones that assess the end product, after they have learned the material, practices at home and are now at a point where they should be at mastery if both the teacher and student have done their job. If the students are not completing homework, another form of consequence should be initiating if they are not reaching mastery without it. Tutoring, parent phone calls, practice at lunch, something where they can have the exposure so they will gain the skills needed.
The key to success with self-assessment is having clear guidelines for what is necessary for reaching each level on the scale. Identifiable benchmarks broken down from within the standard should be clearly defined or the terms such as how much explaining, completion and organization could be identified, but without this it will not be easy for kids to know what level they are at. It is important to set kids up for success!
Comments
Post a Comment