In
the previous two posts, I’ve shared ideas for helping teachers lighten their
load by getting
rid of worksheets that are ineffective and time-consuming to grade and by
having students instead collaborate, read, and write. I talked about the power
of conferring about students’ reading and writing, and about how providing fewer
comments and more celebrations can increase the impact of feedback while
reducing teachers’ workload. I mentioned student self-assessment as another way
to lighten the load. This week, I want to dig a little deeper into this,
exploring ideas for self-assessment.
Learning
actually increases when teachers assess less and students assess more. Self-assessment contributes to the learning
process and helps learners direct their energy toward areas for
improvement. Self-assessment is like
being your own editor, developing an eye for improving your own work. It helps
students understand the criteria for success and gives them responsibility for
their own learning.
With
these powerful benefits, it makes sense to share student self-assessment
strategies when you coach teachers who aren’t using these practices. I like to offer a few as options, giving the
teacher agency in selecting what will work best for her and for her students. Here are a few favorite self-assessment
strategies:
Leveled
Turn-It-In Baskets: Instead
of one basket for completed student work, have three: an “I still need more
practice” basket, an “I’ve got this” basket, and a “Give me a challenge”
basket. When students sort their own
work, they are agentive about next steps – ready to revisit a confusing concept
or rise to a more demanding application.
The Thumb: Every student
has a built-in indicator for understanding – their thumb. At times in the
lesson when teachers want to see how well students are grasping a concept, they
can ask, and students can give a thumbs up, sideways, or down to rate their
grasp of the content or skill. No papers to copy, distribute, gather, or grade.
Just look at thumbs.
An
alternate version of the thumb is the finger. One finger for “I still need more
practice,” etc. (as described in the basket example, above). This self-assessment can be privately held
close to the chest for students who may be uncomfortable showing that they
don’t understand.
Exit Slip: A ticket out
the door is a quick way to have students say a little something about their
learning that day. It ensures reflection, which is a great way to boost
retention. Although I often use exit slips for formative assessments that I
will evaluate, the exit-slip-as-self-assessment has a different purpose: It
asks students to evaluate their own learning. The prompt can vary. Here are a
few examples:
·
Was
today’s activity helpful? Why or Why not?
·
Did
you ask for help when you needed it?
·
What
do you need more practice with?
·
Did
you try your best?
·
Was
this activity easy, a bit challenging, or very difficult? Why?
·
What
resources helped you learn today?
And
here’s a link
to an exit ticket in Word that you can share and teachers can personalize.
Partner Talk
Students
can ask their thinking partner to self-evaluate. Create a self-assessment
anchor chart with students; it may have prompts similar to those listed above
(for exit slips). With this anchor chart handy, students can ask peers to
reflect aloud about their own learning.
The Importance
of Clear Criteria
Before
teachers jump in and try any of the above, they’ll need clear success criteria
for each learning activity, and they’ll need to clearly communicate these
criteria to their students. Having clear success criteria helps kids be more
accurate in their self-assessments. Clear criteria mean students are more
likely to give a thumbs down when there are skills they are stuck on. And there
will be more cause for celebration when the papers in the “Give me a challenge”
basket truly demonstrate understanding.
Self-assessment
is a way to take the evaluation load off of the teacher. And, importantly, it makes instruction more
impactful and helps students grow.
This week, you
might want to take a look at:
The
traffic light system for self-assessment:
A
podcast on improving student feedback:
Tips
for asking better coaching questions after observations:
Be
still and learn what teachers need:
How
to respond when students claim, “I don’t read!”:
That’s it for
this week. Happy Coaching!
Was this helpful? Please share!
Want to know about new posts? Click
“Follow” (bottom right)
No comments:
Post a Comment