Rubrics & Assessment
I like to give my students all the criteria they'll be assessed on up-front. For assignments that require students to create their own products, I like to share rubrics as a guide for students to follow so they know exactly what is required and how they'll be assessed. They can also self-assess or have peers use the same rubric to provide feedback about their work too. For longer assignments, I also provide checklists and pacing documents that show what they're expected to complete by the end of each class. To go with the checklists and pacing documents, I also have students complete checkpoint forms so they have an additional record of the required material and so I can check to be sure their information is correct. If they submit any information that is not accurate, I still have time to provide actionable feedback so they may locate correct information for their project before it is due. Being able to provide feedback during the creation process lets them make corrections and better learn the material before they're expected to share their knowledge. This leads to higher confidence and better overall presentations.For this particular assignment, I've asked students to complete five checkpoints during the seven-day project. Day 1 is the introduction and Day 7 is the final presentation. If students don't complete checkpoints on time, that helps me know who to start with during the next class. If students have responses that don't quite fit the prompt I can step in and correct the issue before it becomes too big of a problem. At the end of the project, students will present their research and proposal for helping the population of an endangered species recover. The initial presentation will be to peers and to me. The final presentation will be uploaded to their digital portfolio so it is visible to anyone with access to their website! All of this will allow them to demonstrate content knowledge and to demonstrate the use of technology for research, presentation creation and sharing, and proper communication etiquette online and in the classroom.
Feedback
Once the assignment is complete, I ask students to submit feedback to their peers and to me. Students submit feedback to peers by completing a form on paper while their peers present their projects. Students give me this feedback and I check for appropriateness and then cluster the feedback by presentation groups so it can be redistributed during the following class. Students are also encouraged to give immediate feedback to the presenting group, but it's not required. Students submit feedback to me about their experience with the project by responding to a feedback prompt in Google Classroom or by providing feedback on paper. I appreciate that most students are comfortable providing both positive and negative feedback about their experiences with my assignments. The most helpful feedback is usually about what they didn't like or what they had difficulty with. Receiving that information helps me know what to focus on for improvement.On this particular assignment, my students enjoyed getting to choose if they worked with other students or if they worked by themselves. They also appreciated getting to select the specific organism their research focused on. Some students indicated they felt they could have done a better job if they had more time. But some students also indicated they felt they were finished early. Students enjoyed getting to select what digital tools they would use for their presentation, but some felt they needed more instruction on how to use some tools - especially Screencastify and how to embed videos and sound files. Most students were excited about getting to post their work online so anyone could view it. They said it made them work harder since they knew others would see their work.
References
I like the idea of having your students provide feedback to you and their peers for improvement. I have my students do the same for their collaborative group assignment. That's great that your students enjoyed your lesson and you received feedback. Having your students use technology for the lesson is great and engages students in learning rather than listening to lecture. I read an article that talked about this generation and how they like to post online for others to see. Your last sentence mentions that. Students will work harder if they know that other people will see their work because they care about what people think about them. Great job.
ReplyDeleteHey Haylee!
ReplyDeleteI think you did a very thorough job describing your assessment and feedback. You sound like you knew exactly what to provide to your students to help them stay on task and to help them understand what they will be assessed on. Giving students a rubric before the assignment helps them see what is expected of them.
I never thought that students might work harder on a project just because it will be posted for anyone to see. That is insightful to know when I present work for my students in the future. I was only able to use peers. They were older, so their minds do not function like students. It helps to see feedback from your lesson that I can implement in mine.
Thank you for your post. What a great assignment for your students. A applaud you for being present in the process. Giving them feedback as you go along. It is important to make sure that the students are on the correct path to allow them to move forward on a good standing, rather thank waiting until the end and them being lost from the beginning. It is also important that students are also giving feedback to each other. This created comradery among the students and acceptance with their peers. It also seems as if your students were able to take ownership of the project by not just following a script, but also being able to make their own choices. A great job!
ReplyDelete