So many students live in fear of the word ‘assessment’ because we are afraid of performing poorly. I think for a lot of kids growing up, myself included, your self-worth was reflected in the grade at the top of your test. That grade was going to influence what my teacher thought of me, my parents thought of me, and what I thought of myself, because more than anything I wanted people to think of me as smart. Students are so focused on the number, the prize at the end that they are missing out on the actual learning experiences. I believe this line of thinking kills the love of learning.
We need to start teaching students that assessments are not something to be afraid of, they are opportunities to shine and show teachers what they have learned. Drake, Reid, & Kolohan (2014), discuss the benefits of involving students in the assessment process. Effective peer and self-assessment rely on being assessment literate (Drake et al., 2014). This to me seems like a team effort between both students as well as teachers. Teachers and students need to work together to make sure not only the content is understood, but what will be expected of them assessment wise as well. Dr. Eddy White (2009), created a slideshow on what it means to be assessment literate, and notes that above all thing the goal of assessment should be to improve both learning and teaching. By having students involved more in the building of assessments hopefully it will make students more comfortable and less afraid to fail. The image on the left was taken from Ed Prep Matters and it outlines how students do want to be involved in assessment building! By doing simple activities such having the class work with the teacher to create a rubric or the guidelines for a project can make everyone aware of what is required of them in order to succeed. There are plenty of resources available, like education.com for teachers to become assessment literate and how this process can make their students more active learners!
Drake et al., (2014) also discuss peer-assessment as a way of creating assessment literacy. By teaching students how to give appropriate, articulate feed back, (Drake et al., 2014) students begin to recognize ‘what about this was well done?’ ‘what could be done better?’ which in turn helps them be able to turn around and evaluate their own work in order to improve. This helps students understand that learning is a process and there are always things that can be improved upon, there is always more we can learn, and more ways we can push ourselves. It teaches students to become reflective, critical thinkers, connecting their work to their outcome, (Drake et al., 2014). Although the comic above by Charles M. Schulz is meant to be humorous, it draws attention to the fact that it is important for students to understand where their grades are coming from, especially if we want them to take these experiences and improve on them for the future.
I’m sure that many students have heard the words “pass your test to the person behind you to mark” but this is not true peer-assessment. Students are one of the best resources a teacher can use! Feedback is so valuable in becoming an active learner, so we should teach students to take advantage of it from a young age. As adults we constantly rely on the input and feedback from our peers in order to present our best work, so why shouldn’t students do so as well. Unfortunately, likely every student can think of an assessment experience that was less than positive, however by incorporating students into our assessment practices we can help students get to a play where assessment becomes a reflection of growth that they are not afraid of, instead they are eager to demonstrate what they have learned.
References
Barnes, S. (2014). Report Shows Need for Better Assessment Literacy. Ed Prep Matters. http://edprepmatters.net/2014/05/report-shows-need-for-better-assessment-literacy/
Drake, S. M., Reid, J. L., & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Assessment: Engaging the 21st Century Learner. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.
Schultz, C.M., (2015). "C". http://www.peanuts.com/comics/#.VjlcEa6rSt8
White, E. PhD. (2009). Assessment literacy for effective classroom-based assessment. http://www.slideshare.net/ewhite/assessment-literacy-effective-classroombased-assessment-presentation-907377
Witte, R. H. PhD. (2010). Assessment Literacy in Today’s Classroom. Education.com. http://www.education.com/reference/article/assessment-literacy-todays-classroom/
