Extension - #2 Re-Evaluate Value

After some reflection on Goal #2 and my belief in letting students take more control of their learning, I asked out on Twitter:

How often do you let students assess/evaluate YOU?

And what's the best method to do so?

Some great responses that further the discussion!  Thanks to my great PLN for adding to the conversation.

@MisterEason is ready to empower students with anonymous forms for feedback knowing that there is the possibility for some harsh answers.  And we should be prepared for that.  But perhaps we can work on building trust and communication with our students.  That goes a long way.

I like the idea of regular assessment from the students so that they get used to it and feel that they are part of the learning process.  @TziPittinsky does just that and modifies tests, preparation, etc. depending on his survey results that are on every test.

@ileducprof has students assess teaching and content in the middle and end of a trimester.  I would love to delve further into the idea of "formal" vs. "informal" teacher assessment and how the questions might differ for each.

Seeing that forms/surveys seem to be a popular method to elicit student assessment responses, my next query is this:

If you put together a survey for students to assess you,

what would your most effective question be?

Some interesting questions that have me thinking about what my own question would be.

Here is a mix of trust/communication between student and teacher (@ateachingheart), the extension of learning beyond the classroom (@pamfb7557), and the inclusion of students in the planning/teaching process (@8rinaldi).  All very important components of a successful learning experience.  Our questions can be as diverse as our own teaching styles and belief systems about what is most important in a learning environment.

This is fascinating, don't you think?  What would YOUR most important question be to elicit student assessment on your teaching methods, delivery of content, the content itself, how you assess, etc.?  How can student input help us to refine all of this so we are the most effective at doing our job?

Would love input... what are your thoughts?

Goal #2 - Re-Evaluate Value

Re-Evaluate Value

Quote

“Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count;everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted.”

by Albert Einstein

Goal

Short-term- Change the way you assess one assignment or project and try to assess in a way that doesn’t add a numerical value but has the student seek value in the progress made, the learning achieved, or the work put into it. For the teachers on holiday, like in Argentina, just reflect on how you will change the assessment process of a project. Alternatively, think about a way to help students re-evaluate how they value themselves. Is it only through a number?

Long-term- In what ways can we help our students re-evaluate the way they value themselves? What changes to assessment can we make to have students reflect more on the learning journey instead of being programmed to place value only on the score?

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Recently, I read this article about homework and student suggestions on how to make it meaningful.  Worth the read.  All assessment should be meaningful, whether homework, a test, etc.

How do we make assessment meaningful?

For me, I give hands-on projects almost exclusively for my classes.  I want students to explore the technology tools available to them and try using them in unique ways.  My 6th graders create their own websites through Weebly and are allowed to be very creative.  Right now I have paired up with the Language Arts teacher and the kids are presenting a research project on Egypt through their websites.  Even though they do class projects on their websites, they are allowed to create extra pages for their own personal use and expression.

I believe it is important to give students the opportunity to showcase their work for others to see (we share our websites).  In addition to my comments on their work, they can view the work of their peers.

At the end of each activity, my homework for them is to write a quick reflection and put it on their Reflections page on their website.  This gives them the opportunity to revisit and extend the learning.  It also gives them access to me and informally "assessing" how I did with the activity. 

Much of this is my way of giving students some measure of control over their own learning (I have a long way to go, but I'm trying!).  I even have 8th graders create quizzes through Forms in Google Docs for the entire Upper School - what an eye-opener for them this activity is!  They must create the quiz, make the form, collect the data (students sign in with numbers to protect their privacy), and grade them.  Being the teacher is more difficult than they originally thought it to be!  And I learn a lot along the way about their perceptions of teachers and quizzes too!


So I need to give them more control, structured control, over their own learning.  This includes the assessment piece and I definitely need to give students more opportunities to assess me.

Reflection is important for ALL learners!

Goal #1 - Be A Beam

Be A Beam

Being a beam can mean you are part of a support system.

Quote

“You cannot force commitment, what you can do…You nudge a little here, inspire a little there, and provide a role model. Your primary influence is the environment you create.”

by Peter Senge, suggested by John Evans (@joevans)

Goal

Short-term- Offer a student or other educator you see struggling support. It could be a colleague who is stressed or a student struggling with another subject. Who in your life needs your support?

Long-term- In what ways can we help students learn to support each other throughout the learning process? How can we build a supportive community with the colleagues in our school? How do we get away from the “us” versus “them” mentality?

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I interpret being a "beam" in two different ways. One way is presented in the 30 Goals Challenge where we are tasked to be part of the great support system every human needs.

Today I did this in a small, but hopefully significant, way.  I spend a lot of time on the internet and have a knack for finding interesting and quirky sites, resources, and ideas.  Inevitably, many of these links go out to the staff at my school, my PLN, and anyone else within reach.  I think that it is important to listen to those around me and know what they are interested in so that I can target my offerings to them specifically.  After all, who wants a batch of links thrown at them that are not meaningful?

This time, the social studies teacher got the link to Voki for Education and some ideas on how we could use this in her class.  She currently is using ZooBurst with grade 8 as they work with grade 3 on a collaborative project (a teacher very receptive to new ideas on how students can express themselves and their ideas creatively). 

The "support beam" part of this comes with my personal commentary on the links and the open offer to help my colleagues implement, learn, and explore anything I throw their way.  The follow-up is important.  Time gets away from us, we can be self-conscious, etc.  Having a positive interaction with a supportive person that is helpful and willing to jump in with you can get the ball rolling!  I am willing to stumble and fail right alongside my colleagues while we learn how to get the best out of something.

Being a beam can also mean you bring inspiration and light.

The second interpretation of "beam" for me is a beam of light.  To be inspiration. I am passionate about letting students express themselves creatively and taking control of their learning.  Any resources or tools that I can find to help with this process, I bring to the staff.

Beyond that, I use these ideas in my own classroom, model them, and bring the results (good and not so good) back to my colleagues.  But I am upbeat and positive and ready to explore.  This brings a beam of curiousity into the mix and gets us thinking in new and innovative ways!

Both beams are strong.  The support beam bears weight and helps carry the load whereas the beam of light is a bringer of inspiration and wonder.  I hope to have components of each in myself!