Assessment
To Begin:Including Peers
Students can sometimes better comprehend a comcept when they are allowed to explain their understanding to other students and then provide feedback to each other. This is peer learning. Such peer based interactions often occur beyond the classroom walls. Student-to-student explanations or reviews can be included using online tools. Peer learning can become peer assessment. And when peer assessments are written down, they can be rated and discussed.
Peer assessment works differently from teacher driven assessment. Perhaps because it opens the possibility for conversations about what is acceptable evidence of accomplishment. If students are also allowed to respond to or mark peers’ work, and exercise their own judgement with their peers’ work, then a better understanding of the process of assessment can emerge.
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Peer assessment |
Other assessment |
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Student centred and active. Allows for a differentiated understanding of gaps in comprehension |
Content centred |
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Clear criteria allow students to jointly consider what constitutes “good work” |
Could be norm referenced. Or the given criteria are not discussed |
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Often involves authentic tasks because of the process of giving and receiving feedback |
Difficult to link to authentic task |
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Provides opportunities for building confidence and shows that mistakes are not failures, but opportunities for learning |
Limited or negative effect on confidence |
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Motivates students to participate and thus develop a sense of ownership about the assessment process |
Students are isolated from the assessment process |
Peer assessments do not have to be final. The receiver of the review can respond to the peer reviewer. A "rate my review" button, slider or stars, gives the peer a quick mechanism to offer their response.