A while back, I posted about a lesson I was doing in my class — Study Says Self-Reporting On Our Behavior Tends To Be “Positively Biased” – How I’ll Use This In The Classroom.
The purpose of the lesson was to help students see that we all often don’t have an accurate picture of ourselves.
As I wrote then:
My hope is that, in addition to possibly helping students monitor their own behavior more closely, this kind of lesson will be something I can refer back to when I speak with a student who doesn’t see a difference in their behavior…
The lesson went pretty well, and I’ve now learned of another study that I’ll include the next time I teach it. How accurate are most people’s self-assessments? is the title of a report on the research that reinforces what I hope students will learn…
I’ve found the accuracy/quality of peer and self assessments can largely depend on the quality of training/scaffolding learners receive at the early stages of such assessment. If we simply say “today you’re gonna grade your classmates’ work” and let them have at it, we’re not going to get very good assessments. At worst, the students will see it as a pointless exercise. However, if we help our students to be aware of assessment criteria and understand those assessment criteria, then peer and self assessment can work wonders!