What's your windshield like?

Lifelong learners are reflective - The power of self-assessment

 Self-assessment is the opportunity to mull over an experience and evaluate it. When we teach our students how to self-assess, we are really handing over the responsibility to understand to them.

And that is a beautiful thing!  

 Here are a few favorite ways to help students self-assess their understanding:

 

1.  What’s your windshield like? – If your understanding was a windshield, how might it look? Clear? Streaky? Muddy? Model what each description would mean for your students. Share and explain your answer and make a plan how you can begin to spray that windshield clean.

 

2.  Paint color strips – Go to any paint store and pick lots of three-color paint strips. They naturally go from light to dark. Have students choose their favorite colors and use them as a self-assessment tool. As your lesson progresses, stop and ask your students to point to where their understanding is so far. Light – totally get it, Middle – kind of get, but may need a little clarification, Dark – no clue yet. This will help you revise your teaching, form small groups, and confer with students. It also teaches students to be proactive learners and fight for understanding.

I’d love to hear some of your favorite ways for students to self-assess! It is always fun to try something new!