Collaborating with learners on assessment strategies

Photo Courtesy of Shena Macdonald


Part of Mrs Moore's training for new teachers includes using rubrics to assess learners. The closeness in mark difference between markers' sheets when using rubrics is remarkable. Thus we began discussing how include in the learners in the assessment process. We hoped that understanding the assessment process would improve learners results.


Robertson (2013) suggests that learning environments adequately prepare students for the working world when they encourage critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration and leadership, agility and adaptability, and initiative and entrepreneurialism.


We have discovered that using self-evaluations has improved the learners critical thinking skills and this allows them to identify and solve problems on their own. Filling in the evaluation gives them time to reflect on and pinpoint problematic areas that they can improve on in the future. Self-evaluations also promote transparency in assessment as our marks are often very similar to the learners own evaluations. Discrepancies in a learners assessment and a teachers' evaluation are also discussed and this helps learners identify misunderstandings. Thus using collaborative assessment to promote transparency teaches learners that their marks are based on performance rather than teacher's bias.


Robertson (2013) states that the comprehensive nature of grading rubrics sometimes stifles learners’ creativity and independence. Therefore Robertson (2013) suggests that allowing students to create their own formative assessment rubrics promotes autonomy and critical thinking.


We have allowed some the junior classes to create their own rubric, but unfortunately senior learners' rubric is set by the Education Department. However we do discuss and customise the rubric as a class. I will add some examples to this post soon.


Thus this blog will document how my Mtech study furthers my research on how involving students in the application of various assessment strategies improves critical thinking and transparent assessment. For now, let me comment on the various programs we have tried as online tools for self-assessment.

Initially we used Survey Monkey to create self evaluations. However, During 2013 we also began exploring various Google functions. We loved its similarity to familiar programs such as Excel, Powerpoint and Word and the collaborative elements were perfect for classroom activities. Using Google forms for self-evaluations was edit friendly in comparison to the free version of Survey Monkey. Another excellent feature of Google forms was that the response came through in a spreadsheet format. We were already marking off Excel Spreadsheets, but we were manually entering the students self-evaluation scores. Therefore having the learners responses come through in a spreadsheet format was much easier! It also allowed us to keep clearer records of where the learners felt they were at and how they were improving.


I will post a tutorial on how we use excel to mark as well as screenshots of how Google forms works.


Link to PPT showing practical examples of how online assessment works





Robertson, K. 2013. Assessment as an Opportunity for Developing Independent


Thinking Skills in Students. (online) Available at: http://www.facultyfocus.com/


articles/educational-assessment/assessment-as-an- opportunity-for-developing-independent-thinking-skills-in-students/ (Accessed October 2013)

A much needed extra pair of hands...

Photo Courtesy of Shena Macdonald

Being a teacher in state school I always wish I could afford a teaching assistant. I mean I can't complain too much my class sizes are a lot smaller than most state schools but still. Well I had no idea that my blog and working online could be just that.

A blog is kind of like a spiderweb or library catalogue. By placing a link on the blog the learners are able to click on it and it takes them to content on my Google Drive or to another website or online tutorial or video.

This means that the computer can teach the learners! What a blessing! Especially when you are a new teacher or your subject requires one-one interaction.


Link to Post where learners access different wirework tutorials

Mrs Moore has been slowly building our equipment base over the past few years so learners are exposed to wide range of art techniques.  Some of the art techniques are new to me, so providing links to youtube clips and tutorials allows me to learn with the students.  Also many of the tutorials are posted by professionals who have been making art for a lot longer than me.

This meant that the educational content covered in my course was not limited to my knowledge. Some teachers may find this disconcerting, but I find it liberating. Suddenly I can be sure that my learners are also responsible for their education, I have guided them to fields of knowledge and how much they gain is dependant on their engagement.  Also working with an experienced teacher likes Mrs Moore means I can point the learners to her blog or vet links through her. So working collaboratively certainly fast tracks one's personal learning quipping learners with skills needed to navigate a world of information overload and Google.

Providing links to other tutorials also saves me time, I may know how to do something but recording a tutorial takes time, but posting a link is immediate. Suddenly my lesson aids are done for me and I have more time to focus on assessment and helping learners individually (this is very important in art).

I also find that online tutorials provide the learners with assistance at home during their homework sessions.  This means that they are less frustrated by the feeling of being helpless. Obviously access to internet does limit their engagement at times, but we have tried to combat this by providing internet access during second breaks.



Link to example of a Homework post with a Paper Bead Tutorial

Another benefit of using the blog to host links and tutorials is that learners can comment and add links to useful sites that they find during their research sessions. This means that the art studio becomes a more collaborative space and education content is not limited to the teacher's research and knowledge.

 I also find that the senior learners end up working on a diverse range of art mediums.  Thus some learners will use the tutorials to teach themselves, while I am busy demonstrating a different technique to another group of students. I can then come back and check up on one group and advise them on tips for their next experiment.  Thus working online extends the variety of art products being produced in our studios.  

I will write another post about how working online assists me with record keeping and handing out feedback and assessment reports.

Link to PPT on creating links in a Blog Post