Grade Yourself

Provide objectives and the method in which you will grade students for each assignment. Also, provide a place and time for each student to reflect on their assignment and if they are reaching expectations.

Grading systems are often very complicated and seem overwhelming for students.  By providing time for students to reflect on their work, self-assess, and designate a grade, this helps them understand how grades work, how it is connected to learning and allows them to see value in learning.

Strategy summary:

By creating rubrics and specific expectations for student work and asking them to reflect and grade their learning, teachers create an opportunity for metacognition and a deeper understanding how learning and effort is connected to their grades.

How to:

Before Class:
  1. Target 1-3 objectives for each assignment.  Make sure they are written at the top of a handout or on board so students can see.

  2. Create a point system that is transparent for assignments and connects to the objectives shared.  For example, delineate how many sentences you are looking for in a response (or vocabulary words or steps in problem). 

During Class:
  1.  Assign practice work that connects to the objectives you chose.  Have students grade themselves on each question / problem based on these.

  2. Provide time for students to reflect on the quality of their work and effort on the assignment.
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