Self-Assessment and Decisions

This week in EDUC 350, we played a game called, C’est La Vie and in EDUC 410 we continued our discussion of assessment, including self-assessment. This game was very difficult, but interesting. We were given a character profile that included different things about us and those determined different things about our character that we were playing. The game was based on decisions that we had to make as an individual that impacted our life. However, depending on what we started out with, depended on the decisions we could make. In 410, we discussed self-assessment and how important it is for the student to assess themselves to see where they are. This type of assessment impacts decisions that will change a student’s future performance.

            My outside learning this week didn’t come from an actual article I read online. I decided to observe all my students in after-school care. I watched as my 1^st graders were working on homework and they would finish and try and just stuff it in their folder. However, I had them stop and I asked them if they answered all the questions that were being asked. I wanted them to self-assess themselves and go back over something as simple as their homework page and see if they did their best work. I wanted them to see that something as simple as homework still serves importance and they need to treat it in that way.

            A connection that I made between our two classes this week was that throughout the game when I was taking on a character and making life decisions for that person, I was stepping into their shoes and self-assessing. I would think, “Okay, if I choose to do this, I will end up doing this…” I would sit there and think about the decisions I was making and think about the impact it may have on the future. That’s what self-assessment is about. Our students can sit there and look over what they have completed and determine if they think they understood it and whether they felt like they have done their very best that will have a positive impact on their future.

            I learned this week that self-assessment is an important aspect in the overall topic of assessment and that it can be used in all things in day-to-day life. In my future classroom, I hope that I can teach my students that and help them realize how to self-assess. This way, when they are doing everyday activities, they realize they are making decisions constantly and deciding on what will be best for the future.

            In my opinion, my learning this week relates to NCTCS Standard 4 which is student learning. Students being able to assess themselves is a large component in their learning. While they are assessing themselves, they are learning and thinking so much more critically.