Can anyone explain the point of self / peer assessment?

[Strawbales]

It’s the absolute bane of my life. I don’t mean when students are set a quiz and it’s a tick or a cross. That’s fine. I mean when they are expected to endlessly assess themselves.

They don’t get it and despite success criteria etc mine just write ‘nice handwriting / write more’ sort of targets.

Am I the only teacher who loathes it?

You probably need to post on The Staffroom.

As a parent my understanding is the teacher should be giving clear criteria to look for. Looking for it in the work of others helps students recognise when they see / don't see it.

I think you need a certain level of maturity to do it well, and it also probably needs to be 'second looked' at by the teacher. DD had some very dodgy peer reviews done, I think it can also used to bully pupils.

How old are they? I used to teach UKS2 and they used it effectively. I rather liked doing it! Excuse me if I'm teaching you how to suck eggs, but are you modelling one or two assessments for them before you sent them off to do it?

I don’t see how you’d have time - and to be honest even when I have modelled it they don’t tend to give particularly meaningful feedback! My school love it. I loathe it!

Maybe ask to go and observe how it's done in a class that's using it effectively? I always think there aren't enough chances for peer observation in teaching! Good luck.

I really don’t have time - I must admit I’m not convinced of it’s effectiveness at all, so a bit surprised by the answers! Am I the only cynic?

They say write more or it’s excellent because they are comparing it to their own work or they haven’t understood what good work looks like in the context

I get mine to set the success criteria together - with steering from me - and show what these look like when hit then get them to choose one and say where improvements can be made.

Works nicely from gcse upwards I find, especially peer assessment, weaker kids getting to read model answers is great, the other kid getting to tell the other how to improve also helps them!

Do you think so? Perhaps it is subject dependent.

@Strawbales

What subject do you teach?

I teach religion and philosophy

@Strawbales

I really don’t have time - I must admit I’m not convinced of it’s effectiveness at all, so a bit surprised by the answers! Am I the only cynic?

No, you are not! I think it’s a waste of time. By all means read out passages from the pupils’ work which model good answers, but otherwise no. I wouldn’t want half an hour of lesson time to be spent in this way. In my experience the pupils dislike it too. It doesn’t really work in maths, luckily.

DD’s school do this and it works well but it is a school full of driven and high achieving students. It helps them refer to the mark scheme. Be conscious of errors when composing work, look at their own work with a a critical eye before they know it is going to be marked so may seem a waste of time but knowledge and development of style and substance, accuracy and relevance does seem to build up over time.