Peer Assessment: A Type of Assessment That Has Shown to Be Helpful in My Classroom

 

Peer Assessment: A Type of Assessment That Has Shown to Be Helpful in My Classroom

Author: Santosh Kumar Biswa, Sr. Teacher, Damphu CS, Tsirang, Bhutan

 

Peer assessment is one type of assessment that has shown to be helpful in my classroom practice. I tried using it in my class after learning about it and discovered that it is a useful technique that helps students gain a deeper knowledge of the material while also enhancing their critical thinking and communication abilities. Also, I observed my students take charge of their education and acquire crucial competencies. I came to see that by assessing the work of their peers and offering helpful criticism, they are developing their independence as learners, which will help them in their future academic and professional endeavors. This is the most successful assessment practice that I can use in my classroom to improve learning outcomes, enhance the learning experience of my students, and achieve better learning outcomes.

Peer assessment has significantly enhanced and boosted student engagement and motivation, in my experience. My students seem to put more effort into their education and are more likely to take responsibility for their learning, according to what I've seen. Peer assessment can encourage students and boost their involvement in the classroom, according to a study by Falchikov and Goldfinch (2000). On the other hand, the learning environment in the classroom has evolved into one where students collaborate to accomplish shared learning objectives. Students can offer constructive comments, ideas, and feedback by evaluating the work of their peers, which enables their peers to better comprehend the subject matter. This results in greater academic performance and better learning outcomes for all students participating. According to research by Topping (1998), peer assessment can result in more feedback and better learning results.

Most significantly, it has helped me identify areas where students are underperforming so that I can provide focused support and remedial lessons to them. Students can uncover frequent errors and misunderstandings by assessing the work of their peers, which can help me modify my teaching strategy and provide targeted support when necessary. Better learning results for all participating pupils may result from this. In a study by Xu and colleagues (2020), peer evaluation was used in a statistics course for undergraduate students as an illustration of how peer assessment has proven helpful in the classroom. The study found that students who took part in peer assessment had a deeper knowledge of the course material and were more motivated to learn. Also, students who got criticism from their peers were more inclined to consider it and make changes to their work.

In conclusion, peer assessment has helped me a lot by improving my student's writing skills, grammar, and sentence structuring through peer feedback and suggestion. Additionally, it has aided me in refining my lesson plans by analyzing the feedback I received, raising student motivation and engagement, giving additional feedback, and identifying possible problems. Thus, peer assessment is the one that has been most useful for my practice in the classroom

References:

Falchikov, N., & Goldfinch, J. (2000). Student peer assessment in higher education: A meta-analysis comparing peer and teacher marks. Review of Educational Research, 70(3), 287-322. https://canvas.northwestern.edu/courses/65895/files/4174907/download?verifier=NsnUjYxB6DGEacTkv5Ajeniaf7hA0eaMc4GfTvab&wrap=1

Topping, K. (1998). Peer assessment between students in colleges and universities. Review of Educational Research, 68(3), 249-276. http://eportfolio.lib.ksu.edu.tw/user/T/0/T093000259/repository/1170598-Topping.pdf

Xu, X., Shen, J., & Li, Y. (2020). Peer assessment in statistics education: A quasi-experimental study. Journal of Statistics Education, 28(3), 181-191. doi: 10.1080/10691898.2020.1791212