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Student Self Assessment: Research Project
The Problem Defined:
I currently have a kindergarten student who is struggling behaviorally and in staying on task and engaged without interrupting the learning of himself and others. He continually is out of his assigned area and is verbally disruptive. When this is taking place, he is really out of touch with the important content and information we are working on in class. I use visual cues with him as well as redirects/reminders and a safe seat when necessary, which help for very short periods of time, but he continues to repeat the same undesired behaviors. He is a child who really wants to do well, but he lacks motivation. With a self-assessment sheet, I believe this child will be able to monitor and take ownership of his behavior. In turn, he will be able to stay engaged and have more successes in the classroom as a learner.
The Problem is Significant Because:
When this child is not on task, I am certain he is not getting all he needs out of the classroom activities and lessons. In order for students to stay actively engaged and learning at their best, they need to be able to stay focused. Self assessment is a great way for students to get motivated and become focused on the lessons and learning activities taking place in the classroom. It will be a double win if I can help him get his behavior under control because not only will he gain confidence in himself as a student who is in control of himself, he will also reap the benefits of staying on task by seeing an academic boost.
Goal:
The goal for this child is that he spends less time away from the group in the safe seat and getting redirects and more time with the group actively engaged in learning activities. To help him achieve this goal, he will use a daily sheet to assess his own behavior throughout the day. The day will be broken down into 30 minute time increments so he has many opportunities for success with this plan. The student will determine on his own if he was on task and doing the right thing for each section of the day, and add a sticker to the box corresponding with each section. I will be filling my own sheet out throughout the day on a clip board, and at the end of the day the student and I will compare. We will set a goal each morning of how many stickers he would like to get on his sheet. If he reaches his goal and I have at least that many matching stickers on my sheet, he will get a relationship based reward such as helping out with a special task for 5 minutes or having a 5 minute buddy read with a friend of his choice.
To obtain data, another staff member will be asked to conduct an on task time analysis on this student BEFORE using the self assessment and then again AFTER using it for 2 weeks time to determine if his on task behavior has increased. I would like to see his on task behavior improve by at least 25% using the self assessment sheets.
Note: An on task time analysis is conducted by an outside party to ensure the most accurate. unbiased results. The person who is conducting it will sit in class for 30 minutes and look up at the student once every minute to determine if the student is on task or not. If the student is on task, he or she will receive a tally mark. At the end of the 30 minutes, the tallies are added up to determine how many times a student was on task in the 30 minute period of time. For the purpose of this project, on task behavior is defined as behavior that does not require redirection and is behavior that exhibits self control and following the teacher’s directions.
Professional Outcomes:
a. I will create a self assessment sheet using pictures and words for my student to use daily. I will set a goal with him each morning and we will compare sheets each afternoon to determine if he has met his goals. I will provide him with feedback and relationship rewards if he is able to achieve his goal.
b. Using my data, I will determine if self assessment has an impact on student engagement, and I will share the information with my grade level partner and other teachers in my building. If it does, I will use self assessment with other students who are struggling with behavior or in other areas.
c. I will reflect on the plan, the process, and the techniques used to aid students in assessing their own behavior. I will consult and collaborate with other professionals in my field for suggestions. I will then make changes according to the needs of myself and my students as they arise.
Learner Outcomes:
a. The student will use the self assessment sheet daily to monitor his own behavior and engagement in classroom activities and lessons. The student will set a goal daily and determine if he has met the goal in a session with me, at the end of each day.
b. The student will improve his on-task behavior and will become a more active participant in his own learning. Self assessment will be a motivating factor for this student. He will be able to see his successes on paper, providing a visual reinforcement for him.
Rationale and Support:
Self assessment is a great tool to help motivate students and help them become more successful in the classroom. McMillan and Hearn’s article Student Self Assessment: The Key to Stronger Student Motivation and Higher Achievement details how student goal setting and self assessment play an important role in student achievement. McMillan and Hearn point out “students who believe that they can successfully complete a task are more motivated and engaged. Teachers should therefore maintain high expectations of performance as students establish goals and work through their self-evaluations” (2008). Student behavior and motivation are bound to improve when they are taking ownership of what is going on in the classroom.
I feel that student self assessment is an amazing way to turn the focus back to students in the classroom and to help differentiate for students in need. In her article Judy Willis expresses the importance of student centered classrooms. According to Willis, “Students invest more attention in activities and lessons to which they feel an emotional and personal connection”(2007). I feel that when teachers allow for self assessment this shows that they are conscious of the needs of the students, making the classroom a student centered environment.
Self assessment and student engagement are directly linked as stated by Munns and Woodward in the article Student Engagement and Student Self-Assessment: The REAL Framework. They determine that “student engagement should undoubtedly most interest educators concerned with improved educational outcomes for their learners…there are critical connections between [the] level of student engagement and student self-assessment” (2006). If students have the ownership piece through self assessment, they will certainly become more involved in their learning, which will improve their engagement in the classroom.
As a motivational tool, self-assessment will aid in student performance because they connections are made between their work/effort and the outcome or achievement on a task. Behaviors will change using this strategy as well. “Student achievement is maximized when [students] feel competent about their abilities, have personal goals to achieve, feel they have control over their successes and failures, and when they are motivated intrinsically to learn” (Marchant, Paulson, & Rothlisberg, 2001).
Students will feel powerful once they are able to use their self assessments to hone in on their own areas of concern and are able to ask for help when they see they a need. “Self-assessment can further help students focus on specific areas of weakness, helping them pinpoint where to focus their efforts to improve” (Kobus, Maxwell, & Provo, 2008). If this student notices that he really struggles during a specific time of day, this will be an opportunity to offer him some extra supports during that time to help him achieve success.
Student motivation is at its best when it is internal. One article calls this the difference between the “have to” and the “want to” attitude toward school (Lumsden, 1996). I hope that by using self assessment, my current student and future students will develop a “want to” attitude.
Results:
The on task time analysis conducted before utilizing the intervention showed that the student was on task 4 times out of 30, or a mere 13% of the instructional time. After utilizing the self assessment tool for 4 weeks, the on task time analysis showed that the student was on task 16 times out of 30 or 53% of the instructional time. The child's time on task improved by 40% in just one month using behavior self assessment. This is a great improvement for the child!
Click Below To Download Supporting Documents:
I currently have a kindergarten student who is struggling behaviorally and in staying on task and engaged without interrupting the learning of himself and others. He continually is out of his assigned area and is verbally disruptive. When this is taking place, he is really out of touch with the important content and information we are working on in class. I use visual cues with him as well as redirects/reminders and a safe seat when necessary, which help for very short periods of time, but he continues to repeat the same undesired behaviors. He is a child who really wants to do well, but he lacks motivation. With a self-assessment sheet, I believe this child will be able to monitor and take ownership of his behavior. In turn, he will be able to stay engaged and have more successes in the classroom as a learner.
The Problem is Significant Because:
When this child is not on task, I am certain he is not getting all he needs out of the classroom activities and lessons. In order for students to stay actively engaged and learning at their best, they need to be able to stay focused. Self assessment is a great way for students to get motivated and become focused on the lessons and learning activities taking place in the classroom. It will be a double win if I can help him get his behavior under control because not only will he gain confidence in himself as a student who is in control of himself, he will also reap the benefits of staying on task by seeing an academic boost.
Goal:
The goal for this child is that he spends less time away from the group in the safe seat and getting redirects and more time with the group actively engaged in learning activities. To help him achieve this goal, he will use a daily sheet to assess his own behavior throughout the day. The day will be broken down into 30 minute time increments so he has many opportunities for success with this plan. The student will determine on his own if he was on task and doing the right thing for each section of the day, and add a sticker to the box corresponding with each section. I will be filling my own sheet out throughout the day on a clip board, and at the end of the day the student and I will compare. We will set a goal each morning of how many stickers he would like to get on his sheet. If he reaches his goal and I have at least that many matching stickers on my sheet, he will get a relationship based reward such as helping out with a special task for 5 minutes or having a 5 minute buddy read with a friend of his choice.
To obtain data, another staff member will be asked to conduct an on task time analysis on this student BEFORE using the self assessment and then again AFTER using it for 2 weeks time to determine if his on task behavior has increased. I would like to see his on task behavior improve by at least 25% using the self assessment sheets.
Note: An on task time analysis is conducted by an outside party to ensure the most accurate. unbiased results. The person who is conducting it will sit in class for 30 minutes and look up at the student once every minute to determine if the student is on task or not. If the student is on task, he or she will receive a tally mark. At the end of the 30 minutes, the tallies are added up to determine how many times a student was on task in the 30 minute period of time. For the purpose of this project, on task behavior is defined as behavior that does not require redirection and is behavior that exhibits self control and following the teacher’s directions.
Professional Outcomes:
a. I will create a self assessment sheet using pictures and words for my student to use daily. I will set a goal with him each morning and we will compare sheets each afternoon to determine if he has met his goals. I will provide him with feedback and relationship rewards if he is able to achieve his goal.
b. Using my data, I will determine if self assessment has an impact on student engagement, and I will share the information with my grade level partner and other teachers in my building. If it does, I will use self assessment with other students who are struggling with behavior or in other areas.
c. I will reflect on the plan, the process, and the techniques used to aid students in assessing their own behavior. I will consult and collaborate with other professionals in my field for suggestions. I will then make changes according to the needs of myself and my students as they arise.
Learner Outcomes:
a. The student will use the self assessment sheet daily to monitor his own behavior and engagement in classroom activities and lessons. The student will set a goal daily and determine if he has met the goal in a session with me, at the end of each day.
b. The student will improve his on-task behavior and will become a more active participant in his own learning. Self assessment will be a motivating factor for this student. He will be able to see his successes on paper, providing a visual reinforcement for him.
Rationale and Support:
Self assessment is a great tool to help motivate students and help them become more successful in the classroom. McMillan and Hearn’s article Student Self Assessment: The Key to Stronger Student Motivation and Higher Achievement details how student goal setting and self assessment play an important role in student achievement. McMillan and Hearn point out “students who believe that they can successfully complete a task are more motivated and engaged. Teachers should therefore maintain high expectations of performance as students establish goals and work through their self-evaluations” (2008). Student behavior and motivation are bound to improve when they are taking ownership of what is going on in the classroom.
I feel that student self assessment is an amazing way to turn the focus back to students in the classroom and to help differentiate for students in need. In her article Judy Willis expresses the importance of student centered classrooms. According to Willis, “Students invest more attention in activities and lessons to which they feel an emotional and personal connection”(2007). I feel that when teachers allow for self assessment this shows that they are conscious of the needs of the students, making the classroom a student centered environment.
Self assessment and student engagement are directly linked as stated by Munns and Woodward in the article Student Engagement and Student Self-Assessment: The REAL Framework. They determine that “student engagement should undoubtedly most interest educators concerned with improved educational outcomes for their learners…there are critical connections between [the] level of student engagement and student self-assessment” (2006). If students have the ownership piece through self assessment, they will certainly become more involved in their learning, which will improve their engagement in the classroom.
As a motivational tool, self-assessment will aid in student performance because they connections are made between their work/effort and the outcome or achievement on a task. Behaviors will change using this strategy as well. “Student achievement is maximized when [students] feel competent about their abilities, have personal goals to achieve, feel they have control over their successes and failures, and when they are motivated intrinsically to learn” (Marchant, Paulson, & Rothlisberg, 2001).
Students will feel powerful once they are able to use their self assessments to hone in on their own areas of concern and are able to ask for help when they see they a need. “Self-assessment can further help students focus on specific areas of weakness, helping them pinpoint where to focus their efforts to improve” (Kobus, Maxwell, & Provo, 2008). If this student notices that he really struggles during a specific time of day, this will be an opportunity to offer him some extra supports during that time to help him achieve success.
Student motivation is at its best when it is internal. One article calls this the difference between the “have to” and the “want to” attitude toward school (Lumsden, 1996). I hope that by using self assessment, my current student and future students will develop a “want to” attitude.
Results:
The on task time analysis conducted before utilizing the intervention showed that the student was on task 4 times out of 30, or a mere 13% of the instructional time. After utilizing the self assessment tool for 4 weeks, the on task time analysis showed that the student was on task 16 times out of 30 or 53% of the instructional time. The child's time on task improved by 40% in just one month using behavior self assessment. This is a great improvement for the child!
Click Below To Download Supporting Documents:
Student Self Assessment Form Example | |
File Size: | 188 kb |
File Type: | doc |
On Task Time Anlysis and Reflection | |
File Size: | 55 kb |
File Type: | doc |
References:
Kobus, T., Maxwell, L., & Provo, J. (2008). Increasing motivation of elementary and middle school students through positivereinforcement, student self-assessment, and creative engagement. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/36/2f/e6.pdf
Lumsden, Linda. (1996). Motivating today’s students: the same old stuff just doesn’t work. Portraits of Success, 1-9.
Marchant, G. J., Paulson, S. E., & Rothlisberg, B. A. (2001). Relations of middle school students’ perceptions of family and school contexts with academic achievement. Psychology in the Schools, 38(6), 505-519.
McMillan, J.H. & Hearn, J. (2008) Student self assessment: The key to stronger student motivation and higher achievement. educational HORIZONS, 40-49.
Munns, G. & Woodward, H. (2006) Studentengagementandstudentself-assessment: The REAL framework. Assessment In Education, 193-213.
Willis, J. (2007). Preserve the child in every learner: Help your students hold on to their childhood curiosity and passion for learning by employing brain research-based teaching strategies. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 33-37.
Kobus, T., Maxwell, L., & Provo, J. (2008). Increasing motivation of elementary and middle school students through positivereinforcement, student self-assessment, and creative engagement. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/36/2f/e6.pdf
Lumsden, Linda. (1996). Motivating today’s students: the same old stuff just doesn’t work. Portraits of Success, 1-9.
Marchant, G. J., Paulson, S. E., & Rothlisberg, B. A. (2001). Relations of middle school students’ perceptions of family and school contexts with academic achievement. Psychology in the Schools, 38(6), 505-519.
McMillan, J.H. & Hearn, J. (2008) Student self assessment: The key to stronger student motivation and higher achievement. educational HORIZONS, 40-49.
Munns, G. & Woodward, H. (2006) Studentengagementandstudentself-assessment: The REAL framework. Assessment In Education, 193-213.
Willis, J. (2007). Preserve the child in every learner: Help your students hold on to their childhood curiosity and passion for learning by employing brain research-based teaching strategies. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 33-37.