Peer and simple?

By 2015-05-07T13:05:00

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Katherine Haxton talks about how to get the best out of peer assessment

Peer assessment – where students mark the work of their classmates – is a popular way of helping students engage with all aspects of a piece of work, and in many cases is a very authentic method of assessment. It’s a valuable activity, providing an opportunity for students to reflect on assignments beyond the traditional ‘submit and forget’ mindset.

Often teachers think peer assessment might be a useful way to reduce their marking burden. It really isn’t. Consider the type of conversations you may have with colleagues who are sharing the marking of an assignment with you. Now think about having that conversation with a class of 50 students about to peer assess for the first time. For peer assessment to be successful, you have to be prepared to support your students as colleagues in the marking process.

Katherine Haxton discusses how to support students and troubleshoot peer assessments.

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