As someone interested in writing across curricula to promote interdisciplinary reflection and make learning deep, enduring, and transferrable, I am taking a course called "The Teaching of Writing" to learn how to incorporate writing into my practice.
In class, we recently discussed a method of doing peer reviews for writing called "Side by Side," where students sit next to each other and ask the above questions, practicing empathy, giving positive feedback, and encouraging metacognition. As I think about my math class next year, I am interested in adapting this process to build class community and give feedback on homework assignments. I am considering the homework process being:
While this feedback process will take a considerable amount of time in the beginning of the year, students will begin to understand what effective feedback looks like, and then in the first minutes of class, students will be able to support each other's growth as peer reviewers. As I imagine it, students will have a partner for a week and then rotate. This will create:
In the end, the class time traditionally used ineffectively for "checking homework" will be substituted with peer review time, strengthening class culture and learning.
Let me know if you have any thoughts on the reflective prompts, and if you can think of a better acronym!
In class, we recently discussed a method of doing peer reviews for writing called "Side by Side," where students sit next to each other and ask the above questions, practicing empathy, giving positive feedback, and encouraging metacognition. As I think about my math class next year, I am interested in adapting this process to build class community and give feedback on homework assignments. I am considering the homework process being:
- Have students photograph their homework assignments and post in a shared Google Drive folder (takes 1 min. using the app, saves 5 mins. of class time checking hw)
- Also, have students write a several sentence reflection in a Google Doc journal, using THINCN; or, 'thinkin':
- How did the homework go? (Thumbs Up or Down)
- What parts did you do well on? (Hooray)
- What do you still need to work on? (Improve)
- What might your next steps be to improve? (Next Steps)
- List the concepts you know that this homework assignment connects to (Connecting concepts)
- What do you still want to know about? (INteresting / KNow)
- Also, have students write a several sentence reflection in a Google Doc journal, using THINCN; or, 'thinkin':
- Then, for the first month or two of school, respond to homework assignments with feedback and questions:
- asking what strategies they used and which seem to be the best for them;
- asking them to explain their work in words;
- complementing them on hard work and improvement in specific areas (Dweck, growth mindset).
While this feedback process will take a considerable amount of time in the beginning of the year, students will begin to understand what effective feedback looks like, and then in the first minutes of class, students will be able to support each other's growth as peer reviewers. As I imagine it, students will have a partner for a week and then rotate. This will create:
- a strong class community, increase feelings of belonging, and decrease anxiety;
- a space of intellectual safety;
- a daily practice of empathy;
- a culture of reflection and continual growth;
- and, encourage a growth mindset.
In the end, the class time traditionally used ineffectively for "checking homework" will be substituted with peer review time, strengthening class culture and learning.
Let me know if you have any thoughts on the reflective prompts, and if you can think of a better acronym!