Group and Self-Evaluation
About this printout
Students use this printout to evaluate both their own performance in a group as well as the actions of their group members.
Teaching with this printout
Before beginning a project in which students evaluate each other and themselves, make students aware they will complete evaluation forms. Explain to students that the purpose of this form is to make their project more enjoyable because group members will be accountable for their participation. Share with the students the printout to familiarize them with actions and attitudes they will observe in their group members. Remind students that their group members will be looking for these same characteristics in their behavior. Include specific examples that exhibit positive participation. For example, model for the students statements that show respectful listening, such as “I understand what you are saying, but I believe we would have more successful trying _____.” During the project encourage students to complete in either journals or group discussions reflective statements such as “Today I contributed ____.” or “Our interactions could be improved by _____.”
At the end of the project prior to students completing the printout, express to students that their responses will be not be shared with group members so that peer pressure does not cause false evaluations. Stress that you are expecting students to be honest and truthful in their evaluations. Encourage students to recall their reflective statements completed during the project and to consider if they achieved the project’s goal, if they worked well as a group, and what changes they would make to increase their group’s effectiveness. After reading the evaluations, determine what actions will be targeted next.
More ideas to try
- Routinely ask students to self-evaluate through journals, evaluation forms, questioning, and conferring with individual students. This gives them practice in learning to monitor their own behaviors and increases their self-awareness.
- Alter skills or add additional traits you want students to consider. For example, if you have specific checkpoints for the group work, you could add these to the evaluation and ask if students met these deadlines successfully.
- After your students have used this assessment tool, ask them for suggestions to improve this evaluation. For example, if students felt they already learned how to respect each other’s ideas, then ask what other skill they feel the class should work on when they undertake their next group project.