Some years ago, thanks to “gold stars”, participation increased exponentially in my classes. This is not surprising, as I made students produce in English disregarding error. While the idea was good, it gave rise to an important challenge on how to assess quality, if students could produce anything and still get their gold stars. I had first tried to consider language correctness somewhere else, but the workload was then too big and that affected guidance. This overwork caused some problems of plagiarism and online use of translators that needed to be controlled. To simplify things, using the “gold star” system to assess quality seemed a more sustainable option to control productions, focus on feedback and end up with bad practices.
I experimented assigning some time in class to improving productions in groups after I had given feedback on them on the wiki.
Productions thus moved from a perspective that favoured participation to one that highlights quality, through a process of improvement that implied feedback consideration. The feedback provided on the wiki last year was the teacher’s, but they worked in groups in class trying to answer her queries and suggestions to correct errors. This gave me the idea students could also give feedback in the form of comments, replying to a teacher’s initial comment.
Step 2: Encourage students to correct each other
I am focusing as much as possible on highlighting those mistakes I consider they are able to solve on their own, rather than solving them myself. The fact that these comments are clearly visible and public makes the need to correct mistakes natural, if only the necessary conditions are created. Provided clear deadlines for productions to be uploaded are set, feedback can be given by the teacher fast and in one go. Then, it is necessary to let student time in their groups to answer the queries the teacher poses. To further encourage peer feedback, 20% of the student’s Learning Diary mark depends on their feedback to group members, and an appropriate template has been created for that purpose.
In this way, the expectations are that the member of the group that produces a given piece of writing will get enough feedback to be able to improve her initial draft and reflect about language use.
Furthermore, at the end of the term, students have to “claim” their “gold stars” in their individual “Gold Star Self Assessment” page, and they have to upload their corrected versions there.
Objectives:
Improve the Learner's capacity to correct their own productions
Help them stop making some common mistakes
Work collaboratively
Use what they learn about language use to reflect about English
Assessment:
20% of the mark of their Learning Diaries relates to how well they help each other in groups to correct their productions
I’ve got very little to add. After reading through your proposal I can only say I go along with everything you do.
For example, when you say “I am focusing as much as possible on highlighting those mistakes I consider they are able to solve on their own, rather than solving them myself.” I deem it very interesting to award a place to reflection and learning to learn. On the other hand, correcting writing is very time-consuming and it’s essential to raise awareness among students to foster autonomy and the ability to learning to learn. Besides you also promote collaborative learning and peer collaboration.
Núria
Thanks for your feedback, Lluís Miquel. The problem correcting feedback has is that it is very time consuming. However, if you find ways to "force" students to correct their mistakes, it is worth the effort.
This is the summary of one student in her Learning Diary. Corrections are not always correct, but I am more interested in their actually making hypotheses than on correcting everything. This student is very good, but not all are as good as her.
ERRORS ON MY WRITTEN PRODUCTIONS
Date
Task
Error
My correction
Why did I make this mistake?
18/4/13
Opinion Essay
can cause diabetes
They can cause..
M'he descuidat el subjecte
18/4/13
Opinion Essay
My opinion, well..
In my opinion..
M'he deixat la preposició IN
18/4/13
Opinion Essay
but taste so good
but it tasteS so good
18/4/13
Biography
In september 2012 announced
In September 2012 she announced
M'he deixat el subjecte
18/4/13
Biography
in his first..
In her first..
Ho he posat en masculí quan estaba parlant d'una dona.
18/4/13
Biography
I think is a good person
I think she is a good person
M'he deixat el subjecte
14-5-13
False friends, compound adjectives and phrasal verbs
emily...
Emily
Els noms propis sempre van en mayuscula
14-5-13
False friends, compound adjectives and phrasal verbs
oxford University
Oxford University
Una altra vegada he posat un nom propi en minuscula
Glòria
I think that's great! I can imagine that maybe not all the students do this but it is very useful if they integrate this "habit". I use to correct my students mistakes and most of them don’t check them so I think your idea is brilliant. I also see that using wiki is very useful for this kind of activities.
It is difficult to me imagine what kind of template is given to the students in order to encourage them in peer feedback.
Hi Gloria,
It has taken me a year to come up with this, and it still does not work well enough, but here you are:
ERRORS ON MY GROUP MATES WRITTEN PRODUCTIONS (AT LEAST FIVE - THEY SHOULD BE PRESENT IN THE WIKI AS COMMENTS, TOO) (AT LEAST THREE PER TASK)
In class, you will help your group mates to correct their errors. You should be able to understand why they made some of the mistakes they made
Who
Task
Error
My Correction
Why do I know this is a mistake?
- The teacher highlighted the mistake using a yellow background
- The teacher explained the error to me
- I saw the error corrected in someone's else's writing
- A classmate helped me
- Someone outside the class helped me. It was my _
- I used the textbook
- The teacher highlighted the mistake using a yellow background
- The teacher explained the error to me
- I saw the error corrected in someone's else's writing
- A classmate helped me
- Someone outside the class helped me. It was my _
- I used the textbook
- The teacher highlighted the mistake using a yellow background
- The teacher explained the error to me
- I saw the error corrected in someone's else's writing
- A classmate helped me
- Someone outside the class helped me. It was my _
- I used the textbook
In my experience, you have to assign time for group work in class to do this, and students must be trained with activities like the one I showed here. The nice thing about that activity is that for the first time in my classes general error correction was NOT teacher centered.
Of course, it is quite difficult to make students do their Learning Diary, but I think I mentioned already I made a daring move: Not doing the Learning Diary means failing the term.
Glòria
Thank you very much for sharing the template! I think we must give time to work like this to our students, schools have to bet for this kind of activites (learning to learn) not only in English becase the time in which teacher knew everything and they teach and studens "just" listen to learn is over.
Thank you again!
Title:
PROCESS WRITINGLevel:
SecondaryShort Descripiton:
Step 1: Increase Participation through Gold Stars
Some years ago, thanks to “gold stars”, participation increased exponentially in my classes. This is not surprising, as I made students produce in English disregarding error. While the idea was good, it gave rise to an important challenge on how to assess quality, if students could produce anything and still get their gold stars.
I had first tried to consider language correctness somewhere else, but the workload was then too big and that affected guidance. This overwork caused some problems of plagiarism and online use of translators that needed to be controlled.
To simplify things, using the “gold star” system to assess quality seemed a more sustainable option to control productions, focus on feedback and end up with bad practices.
I experimented assigning some time in class to improving productions in groups after I had given feedback on them on the wiki.
An example to understand what I mean is provided in this screenshot.
https://wikicfgs1y2.wikispaces.com/A+Nice+restaurant+I+went+to
Productions thus moved from a perspective that favoured participation to one that highlights quality, through a process of improvement that implied feedback consideration.
The feedback provided on the wiki last year was the teacher’s, but they worked in groups in class trying to answer her queries and suggestions to correct errors. This gave me the idea students could also give feedback in the form of comments, replying to a teacher’s initial comment.
Step 2: Encourage students to correct each other
I am focusing as much as possible on highlighting those mistakes I consider they are able to solve on their own, rather than solving them myself. The fact that these comments are clearly visible and public makes the need to correct mistakes natural, if only the necessary conditions are created.
Provided clear deadlines for productions to be uploaded are set, feedback can be given by the teacher fast and in one go. Then, it is necessary to let student time in their groups to answer the queries the teacher poses.
To further encourage peer feedback, 20% of the student’s Learning Diary mark depends on their feedback to group members, and an appropriate template has been created for that purpose.
In this way, the expectations are that the member of the group that produces a given piece of writing will get enough feedback to be able to improve her initial draft and reflect about language use.
Furthermore, at the end of the term, students have to “claim” their “gold stars” in their individual “Gold Star Self Assessment” page, and they have to upload their corrected versions there.
Objectives:
Assessment:
Link:
fluwiki.wikispaces.com
futureprofessionals.wikispaces.com
Add your comments:
Lluís Miquel BennàssarI’ve got very little to add. After reading through your proposal I can only say I go along with everything you do.
For example, when you say “I am focusing as much as possible on highlighting those mistakes I consider they are able to solve on their own, rather than solving them myself.” I deem it very interesting to award a place to reflection and learning to learn. On the other hand, correcting writing is very time-consuming and it’s essential to raise awareness among students to foster autonomy and the ability to learning to learn. Besides you also promote collaborative learning and peer collaboration.
Núria
Thanks for your feedback, Lluís Miquel. The problem correcting feedback has is that it is very time consuming. However, if you find ways to "force" students to correct their mistakes, it is worth the effort.
This is the summary of one student in her Learning Diary. Corrections are not always correct, but I am more interested in their actually making hypotheses than on correcting everything. This student is very good, but not all are as good as her.
ERRORS ON MY WRITTEN PRODUCTIONS
https://futureprofessionals.wikispaces.com/Learning+Diary+of%C2%A0%C2%A0Raquel+Aylagas
Glòria
I think that's great! I can imagine that maybe not all the students do this but it is very useful if they integrate this "habit". I use to correct my students mistakes and most of them don’t check them so I think your idea is brilliant. I also see that using wiki is very useful for this kind of activities.
It is difficult to me imagine what kind of template is given to the students in order to encourage them in peer feedback.
Hi Gloria,
It has taken me a year to come up with this, and it still does not work well enough, but here you are:
ERRORS ON MY GROUP MATES WRITTEN PRODUCTIONS (AT LEAST FIVE - THEY SHOULD BE PRESENT IN THE WIKI AS COMMENTS, TOO) (AT LEAST THREE PER TASK)
In class, you will help your group mates to correct their errors. You should be able to understand why they made some of the mistakes they made- The teacher explained the error to me
- I saw the error corrected in someone's else's writing
- A classmate helped me
- Someone outside the class helped me. It was my _
- I used the textbook
- The teacher explained the error to me
- I saw the error corrected in someone's else's writing
- A classmate helped me
- Someone outside the class helped me. It was my _
- I used the textbook
- The teacher explained the error to me
- I saw the error corrected in someone's else's writing
- A classmate helped me
- Someone outside the class helped me. It was my _
- I used the textbook
In my experience, you have to assign time for group work in class to do this, and students must be trained with activities like the one I showed here. The nice thing about that activity is that for the first time in my classes general error correction was NOT teacher centered.
Of course, it is quite difficult to make students do their Learning Diary, but I think I mentioned already I made a daring move: Not doing the Learning Diary means failing the term.
Glòria
Thank you very much for sharing the template! I think we must give time to work like this to our students, schools have to bet for this kind of activites (learning to learn) not only in English becase the time in which teacher knew everything and they teach and studens "just" listen to learn is over.
Thank you again!