We are currently at the end of unit 1 and the beginning of unit 2 at the same time. The in-class discussions are focused on the beginning of unit 2, and the at-home assessments - more essay-like questions that are proving to give me a far better feel for what the kids know, and what they don't - are focused on the material from unit 1. So, to me this was the perfect time to have the kids do some reflection/self-assessment and goal-setting.
At the beginning of each unit, I have the students take a look at the learning objectives, written in student-friendly language, and assess where they believe they currently are with each topic by marking "I completely understand this topic", "I somewhat understand this topic", or "I do not understand this topic". Review topics tend to get either "completely" or "somewhat", while the new topics tend to get a "do not". I then ask them to write a statement or two about each of the ones they marked as "somewhat" and "do not", being as specific as they can about what it is they don't know or understand. I have them do this on an actual sheet of paper (a lot of things have gone paperless this year), and sign a statement at the bottom of the page in which they commit do doing what it takes to get their questions answered, including preparing for class, looking things up when appropriate, and actively participating in the discussions. This time, however, there was a twist.
On the back of the sheet, I asked the students to make two lists, both of which were to concentrate on the "student skills" and not the "math skills". The first list was to be about what they did well in the first unit: did they prepare for class, did they participate well, etc. The second list was to be about what they need to improve on to make the second unit better than the first. But let's be honest: just writing down the goals for the unit isn't really all that effective. Most kids take the goals and tuck them away at the back of their folder or binder and never look at them again. My solution? Make a video.
There is a new website/app called FlipGrid, and it's whole purpose is to help kids share their learning through video. Among other things it does well, FlipGrid uploads videos waaayyy faster than anything else I've tried, taking only seconds instead of minutes or hours. Another great feature is that I can set the videos so they are shared with the entire class, meaning the kids are getting feedback from one another as well as from me. For the unit goals, this is perfect. The kids had to make a short (less than 30 seconds) video in which they were to state their "student skill" goals for the unit, which was to be shared with the entire class. As we make our way through the unit, it is now our responsibility - all of us - to hold each other accountable to these goals. I didn't tell them about the video until they had written their goals, and needless to say, there was some nervous laughter and a bit of hesitation. But, they did make the videos, and they did watch the videos made by the other students.
We've only had one class since the videos were made. For my part, I plan to remind the kids about their commitment, both to themselves and to the others in the class, on a daily basis. We'll see how it goes.
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