Navigating The Curriculum And Tracking Learning

2. Self-Assessment for Students

The tools proposed are meant for students’ self-assessment and are recommended to be used on a regular basis. Student self-assessment cards will help students monitor and assess their individual learning progress in developing their social and emotional skills

 “My Personal Learning Log” Self-Assessment Tasks   (from the Learning to Be project)

The Modified version of this self-assessment tool for primary school children drawn from the Learning to Be project is a less formal set of task sheets that children are asked to complete.       

The questions and tasks included in both instruments are based on the 3 main SEL goals:

o   Develop self-awareness and self-management skills to achieve school and life success

o   Use social awareness and interpersonal skills to establish and maintain positive relationships.

o   Demonstrate decision making skills and responsible behaviors in personal, school and community contexts

o   Use current experience to orient themselves toward future and building  inclusive and sustainable future self and communities

The tasks are structured according to the educational objectives described in the SEL standards for learners  9–10-year-olds 

These self-assessment cards are designed not only to encourage the students to assess their learning individually, but also to support the teachers in implementing strategies of formative assessment.

Each student receives a new assessment card at the beginning of the domain

Students are asked to fill-in their assessment cards. This could be done at the end of a lesson or during a special class meeting during the week

At the end of each domain, the  responsible class teacher collects all his/her students’ assessment cards and writes feedback comments in the dedicated sections. After this, the teacher returns these sheets together with feedback notes back to the students.

At the end of the program, the students are asked to review all their sheets and identify their main areas of progress and major needs for future learning.

 The future we want

This tool adapted from Saigh (1997)  examines the individual's orientation towards his/her future. It consists of 8 items reflecting:

 Future Interpersonal relationships, such as: “In the future I will have friends,”¸

 Expectations for the future, such as: “I like to make plans for things I like to do.”

The participant is asked to rate the extent to which he/she agrees with each item on a 5-point Likert-type scale, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). 

 My Positive Experiences at School 

The Positive Experiences at School Scale  (PEASS; Furlong, You, Renshaw, O’Malley & Rebelez; 2013) is a brief, self-report, developmentally appropriate assessment with subscales measuring four school-anchored positive-psychological traits that are linked with youth well-being and school engagement: gratitude, zest, optimism, persistence, and prosocial behavior. The composite score of the four PEASS subscales was hypothesized to represent student covitality.

The survey questions are proposed that ask students, like  them, about what they think, feel, and do at school.  hey, are asked to read each sentence and choose the response that tells how true the sentence is for them   Teachers will ensure anonymity and confidentiality of the student responses.  Teachers are also encouraged to present the findings to the class and discuss how could make the activities more effective.

Your Opinion Matters 

The survey, drawn from the Learning to Be project, is used to ask students about their feelings in class; active involvement; motivation; expectations from the teacher.

Children are asked to read  the questions and  express the level of agreement they experience.