 As
was mentioned previously, it is not just the product that should be evaluated,
but also, the entire process. Peer and self-evaluation and reflection throughout
the various stages in the project can act as mechanisms to foster deeper
learning. The Grass Roots and other rubrics available below can provide
you with a number of ideas to set the criteria for your evaluation and
assessment activities.
A reflections component gives students
the opportunity to think about what they experienced and share these findings
with others. Even a project that fails to meet certain expectations can
provide students with a very meaningful learning experience that will lead
to improvement in the future.
We can easily see that these types of projects
give students meaningful experiences on how to learn. In essence, they
are developing the skills that they will need to compete in a knowledge-based
society. You made have heard how teachers will become facilitators of education
in the future. If you have your students complete one of these projects
for the first time, you will appreciate the difference between being a
center of knowledge and a facilitator of knowledge. Some of you may have
even played the role of peer in some of the activities, and learned along
with the students. That’s to be expected.
So then, it is not only what students learn
but also how they learn that is important, and this is the gist of the
new educational paradigm that has arrived.
If you are up on learning
theory, you can recognize the presence of things like (social) constructivism,
collaborative learning, authentic practice, meaningful learning and the
development of flexible (meta) cognition in these projects.
Rubrics and
Guides for Evaluation:
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| Evaluation
Checklist
 Use
or create rubrics to develop evaluation and assessment strategies.
You may opt to have students develop their own assessment strategies.
Having individuals or groups come together to discuss and/or present incremental
phases of the project can provide opportunities for formative assessment.
Data collected from Web pages that give users an opportunity to provide
feedback can be an excellent way to help evaluate the project.
Get parents involved by sending home a newsletter inviting them to visit
the project sites online, and invite their comments.
Think of creative ways for students to share their experiences with others
for additional external evaluation.
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