Implementing Peer assessment tools with a S5/6 class

This blog focuses on the implementation of peer assessment tools with a S5/6 Higher Information Systems class at Braidhurst High School, Motherwell. As there is only one higher class each year I used the 2010-11 cohort as the control group. My aims were to increase pupil motivation and improve pupil performance.

Having been involved with AiFL (Assessment is for Learning) for many years I revisited many of the texts I had read in the past including the research of Wiliam and Clarke and reviewed some of their more recent studies while reflecting on my own personal experience of implementing AiFl particularly in the last two years as a member of the TLC (Teaching and Learning Community). I then read up on some case studies on the implementation of peer assessment in other Scottish schools and analysed the field of action research. My findings from this period of research are detailed in the report.

I identified the Using Information Unit in the higher as the one which required most focus as the pupils tended to perform more poorly with this one than the other two units. I reviewed my lesson plans from the previous year during which I had implemented AiFl a few times but not in an entirely structured fashion. I then asked this pupil group to complete questionnaires and conducted a focus group to find out their opinions on the ways they had learned.

Taking everything I had learned so far on board I implemented a pre planned sequence of lessons to deliver all the material from the Using Information Unit using peer assessment. It was intensive with the pupils learning through peer marking, creating past paper style questions and asking each other questions in a hot seat format for three or four periods each week.

I then assessed the success of the project by conducting similar pupil research to the previous year group using questionnaires and focus groups and conducted empirical research comparing end of unit test results between the classes from the two separate years.

I found that the pupils thoroughly enjoyed learning in a more active format with not one of them viewing it negatively and many being very enthusiastic about it. In addition, exam performance was improved by at least 7%. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching the class this way and have learned many important lessons about using peer assessment which I will implement in the future.