Here’s a strategy that helps students look at more than the grade when an exam is returned. An exam wrapper (I like the name) is a handout attached to the exam that students complete as part of the exam debrief process. The wrapper directs students “to review and analyze their performance (and the instructor’s feedback) [...]
Blog » Student Performance
An Important Reminder about Feedback
Posted Thursday, June 3rd, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerI was interested in the conclusions of a study done in Great Britain that asked students about their perceptions of and experiences with feedback provided by teachers. The researchers wanted to learn more about how students defined feedback and what feedback they had found useful. Students in the study, most of whom were upper division, [...]
Inflated Self-Assessment
Posted Thursday, April 8th, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerI wonder about the long-term effects of grades on the ability to self-assess. I got to thinking about this after I read the study referenced below. In it, 97 students assessed the participation of their peers and their own participation. Professors in the study also assessed students’ participation. The researchers looked at the correlations between [...]
Changing Attitudes about Learning
Posted Thursday, April 1st, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerFollowing up on the previous post, I wanted to write a bit about how teachers might intervene with those students who don’t believe they can learn something, whether it’s math, writing, French, economics, or whatever it is you teach.
Attitude Affects Learning
Posted Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerWe know that what students believe about themselves as learners makes a difference, but sometimes a specific example really makes the point. Here’s a study that does just that. It involved beginning students taking a general chemistry course. At the beginning of the course they took a Self-Concept Inventory designed for chemistry students. Its five scales measure, among other things, a chemistry self-concept, a mathematics self-concept, and an academic self-concept.
Oh Those Students. . .
Posted Thursday, December 17th, 2009 by Maryellen WeimerEven with the holidays upon us, it’s hard not to think about those students who did poorly in our courses this semester.
Some of them just didn’t make the effort. They tend to be the ones who don’t really know why they’re in college or what they want to do with their lives. At this moment, it’s the social life — meeting new people, the parties, games, and the myriad of “fun” things college kids can find to do.
Mastery and Performance Orientations
Posted Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 by Maryellen Weimer“Students with mastery orientation seek to improve their competence. Those with performance orientations seek to prove their competence.” (p. 122)
It’s a quote that succinctly captures how what students believe about themselves as learners affects how they approach learning. A mastery orientation means that students believe that they have some control over factors related to [...]