Self-Assessment: not as easy as it first appears

My course 3250 – Instructional Strategies is winding down and the final 2 assignments are about assessment. Assessing both our contribution to forum discussions and our blog. I was eager to submit my assessments but on sitting down to tackle these assignments, I’ve discovered they are harder than first appeared. And I’m curious. It has generated much more thought than I expected. I know the purpose behind self-assessing i.e. there is great learning in self-assessing and I know deep reflection can generate transformation and lead to enhanced insights. Barkley (2010) explains that ” helping students evaluate their learning allows them to take responsibility for determining whether they are in their optimal challenge zone and adjust accordingly by doing additional review, seeking help, or challenging themselves to do more advanced work.”
Assessing oneself isn’t about listing all the new skills you have learned, or about saying this was great or I liked that or my strengths are such and such. It may partially be those things and yet it is so much more. Thinking about my thinking has become an everyday occurrance! Keeping Barkley’s comments in mind, I have determined that indeed I am in my optimal challenge zone and I will challenge myself further to take all I have learned in this course to my future instruction.
Self-assessment is more for the student than the instructor. It has generated some deep thought on my part. It has kept me honest. It has demonstrated my strengths and my opportunities. Yes, it can help to evaluate and lead to a “score” or a final mark but to me that isn’t what it is all about!
I have learned so much in this course and I am thankful to my fellow classmates who have contributed to my learning and my instructor for constantly fueling questions to make me think.
Most of all, I am excited to continue to challenge my learning!

Resources

Barkley, E. (2010). Student engagement techniques – a handbook for college faculty. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass