“Before I collect your papers, please turn to the back and write me a note. Tell me how you think you did, how easy or difficult it was to write the paper, whether you allowed yourself enough time or if you waited until the last minute to finish the paper. What grade do you think you will make? Is there anything specific you want me to check?”
Why did it take me more than two decades inside a classroom to recognize the value of the simple act of having students reflect on their work BEFORE they turn in assignments? Many teachers have students reflect on assignments after they have been graded, but I find it is more enlightening to have kids reflect before I read or grade the assignment.
After I grade a paper, I turn to the back and read the student’s note. I make sure to answer any questions that students pose or clarify information that they do not understand. Most of all, I read their reflection before I write my final comments on the paper. If I think the paper is really weak and the student indicates in the note that he waited until the last minute to write the paper and knows it isn’t good, I don’t need to berate him for his bad judgment. Instead, I can tell him to learn from the experience so it doesn’t happen again.
If a student has a weak paper but tells me in his note that he is proud of the paper and thinks it’s really good, I know I need to convey my comments in a way that hopefully will not upset the student and then offer to help the student individually on the next paper.
Often I will have students who write good papers, but in their notes they will tell me that they think their papers are dreadful. Some of these students are frustrated, or have impossibly high standards for their own work, or they are modest and have difficulty complimenting their own work.
Some students will write long notes and tell me how their papers might not be their best work but they enjoyed parts of the assignment and learned a great deal. A few students will share their exasperation of reading the paper and worrying because they know something is wrong with it, but they just aren’t sure what it is. They want help.
Sometimes students write beautiful papers and when I read their notes, they apologize for waiting until the last minute to write their papers, papers they consider to be inferior. I always praise them and say they are among the lucky few who appear to work better under great stress.
Some students actually tell me that their papers are drivel and then apologize for making me read them.
Through the years I have been amazed at how often students are able to see the same strengths and weaknesses in their own papers that I see. While there are indeed times when students think they have excellent papers and I think the paper is weak, this is rare, particularly later in the semester when students are accustomed to my grading.
Student reflections on their own work helps students review their work and think about what they can do next time to improve. Student reflections also help me when I return their work because I have a better idea of how kids will react to my grading and whether or not I need to pull them aside to discuss the paper individually.
If you have kids who are frustrated with their grades or students who always challenge your grading, try giving them the chance to reflect on their writing or their assignments before they submit them. The process certainly would have helped me if I had known to do it when I first started teaching.
