Have you used Google Docs & Forms?
Most people have, as they are a fantastic feature of the G-Suite offerings. However, you probably haven't used them in all of the ways they can be to make a revolutionary change in your teaching instruction and curriculum implementation. Read on to learn about:
Class Sharing & Google Forms
Authentic audience (beyond teacher)
Built in grading time
Reflection
Student Surveys and Individual Reflection
Self-reflection
Peer feedback/ reflection
Students READ teacher comment (beyond just grade)
Use Google Docs & Small Groups to bolster Student to Student Feedback
We all know that peer editing and feedback is a crucial part of the learning process, but we have all--at some point--experienced or seen a complete peer feedback fiasco.
When I surveyed my students using MentiMeter (great for quick surveys or start of class questions/ bell-ringers), students are torn on the efficacy of peer feedback. When asked why, they all agreed that a major part of it was that "it depends on which partner you get."
This is why I do peer feedback differently--students don't work with a single partner, they work in small group feedback workshop circles (as modeled in Austin's Butterfly). Students have time in class to work on their writing assignment, then they share them with their peer group both digitally and verbally.
Check out what my students have to say about the process:
Google Docs Peer Feedback: How do I do it?
First, they write their stories in Google Docs, then they share them with their peers using the "Can Comment" feature, which allows peers access to read and leave notes on their peers' paper, without making any edits or changes directly to it. "The choice to accept or reject your suggestions is always up to the author," I remind them.
I use a modified Kagan set-up in my class to help structure and facilitate the small group feedback sessions. My class is divided into small color groups (created by using a mix of ability levels and personality traits) and each member is assigned a letter: A, B, C, or D. In the feedback sessions, they go A-->D order, sharing. Starting with the A, each group member reads their out loud (helping them catch mistakes in their own writing), while their small group peers provide digital feedback and corrections through the Google Form comment and suggesting feature. Once the sharer (A) is done reading, the other members (B, C, D) all turn and form a circle. Each member (B-->D) offers one compliment and one suggestion. As each member offers their compliment and suggestion, the other peer feedback members use their thumbs to silently vote their agreement or disagreement with the feedback that is being given.
In my opinion, this group feedback and voting system is absolutely essential to the peer feedback process. As discussed earlier, one of the biggest failings of traditional peer editing is that, if you only have one partner to work with, how do you know if you are getting good advice or not? In the small group workshop model, the students can form a consensus and see things like "OK, everyone in my group agreed that the ending was a little confusing, so I definitely need to go back to work on that. Let me poll the group for suggestions on how to do that!"
Use Whole Class Sharing & Google Forms to increase Student to Student Feedback and Engagement
In addition to the small group feedback model, we also have whole-class sharing days. While the small-group model is meant to be a step in the revision stage of the writing process, we typically use whole-class sharing as a culmination of the unit.
Once students have finished their assignment, they use a Google Form to collect peer evaluation data from the class as they share their work. This method can be used with any writing assignment and is a great addition to any project that culminates in a class presentation to increase student engagement and authentic audience.
Google Docs Peer Feedback: How do I do it?
Students create or use a teacher-created Google Form Survey (like this one), then share the form with all of their classmates. As they present to the class, teachers use this time to take notes or grade the assignment while the other students in the class do the same through the peer feedback form.
Not only does this give the students in the audience a crucial role to play, which will increase their engagement while viewing the presentations, but it also benefits the students being "graded" by their peers, as they feel that their classmates are a part of the evaluation process. This increases their audience from one teacher to an entire class!
Once the voting process is over, the students who presented can view the form feedback and see what their class thought about their work. In my class, I require student reflections after each unit, and ask students to go back to their form responses and use them to self-evaluate based on what their peers thought.
In a writing class, one of the parts of the form I require is that students pick a favorite line from the piece and copy & paste it into the form, then explain why this line was so successful. The students love getting this feedback and helps them really revel in their strengths and successes.
Google Docs & Forms for Student and Teacher Reflection
As mentioned above, I require reflections in my class. Each unit, students have an opportunity to go back to what they have learned and review it through this final assignment.
Of all of the things I have taught, how to reflect, self-assess, and grow may be the most important.
As a teacher, we spend so much time grading and making comments and editing their papers, but when we hand them back to the students, what do they do? They just look at the grade. They don't use the notes and edits and time-consuming comments in the way they are meant to be used: as an opportunity for them to learn from their mistakes.
That's where student reflections come in. By requiring students to complete individual reflections, students can (1) review (2) learn from peers (3) learn from teachers (4) self-evaluate (5) set new goals. And guess what? They love doing it:
Google Docs Self Reflection: How do I do it?
I create a Google Doc Reflection form for the students (like the one linked here) that forces them to go back over all of the parts and pieces of the unit they have just completed.
The major elements I want them to focus on are seeing what their peers thought (viewing the Google Form Survey results), seeing what I thought (viewing my Canvas rubric and comments), and then evaluating themselves now that they have heard more views and opinions of their work.
Reflection is critical to improvement and evolution, both for students and for teachers. As such, I also always have an end of the year survey and evaluation for myself in which I ask my students to evaluate my teaching methods, my course content, and various other elements of their learning in my class.
To be a teacher means constantly adapting and updating your curriculum and teaching structure/ strategies to best meet the needs of the students. For me, that means listening to what my students tell me and making changes each time I teach my course. After all, it's always in Beta, right?
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