The details of the final self-assessment assignment are at the end. First, a review of the background for the Pareto Project.
Background
The following screenshot was taken on December 7, 2018, but it will match the work of any Pareto Project undertaken at any point during any school year.
The complete guide is posted first. Students brainstorm, pitching their ideas according to the guide’s protocol. Then a blueprint is created, submitted, edited, resubmitted, etc., until it is given final approval.
After refining the project’s final goals and answering any frequently-asked questions, we are able to set final goals. These examples come again from 2018:
These projects, of course, are created under the auspices of the Humanities makerspace, which means they are assessed as part of the grade abatement process. No rubrics are necessary. Instead, we look to an authentic validation of student work, as seen here. And we look to the validation and feedback guided by a student’s own self-assessment, reflection, and metacognitive insight.
Final Self-Assessment
The blueprint step of this process requires students to set two goals: a learning goal and a product goal. The final self-assessment requires an accounting of those goals. Which goals were met? Which changed over time? In the end, what was created, and what was learned?
The blueprints are completed through Google Forms, which means that every student has a copy of the blueprint emailed to them. We can search through Gmail to find that copy to see what was written back before the project truly began.
For the final self-assessment, we can evaluate the extent to which those goals were met. The prompts are changed from predictive to reflective and metacognitive:
1. Pareto Project: Product and Process
What did you create, develop, explore, experience, etc., through this project? How did the process evolve over time? How did your goals shift over time? What now exists for others to see, hear, experience, etc., and to what extent have you chosen to share that work? Will the project continue? If so, what are your future goals? Be specific, and evaluate yourself honestly and empathetically.
2. Pareto Project: Skills, Traits, and Knowledge
What did you learn through this project? What skills, traits, and knowledge did you gain? Use the specific, universal language of grade abatement, referring explicitly to the details in this handout. These questions can also be used to guide this work:
- How did the loop between collegiality and empathy factor into your project?
- What sort of discussions did you have with others about your project, whether or not you formally worked in a group?
- What kind of reading and research was required for your project?
- What new knowledge and information did you internalize as a result of your process?
- To what extent were you able to practice divergent thinking and creative problem-solving through this project?
- How did working on your project test and develop your ability to communicate with others?
- To what extent was writing involved, excluding this final self-assessment?
- To what extent did you seek criticism and praise about your project as it developed? Did you become more self-aware as a result?
- How successful were you at honestly and objectively assessing your progress and product(s)?
- What limits did your project test in you? To what extent were you able to demonstrate or develop resilience?
- How successful were you in maintaining focus and self-control throughout the project?
- What did you learn about your organizational strengths and weaknesses through this project?
- To what extent did you need to teach yourself the necessary skills and knowledge to reach your goals?
Whether these final self-assessments are bulleted or, more helpfully, written as essays, they serve as the capstone to the process.