Two of the simplest ways any teacher can scaffold peer-assessment, giving learners the confidence to throw themselves headfirst into the process

Using Pro-Forma

A pro-forma is a pre-made document we give to learners to fill in.

Their great advantage is that they make life easier for learners.

They provide a clear structure, dictated by the teacher, that learners can follow.

As such, they diminish ambiguity and encourage learners down paths that we know will be beneficial.

You will have to decide what sort of pro-forma is appropriate for your learners and for the work they are peer-assessing.

Pro-forma can save you time as well.

First, because you can use them repeatedly.

Second, because when you bring a pro-forma out for the second, third, fourth or fifth time, learners are already familiar with it.

Therefore you do not need to spend time explaining it. Instead, learners can get on with using it right away.

Here are five examples of how you can use pro-forma to scaffold peer-assessment in your lessons:

Create a ‘three stars and a wish’ sheet for younger learners. This should have relevant images on it, alongside space in which they can write their strengths and their target for improvement.
Create a pro-forma that includes a bank of keywords you would like learners to focus on using when writing their feedback. This method is a great way to get learners using higher-quality language and can also help target their effort more effectively.
Create a pro-forma that contains a large number of strengths and space to write a target. When learners are using this to peer-assess, invite them to highlight the three most relevant strengths for the piece of work they are assessing. They can then write their target in the space provided.
If you are working with younger learners or introducing peer-assessment for the first time, create a pro-forma with sentence starters. These will help learners engage positively with the peer-assessment and should also ensure what they write has relevance.
When you create a pro-forma, also create an exemplar one. This should be one you have completed yourself that models the kind of language you are looking for from your learners. Give out copies of this or share it on the whiteboard and draw learners’ attention to one or two key points before asking them to create their own.

Using Mark-Schemes

Coming to terms with a mark-scheme can be a powerful learning experience.

It gives learners an insight into what they are being judged against and allows them to experience what it is like to be an examiner/teacher.

All of this is of great benefit.

It helps learners to think about their work objectively.

It lets them better understand how their work is likely to be interpreted

And it develops their ability to make judgements about what constitutes good work, and vice-versa.

A mark-scheme is also, of course, a scaffold.

A tool learners can use to better understand what success looks like and how to accurately judge the work of their peers (and their own work, though we’re not looking at self-assessment here).

Getting learners to use mark-schemes with confidence is not only a brilliant way to help them better understand what they need to do to be successful, it’s also a (near) fool-proof way to scaffold their peer-assessments.

Here are five simple examples of what that looks like:

Using Mark-Schemes for Peer-Assessment: Example 1

Give learners a mark-scheme and ask them to use it to mark the work of their peers.

If it is an exam class, this will be a mark-scheme from the exam board.

While some learners may find using this difficult at first, the benefits of coming to terms with it cannot be underestimated.

After all, this is what their work will ultimately be judged against.

Using Mark-Schemes for Peer-Assessment: Example 2

In advance of a piece of work, develop a mark-scheme in conjunction with your learners.

This should be a collaborative exercise in which all members of the group have the opportunity to contribute.

When learners have completed their work, ask them to get into pairs and to use the mark-scheme to peer-assess what their partner has done.

It is a good idea to create the mark-scheme in the latter half of one lesson and to then do the task and the peer-assessment in the next lesson.

This gives you time in-between to photocopy the mark-scheme so you can distribute copies to learners.

Using Mark-Schemes for Peer-Assessment: Example 3

Provide learners with a simplified version of a mark-scheme that you use.

This works well with younger learners who might not be able to access the language of a formal mark-scheme.

By giving them a simplified version you allow them to experience working with something representative of the real thing.

One of the easiest ways to simplify a mark-scheme is to change it from continuous prose to bullet points.

Another option is to take one element of a mark-scheme, and just have learners focus on this.

Using Mark-Schemes for Peer-Assessment: Example 4

Set learners an exam question and print off the appropriate piece of the mark-scheme.

Enlarge this to A3-size.

When learners have completed their work, ask them to swap with a partner.

Each pair receives an A3 copy of the mark-scheme, big enough to share.

Learners start by reading through and discussing the mark-scheme together.

They then move onto marking each other’s work.

Finally, learners come back together and share their feedback with each other, making explicit reference to the mark-scheme as they do (including by pointing at the relevant sections on the A3 sheet!).

Using Mark-Schemes for Peer-Assessment: Example 5

Spend time with learners exploring the relevant mark-scheme before they begin a piece of work.

For example, you might discuss it with them, give them a set of questions about it they need to answer in pairs, model how you would use it to mark a piece of work, or chop it up and ask learners to reassemble it in groups.

The point is to help learners develop an understanding of what their work will be judged against and what they will be using to assess the work of their peers, before they start creating the work that will eventually be peer-assessed.