Introduction
Teamwork is an imperative practice that establishes strong strategies for decision-making and development of ideas. In this regard, the assessment of the performances and directions taken by group members as well as their cooperation and participation when reaching a mutual target is critical. The aims of creating a peer evaluation system to monitor the work done by a group can be performed in various strategies.
In a bid to perform such a task, such issues as attendance to group meeting, effective contributions, clear communications, listening attention, task review and completion, independence of thoughts, determination, and attitude among others. This assessment recommends an evaluation system basing on these factors in order to develop strategies on how these groups operate. The discussion assesses the issues within the group including the organization, punctuality, and leadership perceived from these values.
Evaluation Strategies
The evaluation may start from the assessment of the individual meetings where the group members are either present or absent in the meeting. Essentially, the corporation of the team members is pertinent in determining cooperation. In fact, ideas developed substantially through the thoughts review by several people or subjected to heated debates may be strong.
Arguments between the group members with a common interest of attaining a goal do not only offer chances for diverse ideas, but also provides counsel for better and informed suppositions. Peer performance is assessed through the happenings of daily operations of the group including listening, criticism and task completion. Peer evaluation is an effective teaching review conducted by means of questionnaires, observations and interviews (Gil & Vista, 2001).
The importance of holding this evaluation is to ensure that the group members understand the roles of team work and socialization involved during this practice. In addition, it assists to develop the disciplinary expertise of professionals especially in the working environment.
The information obtained through group work enables to improve on the effective learning culture. In this manner, people can manage to present ideas without raising controversies and conflicts. However, the group must be comprised of tactics to resolve conflicts and maintain discipline.
Course portfolios are a compilation of the lesson’s reports by the students on the performance of teaching effectiveness as ensured by the teacher (Beijaard, 2005). It is in the form of a written evaluation from students on their response rate and grasp of contents. This instrument is used at the end of the lesson once in every month.
The students are involved in filling the evaluation form to inform about their group proceedings because they have a chance of giving proper evaluation responses as the concerned parties. The information obtained from this assessment facilitates improvement on the content delivery to students (Ulrich & Nedelcu, 2012). It allows the trainers or instructors to modify the trainees’ perceptions according to expected learning outcomes. In other cases, group assessments may be presented in the form of quizzes.
They are used by the teachers and the students to determine whether the learners understood the aspects taught during the lesson. The quizzes are provided to the students at the end of the lesson to ascertain whether they understand. Knowing the students’ understanding of the subjects and the mastery of group discussions enables the teacher to boost on their strengths and deliver properly to students. The results are returned to the students to enable them in seeing their subject state.
The peer management is considerable in evaluating the learning effectiveness. It can be used by a colleague and the students. This evaluation can be done at the end of the lesson and thrice in the entire subject coverage. Getting to know that management provides hint to students’ corporation in the group. Hence, the information from this evaluation enables proper organization of the classroom to ensure effective teaching and learning.
Group’s management involves a case where students are provided with the opportunity to identify resolutions through discussions (Brookhart, 2010). This instrument is filled by the students and a fellow teacher since they can give unbiased information. Danielson (2007) argues that students’ self-management enhance proper understanding, which enhances effective teaching. The information obtained can be communicated to the class on the next lesson to provide the students with their progress report. The management is accompanied by motivation and engagement of the members which are vital in determining the students’ attitudes towards the instructor and topic of discussion. Evaluation process can be carried out at the end of the lesson and information enables to improve on personal weakness (Chu, Labonte, & Levine, 2004). The information from the group evaluation is also used to evaluate the skills of group members and its effectiveness. Therefore, response on students’ engagement in class is provided to motivate the students in the team.
In accordance to the type of conflict between the group members, there are various disciplines that will be in play. As such, there are a number of insights that will be incorporated. First, the topics may involve the essence of conflict management. Essentially, the members are in controversy of some ideas on the topic or outside the discussion coverage. Second, it will incorporate decision making because the parties have to make a choice on the controversial issue.
This attribute is reinforced by the fact that this scenario has aspects on decision-making such as the existence of options. In this regard, there is a conflict emerging from the two insights that include decision-making and conflict management. The decision making is a priority in the scenario. However, the conflict that arises complicates the decision-making process because it adds a factor that should be considered.
In essence, the conflict management and decision making are conjoined to each other. When solving conflicts, the involved personnel must make decisions that will help to arbitrate between the differing parties. Additionally, it is advocated that the solution must be based on both the levels of the disciplines and insights incorporated in the problem.
The timing of the use of peer evaluation is also justified. Adopting this instrument at the middle of the course work provides an evaluation platform where teacher can adjust promptly to the student expectations (Danielson, 2007). Having the evaluation made at such specific time also provides a chance for the teacher to assess his or her performance in relation to the school’s stated criteria.
A group observation is also a critical tool for assessing group work. The questions outlined are easy and fast to fill in the evaluation form. Danielson (2007) points that understanding of the subject concepts leads to simple use of terms. Therefore, the teacher makes the subject simple for the students’ understanding. The choice of the questions is right as they will enable the teacher to know whether the students understand his choice of words during the lesson.
The variables to measure using this instrument include interactions between the teacher and students, subject-specific practice and the apparent classroom process (Danielson, 2007). Therefore, evaluating the interaction between the teacher and students provides the teacher with feedback that he or she can use to assess the effectiveness of his teachings. A colleague assessing this relationship would provide proper feedback than that which the students would provide since the students’ responses may be biased
Independence of Thought and Action
The ability to make resolutions and become self-reliant when making contributions to the issues being discussed helps each participant to have leadership qualities. The evaluation of this aspect in the group can be availed through the questionnaire where participant is recorded for each member.
An effective team work should incorporate all the participants in the discussion proceedings. Each member should have a chance and capacity to make and support suggestions using the available literature. However, this independence must control through chosen leader who control the discussions and call off meeting when conflicts prove notorious or unmanageable. The group actions must be directed towards attaining a goal set for the group.
Creativity in Approach to Problems
A group may have some problems within the discussions or physical proceedings. These issues should be resolved through creativity where the members are willing to provide and device reliable solutions to the problems. For instance, disagreements arising from controversial ideas may be resolved through research and inquiry from an instructor.
Group Arrangement to Facilitate Evaluation
Group arrangement involves arrangement of participants, learning/action materials, and equipments’ sharing among other things. In the light of arranging the future group, the participants will be arranged depending on their roles. For instance, group members can be segmented depending on their areas of work, schedules, competition sides or columns in cases of students.
Resources can determine how the groups are arranged to facilitate effective peer evaluation. For instance, a white blackboard projection will be positioned at the front wall where students can comfortably follow illustrations. A permanent projector will be positioned at the roof ensuring that it projects information on the white blackboard which will be multipurpose.
The arrangement connects to the instructing strategies since it is oriented to fulfilling the peers’ team needs. Evaluation systems that aim at providing satisfactory knowledge and assistance to the members are vital. In this light, individual members are considered for the evaluation rather than collective team work. This particular consideration helps them to obtain individualized records on the performance status of the member.
It is, therefore, oriented to the motivation status of the group implying that it is essentially connected to the aspects of student-centered philosophy. The team arrangement allows people with common interests to evaluate the issues that concern them. Teamwork must involve chores that keep the group in operation.
For instance, a team of students may be involved in decorations and designation of reference materials in a class environment. In this case, the decorations can involve the walls using attractive wall charts which include scientific flow charts, mathematical formulas, and animal picture for the learner. Additionally, the walls will be decorated using colorful boards that have a motivational message for the learners. This enhancement will perform various chores together since it will be motivational and decorative.
Routines
One of the most important aspects of evaluating the group is through creation of teams’ culture in order to make their behaviors predictable. When they have a predictable behavior, the evaluator can monitor their behavior and control them easily (Helen, 2012). This culture is created through the development of daily practices that comprise of routines.
In cases of students, they will be required to take a roll call on a daily basis where their presence status is recorded on a group register as they enter the class. This strategy ensures that the presence of members is monitored so as parents can get an accurate report concerning members’ attendance. Additionally, the participants will create a tradition of reciting prayers every day before commencing discussions in order to inculcate spiritual growth, purport love, and brotherhood among other values.
Then, the prefect reads the timetable describing how the members are expected to utilize their time and respond to bells. It ensures that all students are conversant with expected time management and avoid confusion especially when some members ignore the written timetable.
Any student who needs to visit the nurse during class time must notify the teacher in the morning personally. In cases where students experience prompt health problem, the prefect should assist them to seek for teachers’ attention and assistant. In this case, the students will be given a leave-out sheet bearing the name as well as the admission numbers for the student.
Students will submit their homework personally either before or on the deadline in ensuring that it is marked in their presence. However, some instances will require them to submit homework to the prefect who will hand it into the teacher. Late homework will not be marked implying that such students will lose all the marks for the assignment.
This action ensures that students are not only diligent academically but also conscious about time management and punctuality (Lock & Babkie, 2006). For those who finish their homework before the deadline, they will enjoy bonus marks that will be considered when choosing the best student for prize giving ceremony.
Classroom Management Approach
The approach of using self-discipline is inspired by the students’ capability to evaluate their behavior and solve their problems according to their objectives (Lock & Babkie, 2006). It argues that students could be guided on how to take responsibility of their conduct without relying on others for direction.
This guidance implies that students should act willingly according to rationales rather than responding to forceful rules and punishments (Lock & Babkie, 2006). Further, it asserts that the teacher should create a good student-teacher relationship in order to create an environment which can allow them to resonate sensibly. The teacher should respect the students’ dignity and intellectual capability that enable them to understand their behaviors and correct faults (Lock & Babkie, 2006).
This approach has been used in higher education curriculum where students receive little guidance from their lecturers. Lectures offer guidance only and leave students to make decisions concerning time management, academic commitment, and moral behaviors among other things. As a result of this freedom, students do not develop a lot of resistance to the teachers. Instead, they concentrate on the rationale of lectures’ guidance and according to it.
On the other hand, instructional approach evokes resistance among students since human beings tend to oppose instructions before they adjust to them. Besides the wastage of time, it creates a lot of conflict between students and teachers leading to a poor learning environment. Therefore, the preference of self-discipline to other approaches includes instructional design and desisting approach.
Rules
Although self-discipline is built on students’ capability to control their behavior, the classrooms need rules generated on the basis of self-discipline. In this case, it is essential to resonate with students on the importance of collective rules since each person does not think similarly owing to their diverse backgrounds and experiences. Then, a rule-making session will be facilitated where students will be included in the process of making their rules.
This strategy will ensure that students are a part of controlling each other so that the rules do not appear to be forceful. In the light of making the rules, the class will deliberate on five major aspects of classroom management which include punctuality, homework, noise making, class attendance, and grooming. These rules will be typed in bold letters, printed on a white paper, and posted in front of the class for all students to see.
Consequences
While appreciating that consequences and punishment should not be the main management yardsticks, they deter offensive students from misbehaving during the team work. As a result, students who do not observe punctuality persistently can be sent home for some days to involve parents or guardians in collecting the mistake (Chu, Labonte, & Levine, 2004). Students who submit their assignment late will be deducted marks leading to low grades.
For noise making and class disruption, the offenders will wash the classrooms for the whole week while the other students leave the school. These measures will deter students from committing the related offenses during the team work. In this regard, the assessment of their behavior can be warranted for a high number of group participants.
Motivation, Incentives and Reinforcement
Group instructors use various techniques to motivate the participants during discussion sessions to realize good results. In this case, they give goods reward in the form of gifts so that they can impress hardworking participant and inspire others to improve. However, this argument of motivation tends to propose against these motivational techniques. These techniques are referred to as the hygiene motivational techniques whose incentive is temporary.
They are not the real factors of motivation that can lead students to academic success. Peer education urges that students should be motivated by the real factors of incentive which include academic progress, achievement, recognition, and responsibility among other factors. For example, a student should be inspired by the urge to achieve a better grade than the previous one. This progress is a true academic motivator as compared to a gift that is awarded at the end of the term which has a temporary effect.
Therefore, the peer evaluation will hold motivational sessions with students showing the importance of education, academic excellence, responsibility and professionalism. Consequently, students will strive to achieve such factors since they understand their benefits in the future.
Communication with Parents
Communicating with the parents concerning the progress of group work is extremely important. In this light, all the phone contacts and postal addresses for the parents can be collected in order to inform parents about issues related to their children. In addition, there will be preparation of academic clinics where parents, teachers, and their children meet to discuss academic issues. During the clinics, students meet individually with their parents and teachers where the teacher explains the student’s progress in the presence of the parents.
It is inspired by teaching philosophy that advocates individualized consideration. One of the most essential ideologies that the researchers describe is that parents must be concerned with the conduct of their children (Lee & Bowen, 2006). The author suggests that educational management is too serious to be left to the teachers only. Further, the author suggests that it needs a team approach in managing and molding students’ behaviors (Lee & Bowen, 2006).
References
Beijaard, D. (2005). Teacher professional development in changing conditions, Dordrecht: Springer.
Brookhart, M. (2010). Formative assessment strategies for every classroom: An ASCD action tool. Alexandria, Va: ASCD.
Chu, J., Labonte, K., & Levine, B. (2004). An evaluation of chord using traces of peer-to-peer file sharing. ACM SIGMETRICS Performance Evaluation Review, 432-432.
Danielson, C. (2007). Enhancing professional practice: A framework for teaching. Alexandria, Va: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development,.
Gil, L., & Vista, C. (2001). Principal peer evaluation: Promoting success from within. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press.
Helen, G. (2012). Team work. North Mankato, MN: Capstone Press.
Lee, J., & Bowen, N. (2006). Parent Involvement in Elementary School Children. American Educational Research Journal, 43(2), 193-218.
Lock, R., & Babkie, A. (2006). Be Proactive In Managing Classroom Behavior. Intervention in School and Clinic, 41(3), 184-187.
Ulrich, C., & Nedelcu, A. (2012). Team-Teaching and Team Work: Perceptions Amongst Students and Staff (A Case Study). Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 6(16), 853-857.