Supporting peer feedback using response systems: Spotlight on Heritage Park P.S.

In Mr. Watt's intermediate Learning Disability Intensive Support Program at Heritage Park P.S., students have used a number of strategies to provide peer feedback of presentations. Recently, during a co-teaching session with Itinerant teacher Valia Reinsalu, Mr. Watt and his students used the ActivExpression 2 learner response systems to provide comments and feedback to classmates' video game or game app presentations. The students reviewed a game by sharing power point oral presentations. 

James Watt models his own presentation for his students
 about the app "Plants vs. Zombies 2".

Mr. Watt presented to his class and students were able to provide feedback in a number of categories through the use of the ActivExpressions. The teacher and class co-created criteria about how to deliver an effective oral presentation and master the use of the interactive whiteboard to navigate a digital presentation. Feedback was provided via a pre-created list of questions known as a "self-paced assessment", where students can navigate and answer questions that appear on each ActivExpression screen at their own pace. 

Students can respond to different questions at their own pace on the ActiveExpression.
See photos (left) "was looking at the audience"  and (right) "talked loudly". 

Many different types of questions can be pre-programmed as self-paced tests. Mr. Watt used likeart (rating scale), yes/no and texting question types for his students' introduction to the use of the ActivExpressions. Questions appear on the device screen. (Further individualized support can be provided for students by generating a paper printout of the question set.)

Even though students answered each question at their own pace, the class feedback results can be examined and shared when the entire assessment is finished. 

For each question there were two parts. First, students were asked to pick a level of performance for a specific category eg. confidence level of the presenter. Then they had to provide a brief rationale for their choice of rating. (photo) confidence level of presenter.

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