Individual peerScholar Assignment

May 08 - June 02 /   2017 

Based on learning experiences in this circle, each student will write a letter in peerScholar and give feedback on the work of three peers.

1. May 08 - May 19 Create: students can write their letter.
2. May 20 - May 28 Assess: students give feedback on the letters written by 3 peers.

3. May 29 - June 02 Reflect: students reflect on their own work and can use constructive feedback from 3 peers to improve their letter. 

That's the way to learn together, by sharing critical and creative thoughts about Children's Rights.

   Enjoy this amazing process of peer learning!  

"My plan to improve children's rights" 

Individual peerScholar Assignment. 

On May 4 all teachers will receive an email with a link to a document  with  USERNAMES AND PASSWORDS for teachers en students.

--> On May 8 the assignment will start. Until May 19 each student can write a personal letter (at school or at home) after login here: https://demo.peerscholar.com

Students can use the unique email address and password they received from their teacher. 

All students of your Learning Circle group will make an individual assignment, to be part of a unique process of peer learning.

They will give and receive feedback to/from three peers, their global classmates.

What will we do?

In this assignment we request each student in the Circle to write a letter to the jury of the Global Teenager Project.

By giving and receiving feedback to and from three peers we ask each student to critically think and learn together.

Why will we do it?

Collaborative learning in a Learning Circle allows students to learn and work together; the diversity in their countries and backgrounds creates a rich learning environment.

To end a circle with a regular test, in a closed classroom setting, would take away the global dimension of your amazing work in the past weeks.

Supported by the University of Toronto, we offer a new way of formative peer assessment.

The tool we will be using is called peerScholar - We are thrilled to be able to invite you in this global classroom assignment!

What is peerScholar?

peerScholar is an innovative on-line pedagogical tool that supports students’ collaboration, learning and reflection.

peerScholar facilitates learning through 3 phases;

• Create

• Assess

• Reflect/revise

Students first submit their assignment, then they give feedback to their peers work, and finally they reflect on and learn from the peer feedback that they received.

How will we do it?

peerScholar is an on-line web based tool that works best in the following browsers: Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox.

This clip explains more about peerScholar:

The Assignment:

What is The Global Teenager Project (GTP)?

The Global Teenager Project connects students globally by sharing web based classroom challenges, contributions and discussions. 
The Learning Circles Children’s Rights improve intercultural understanding and increase awareness about the conditions in the lives of children worldwide. 
GTP wants to take away stereotypical images and preconceived ideas and gives way to a deeper understanding for different perspectives. 
 

Introduction:
On November 20th 2014 the World celebrated the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
Almost all countries (196) have ratified this international treaty that recognizes the human rights of children everywhere.

By taking part in the Learning Circle you have created and seen a lot of information about the present 54 children's rights and how the world is dealing with it. 

In the past months you probably found out that 'we' still don't meet up to the rights of children. Many children are victims of failure to fulfill a promise.
Maybe it helps if we think together, if we design a different plan, with a different approach.
It's time for ideas that no one considered!
 

The letter:

In collaboration with UNICEF, the jury of the Global Teenager Project has launched a 'writing contest' that allows you as LC-participants to speak out and raise your voice. 

 We ask each of you to write a paper (about 500 words) to the jury of GTP in which you include:

• A brief personal introduction, so the jury understands who you are and where you're from.

• Your lessons learned and eye-openers during the Learning Circle process.

• Design a plan to improve at least one children's right.
  How can your plan improve the conditions in the lives of children? 
   

The jury will share the best 3 letters with UNICEF and publish it in all wikis and spread them (through various social media) among many students and teachers participating in various projects of GTP!
 

Place yourself in the position of the GTP jury. They will receive hundreds of letters; 
Describe what motivated you to make this choice and why you think this specific plan deserves the attention of the jury.
In other words: What can you do to make your letter ‘outstanding’?

How we will work in peerScholar:

To access peerScholar please go to https://demo.peerscholar.com

Students can use their unique username and password that the teacher provides (sent in the document by email)

Once you passed the login, please ask your students to click on the course 'GTP Learning Circles'

Two assignments are visible:

Choose:

1. The Create Phase:

Starts on May 08 and ends on May 19

Click on 'Create phase, read the assignment and instructions carefully.

Students can start writing the letter in the 'Composition' box, or use their text file and copy and paste it. 

You can work on your letter as many times as yo like, but don't forget to click on 'Save'. 

2. The Assess Phase: 

This phase opens on May 20.  When the students login again they click on the Assess phase and they will see three randomly selected and anonymously presented peer letters.

Their primary task is to give feedback on their peers work. Both by in-line comments and positive and constructive feedback.

Students are requested to complete the assess phase by May 28.   

After reading the instructions and tips click on 'Save'.

Now students can give feedback on the work of 3 peers from the other schools.

3. The Reflect/Revise Phase: 

Once the phase opens on May 29 and ends on June 02, students can see the feedback from their peers provided on their draft letter.  

After reading their peers feedback carefully, each student will indicate how useful the feedback was. They will use it to revise and improve their original letter.

Students will be asked to write a short reflection, to justify how and why they revised their work in the light of comments received.

REMARK:

---> In Phase 1 (Create) students have written a letter to the jury of GTP.
---> In Phase 2 (Assess) students give feedback to three Circle classmates.
       If not all students complete this phase, most students will see not three, but two peer reviews in phase 3 
       (as some of the feedback given has been linked to the students that didn't finish phase two).

When will we do it?

The schools in the Learning Circles are spread over 9 time zone's.

We have created the assignment based on the Dutch time.

To find the time of the assignment in your country plus / minus the hours:

Canada is - 6 hrs.  / Suriname - 5 hrs. / Ukraine +1 hrs. / Romania +1 hrs.

Phase 1 - each student creates a letter in peerScholar.

• Opens May 8 - 00:05 am

• Closes May 19 - 23:55 pm

Phase 2 - peer feedback on the work of two other peers.

• Opens May 20 - 00:05 am 

• Closes May 26 - 23:55 pm

Phase 3 - receive feedback from two peers and review your own work.

• Opens May 27 - 00:05 am 

• Closes June 2 - 23:55 pm

Teachers:

At any moment teachers can take a look into all 3 phases of the assignment and follow their students progress.

Simply go to https://demo.peerscholar.com --> login with your teacher username and password.

Please click on:

And choose:

--> Please do not click on the orange MANAGE button. This might change the settings of the assignment.

Click on < View Progress > and select on the next page the icon next to create, assess or reflect.

Choose what you want to see:

and select which of the letters or feedback of your students you want to read.

GOOD LUCK!!