student self evaluation sample essay

Home — Essay Types — Self Evaluation Essay

Self Evaluation Essay Examples

Self-evaluation essay topics can cover a wide range of subjects, from personal strengths and weaknesses to professional goals and achievements. Some common topics include reflecting on past experiences and how they have shaped your character and values, evaluating your communication and interpersonal skills, assessing your academic or professional performance, and setting new goals for personal or career development. Additionally, self-evaluation essay topics can also explore areas such as time management, stress management, problem-solving abilities, and decision-making skills. These topics provide an opportunity for individuals to critically examine their own behavior, attitudes, and performance, and to identify areas for improvement or growth. Writing a self-evaluation essay can be a valuable exercise in self-reflection and self-awareness, helping individuals to gain a deeper understanding of themselves and their potential for personal and professional development.

The Importance of Writing Self-Evaluation Essays

Self-evaluation essays are an important tool for personal and professional development. By reflecting on our experiences, strengths, weaknesses, and goals, we can gain valuable insights into our behavior and attitudes. Writing a self-evaluation essay encourages self-awareness and critical thinking, allowing us to identify areas for improvement and growth. This process can help us set new goals, enhance our communication and interpersonal skills, and develop strategies for time and stress management. Ultimately, self-evaluation essays can empower individuals to take control of their personal and professional development, leading to greater self-confidence and success.

How to Choose a Good Topic for Self Evaluation Essay

When choosing a topic for a self evaluation essay, it is important to select a subject that is meaningful and relevant to you. One effective approach is to reflect on your personal experiences and consider areas of your life that you want to improve or have made significant progress in. This could include topics such as personal growth, career development, relationships, or overcoming challenges.

Another strategy is to focus on a specific skill or characteristic that you possess, such as leadership, communication, or resilience, and evaluate how you have demonstrated this quality in different aspects of your life. Additionally, you can explore a particular event or accomplishment and assess the lessons learned and the impact it has had on your personal development.

Ultimately, the key to choosing a good topic for a self evaluation essay is to select a subject that allows for introspection and self-reflection. By delving into a topic that is meaningful to you, you can effectively analyze your strengths and weaknesses, set goals for improvement, and gain valuable insights into your personal growth journey.

Self-Evaluation Essay Topics by Popular Categories

Self-evaluation essays are a valuable tool for personal and professional growth, allowing individuals to reflect on their experiences, skills, and goals. Here are some self-evaluation essay ideas divided by popular categories:

Personal Growth and Development

• Reflect on a significant personal challenge you have overcome and how it has shaped you.
• Evaluate your personal values and how they influence your decision-making.
• Assess your emotional intelligence and how it impacts your relationships and interactions with others.
• Reflect on a time when you had to step out of your comfort zone and how it has impacted your personal growth.
• Evaluate your resilience and ability to bounce back from setbacks.

Career and Professional Development

• Assess your professional strengths and weaknesses and how they impact your performance in the workplace.
• Reflect on career achievement and the skills and qualities that contributed to your success.
• Evaluate your leadership skills and how they have influenced your professional growth.
• Assess your communication and interpersonal skills in a professional setting.
• Reflect on your career goals and the steps you are taking to achieve them.

Academic Performance and Goals

• Evaluate your academic strengths and weaknesses and how they have impacted your learning experience.
• Reflect on a challenging academic project or assignment and the lessons learned from it.
• Assess your study habits and time management skills in relation to your academic performance.
• Reflect on your academic goals and the steps you are taking to achieve them.
• Evaluate your problem-solving abilities and how they have contributed to your academic success.

Interpersonal Skills and Relationships

• Assess your communication skills in different types of relationships (e.g. family, friends, romantic).
• Reflect on a conflict or misunderstanding in a relationship and the lessons learned from it.
• Evaluate your ability to empathize and connect with others.
• Assess your ability to collaborate and work effectively in a team setting.
• Reflect on a significant relationship in your life and how it has impacted your personal growth.

Overall Self-Reflection and Growth

• Reflect on a significant life event and how it has shaped your identity and values.
• Evaluate your decision-making skills and the impact they have on your life choices.
• Assess your time management skills and how they impact your productivity and well-being.
• Reflect on a personal goal you have achieved and the lessons learned from the experience.
• Evaluate your overall self-care practices and how they contribute to your well-being.

Self-evaluation essays are a valuable tool for personal and professional growth, allowing individuals to reflect on their experiences, skills, and goals. By reflecting on our experiences, strengths, weaknesses, and goals, we can gain valuable insights into our behavior and attitudes. Writing a self-evaluation essay encourages self-awareness and critical thinking, allowing us to identify areas for improvement and growth. Ultimately, self-evaluation essays can empower individuals to take control of their personal and professional development, leading to greater self-confidence and success.

Self evaluation essays are a type of writing in which the author critically reflects on their own experiences, skills, and performance. This type of essay is often used in academic and professional settings as a way for individuals to assess their own strengths and weaknesses, set goals for improvement, and demonstrate their ability to self-reflect and self-assess.

📝 Next Read: Rhetorical Analysis Essays 📚

When writing a self evaluation essay, it is important to be honest and objective about your own performance and abilities. This means acknowledging both your successes and areas for improvement, and providing specific examples and evidence to support your self-assessment. It is also important to consider the context in which you are evaluating yourself, such as the criteria or standards that you are using to measure your performance.

The majority of self-evaluation essays that you will encounter as a college student will refer to all the possible topics as there are no limitations as long as you explore some ideas correctly by using specific structure. Turning to our free self-evaluation essay examples, you will see that it’s necessary to apply analysis and talk about what kind of challenges you have encountered with some subject or what ideas have been overly complex to you as you started researching them.

Tips for Writing a Self Evaluation Essay

Writing a self evaluation essay can be a challenging task, as it requires you to critically assess your own performance and provide thoughtful insights into your strengths and areas for improvement. Here are some tips to help you effectively write a self evaluation essay:

• Reflect on your accomplishments: Before you start writing, take some time to reflect on your accomplishments and experiences. Consider the goals you have achieved and the challenges you have overcome, and think about how these experiences have contributed to your personal and professional growth.
• Be honest and objective: When evaluating your own performance, it’s important to be honest and objective. Acknowledge both your strengths and weaknesses, and provide specific examples to support your claims. Avoid being overly critical of yourself, but also avoid being too lenient.
• Use the STAR method: When discussing your accomplishments, use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to provide a clear and structured explanation of your achievements. This will help you to effectively communicate the impact of your actions and the skills you have demonstrated.
• Set goals for improvement: As you evaluate your performance, identify areas where you can improve and set specific goals for yourself. Discuss how you plan to address these areas and what steps you will take to enhance your skills and capabilities.
• Seek feedback : Consider seeking feedback from others, such as colleagues, mentors, or supervisors, to gain different perspectives on your performance. This can help you to identify blind spots and areas for improvement that you may not have noticed on your own.

By following these tips, you can effectively write a self evaluation essay that provides a thoughtful and genuine assessment of your performance. Remember to be thoughtful, honest, and open to growth as you reflect on your experiences and set goals for the future.

Self Evaluation Essay Structure

When writing a self evaluation essay, it is important to follow a clear and organized structure to effectively communicate your thoughts and reflections. The following steps can help you structure your self evaluation essay:

• Introduction : Begin your essay with an introduction that provides an overview of the purpose of the self evaluation and what you will be discussing in the essay. This can include a brief explanation of the criteria or goals you will be evaluating yourself against.
• Criteria : Identify the criteria or standards that you will be using to evaluate yourself. This could be based on specific goals, skills, or performance expectations.
• Reflection : In this section, reflect on your experiences and performance in relation to the criteria you have identified. Discuss your strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.
• Examples : Use specific examples and evidence to support your reflections. This could include examples from your work, personal experiences, or achievements, and also any self-evaluation sample essays.
• Conclusion : Conclude your essay with a summary of your self evaluation and any insights or lessons learned. You can also discuss your plans for improvement or future goals.

By following this structure and check free self-evaluation samples essay, you can effectively convey your self evaluation in a clear and organized manner, making it easier for the reader to understand and appreciate your reflections.

Why Use Self-Evaluation Essay Examples

Self Evaluation essay examples are useful for gaining insight into the process of self-assessment and improvement. They provide a framework for assessing one’s own strengths and areas for growth and can be a valuable tool for personal and professional development. By using self evaluation essay examples, individuals can learn how to effectively analyze and reflect on their own performance, set goals for improvement, and track their progress over time.

Self evaluation essay examples are useful for individuals in various settings, including educational, career, and personal development. They can be used by students to assess their academic performance, professionals to evaluate their job performance, and individuals seeking personal growth and improvement. By using self evaluation essay examples, individuals can gain a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, identify areas for improvement, and develop strategies for achieving their goals.

📝 Dive Into: Reflective Essays with a Clear Argument 📘

To effectively use self evaluation essay examples, individuals should start by setting clear goals for what they hope to achieve through the process of self-assessment. They should then gather evidence and data to support their evaluation, such as performance reviews, test scores, and feedback from others. Next, they should reflect on their performance and identify areas for improvement. Finally, they should develop an action plan for achieving their goals and track their progress over time. By following these steps, individuals can use self evaluation essay examples to effectively assess their performance and work towards continuous improvement.

Self Evaluation Essay: Writing Checklist

Self Evaluation essay examples allow individuals to reflect on their personal and professional growth, acknowledge their strengths and weaknesses, and set future goals based on their self assessment. This checklist will help ensure that your self evaluation essay is well-structured, evidence-based, and reflective.

🔘 Have I clearly stated the purpose and focus of my self evaluation in the introduction? 🔘 Have I provided specific examples and evidence to support my self evaluation? 🔘 Have I critically reflected on my strengths and weaknesses, and how they have impacted my personal and professional growth? 🔘 Have I discussed the areas in which I have improved and the areas in which I still need to grow? 🔘 Have I addressed any challenges or obstacles I have faced and how I have overcome them? 🔘 Have I explained how my self evaluation has influenced my future goals and plans? 🔘 Have I used clear and concise language throughout my self evaluation? 🔘 Have I proofread and edited my self evaluation for grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors? 🔘 Have I followed the required formatting and citation guidelines for the self evaluation essay? 🔘 Have I concluded my self evaluation with a summary of my main points and a reflection on the overall process of self evaluation?

Self evaluation essays provide a valuable opportunity for individuals to engage in critical self-reflection and set goals for personal and professional development. By following this checklist, individuals can ensure that their self evaluation essays are comprehensive, well-supported, and effectively communicate their self-assessment.

Summary: Self Evaluation Essay Examples

Self evaluation essays provide a valuable opportunity for individuals to engage in critical self-reflection, acknowledge their strengths and weaknesses, and set goals for personal and professional development. By following a clear and organized structure, using specific examples and evidence, and being honest and objective, individuals can effectively communicate their self-assessment and demonstrate their ability to self-reflect and self-assess.

Using self evaluation essay examples can help individuals gain insight into the process of self-assessment and improvement. By setting clear goals, gathering evidence to support their evaluation, reflecting on their performance, and developing an action plan for improvement, individuals can use self evaluation essay examples to effectively assess their performance and work towards continuous improvement.

Overall, self evaluation essays are a valuable tool for personal and professional development. By following the tips and checklist provided, individuals can ensure that their self evaluation essays are comprehensive, well-supported, and effectively communicate their self-assessment. Through this process, individuals can gain a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, identify areas for improvement, and develop strategies for achieving their goals.

The Importance of Self-Evaluation in College

It can be easy to get swept up in the fast-paced lifestyle of classes, extracurricular activities, and social events. However, it is important to take a step back and reflect on your personal growth and progress throughout your college career. Self-evaluation is an essential tool…

The Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering and the Need for Regulation

Introduction Genetic engineering is the manipulation of an organism’s genetic material to produce desirable traits. It has been used in various fields such as agriculture, medicine, and environmental conservation. Genetic engineering has been around for over four decades, and it has revolutionized the way we…

The Importance of Work Self-Reflection

Throughout our careers, it is important to take a step back and evaluate our performance in our roles. A work self-evaluation is a tool that helps us to reflect on our achievements, challenges, and areas for improvement. It allows us to identify our strengths and…

The Importance of Employee Self-Evaluation

Employee self-ealuation is a process where employees assess their own performance and prode feedback to their supersors. The purpose of self-ealuation is to promote self-reflection, self-awareness, and professional growth. It is an opportunity for employees to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses, set goals and…

Get professional help in 5 minutes

Teacher Self-Evaluation: Enhancing Teaching Practices

Teacher self-evaluation is a process in which educators reflect on their own teaching practices and assess their effectiveness in the classroom. It involves examining various areas of teaching, such as classroom management, teaching methods, student engagement, assessment and evaluation, and professional development. This essay aims…

Self-Performance Review: Reflecting on My Professional Journey

As another year draws to a close, it is a valuable opportunity to engage in a self-performance review to assess my progress, accomplishments, and areas for growth over the past year. This self-evaluation serves as a moment of reflection, allowing me to take stock of…

Self-Evaluation Paper: Reflecting on My Internship Experience

Introduction Self-evaluation is an essential aspect of the internship experience. It involves reflecting on the goals, skills, accomplishments, challenges, and feedback throughout the internship to assess personal and professional growth. This essay aims to provide an overview of my internship experience, highlight the objectives of…

Reflecting on Self: A Journey of Self-Evaluation

Today, I stand before you to engage in an act of introspection and self-evaluation. This exercise is not merely a formality or an academic requirement; it is a journey of self-discovery and growth. Through this self-evaluation speech, I aim to share my reflections on my…

Reflecting on Class Participation: A Self-Evaluation Paper

Active class participation is a critical component of a successful academic journey. It involves engaging with course material, contributing to discussions, and collaborating with peers. In this self-evaluation essay, I will reflect on my class participation over the course of this semester, assess my strengths…

Improving Public Speaking Skills: A Self-Evaluation

Introduction The purpose of this self-evaluation essay is to reflect on my public speaking skills and identify areas for improvement. Public speaking is an essential skill in many professions and social situations. Effective communication can help individuals convey their ideas, persuade others, and build relationships….

What is Self Evaluation essay?

A Self Evaluation essay type is a reflective piece of writing where individuals assess their own performance, behavior, or experiences.

How to write a good Self Evaluation essay?

To write a Self Evaluation essay, start by reflecting on your experiences, set clear criteria for evaluation, and provide specific examples to support your assessment.

How to structure Self Evaluation essay?

Structure a Self Evaluation essay by including an introduction, body paragraphs for each criteria of evaluation, and a conclusion that summarizes your overall assessment.

What is the purpose of Self Evaluation essay?

The purpose of a Self Evaluation essay is to critically analyze one's own performance, identify strengths and weaknesses, and set goals for improvement.

How to choose topic for Self Evaluation essay?

Choose a topic for a Self Evaluation essay that relates to a personal experience, such as a project, presentation, or significant event, allowing for a thorough self-assessment.

The most popular topics for Self Evaluation Essay

• Engineering
• Academic Interests
• Career Goals
• Child Abuse
• Overcoming Challenges
• Personal Experience
• Personal Identity

Students also browse

• Personal Narrative Essay
• Proposal Essay
• Problem Solution Essay
• Research Essay
• Persuasive Essay
• Autobiography Essays
• Rhetorical Analysis Essay
• Narrative Essay
• Reflective Essay
• Creative Essay

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

15 Self-Evaluation Examples

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

Learn about our Editorial Process

Self-evaluation is a reflective process where an individual assesses their own performance, skills, and personal growth.

It’s a powerful tool for understanding your own strengths, weaknesses, achievements, and areas of improvement. It is most commonly employed in work, school, and personal development.

Through this practice, individuals can identify their progress towards specific personal goals , professional goals , and educational goals . It helps you to gauge your own proficiency in certain areas and pinpoint where further effort is required.

This introspective exercise encourages self-awareness and helps you to develop greater competence and satisfaction in your own pursuits.

How to Write a Self-Evaluation

The most common method for writing a self-evaluation is via the SWOT framework , which is what I’ll be using for the examples listed below.

This framework asks you to dissect your analysis into four parts:

•   Strengths : Identify and acknowledge your personal skills, attributes, and experiences that differentiate you positively and give you an edge.
• Weaknesses : Recognize and accept your limitations, areas of improvement, or any other factors that could potentially hinder your progress or performance.
• Opportunities : Spot and explore external factors, situations or trends that could benefit you and provide a platform for growth or advancement.
• Threats : Detect and prepare for external factors, situations or events that could negatively affect your performance, progress or well-being.

Self-Evaluation Examples for Work

1. evaluating your time management.

This is an example where a person is evaluating how they managed their time during a project.

• Strengths: I have consistently met all project deadlines, which demonstrates my effective scheduling and prioritization skills.
• Weaknesses: I often find myself needing to work extra hours in the final week before the deadline.
• Opportunities: I could improve my productivity by utilizing time management tools and techniques to balance my workload more evenly throughout the project timeline.
• Threats: A potential increase in workload could challenge my current time management strategies, necessitating further efficiency enhancements.

2. Evaluating your Communication Skills

This is an example where a person is assessing their ability to communicate in a workplace setting, over a six-month span since their last self-performance review .

• Strengths: I’ve developed strong rapport with clients and colleagues, facilitating effective collaboration and coordination.
• Weaknesses: I’ve noticed occasional misunderstandings, indicating the need for clearer and more concise communication.
• Opportunities: I can further enhance my communication skills through professional development courses and practice.
• Threats: As my responsibilities increase, the potential for communication errors and misunderstandings could rise, making continual skill development essential.

Communication skills are vast and include things like verbal and nonverbal, online and offline, as well as active listening skills, and much, much more. To explore communication skills that you could focus on for your self-evaluation, check out this list of 66 communication skills .

3. Evaluating your Leadership Skills

This SWOT analysis is for an evaluation of personal growth as a leader over the past year.

• Strengths: I have successfully led several projects to completion, demonstrating my ability to guide and motivate my team.
• Weaknesses: I sometimes struggle to make decisions when faced with complex challenges.
• Opportunities: There are numerous leadership workshops and training programs available that can help me enhance my decision-making abilities.
• Threats: As the team expands and project complexity grows, I will need to adapt and enhance my leadership approach to maintain team performance and morale.

Leadership is one of the hardest things to learn, and comes with a massive learning curve as you figure out how to deal with a range of personalities and try to get the best out of them. That’s why self-evaluations are almost essential if you want to quickly develop skills in being a leader, manager, supervisor, or employer.

4. Evaluating your Problem-Solving Skills

This analysis is for a person who has examined their ability to solve problems effectively over a span of several months.

• Strengths: My analytical abilities have enabled me to devise effective solutions to a variety of technical and strategic challenges.
• Weaknesses: I’ve realized that I sometimes rush to a solution without considering all perspectives.
• Opportunities: I could improve by proactively seeking diverse inputs before finalizing decisions and by investing time in developing more robust problem-solving methods .
• Threats: The increasing complexity and scale of projects might present more challenging problems that will require more sophisticated problem-solving strategies.

5. Evaluating your Technical Skills

This is a self-evaluation of proficiency in using industry-specific software over the past six months.

• Strengths: I have effectively used software tools to enhance productivity and work quality.
• Weaknesses: I’ve experienced difficulties with some advanced features of these tools.
• Opportunities: There are advanced training resources available that could help me fully utilize these software tools.
• Threats: Rapid technological advancements and the introduction of new tools necessitate continuous learning to maintain technical proficiency.

Technical skills are often referred to as ‘hard skills’ – these are the skills you need to effectively perform tasks in your job. They’re one of several types of skills – others being soft skills , transferable skills, personal skills, and knowledge-based skills. If you want to explore hard skills for your profession, I have a long list of hard skills here .

6. Evaluating your Adaptability

Adaptability skills are essential in workplaces that are constantly changing with new technologies or changing demands of the job. Here is a personal assessment of a person’s ability to adapt to changes in the workplace over the past year.

• Strengths: I’ve successfully navigated several significant changes, including policy updates and software transitions.
• Weaknesses: I’ve noticed some initial resistance within myself when facing unexpected changes.
• Opportunities: I could improve my adaptability by embracing a growth mindset and actively seeking opportunities to learn from change.
• Threats: The fast-paced nature of our industry means changes will be continuous and potentially disruptive, making adaptability an essential skill.

7. Evaluating your Project Management Skills

This is a reflection on project management abilities over the span of a year.

• Strengths: I’ve effectively managed resources, timelines, and team members to successfully complete various projects.
• Weaknesses: I’ve had difficulties predicting potential project risks, which has led to last-minute adjustments.
• Opportunities: I could enhance my project management skills by further developing my risk assessment and mitigation strategies.
• Threats: As projects increase in size and complexity, potential risks and challenges will likely become more difficult to manage and require more sophisticated strategies.

8. Evaluating your Customer Service Skills

A personal evaluation in a sales environment often involves evaluation of performance in handling client interactions (especially the hairy ones!)

• Strengths: I’ve maintained strong relationships with our clients, ensuring their needs and expectations are met consistently.
• Weaknesses: I have occasionally struggled with handling client complaints and conflicts.
• Opportunities: There are numerous resources available, such as customer service training programs, that could help improve my conflict resolution skills .
• Threats: As we expand our client base, the volume and complexity of customer interactions will increase, requiring enhanced customer service skills.

9. Evaluating your Collaboration Skills

This one is for an evaluation of your ability to contribute to a team, work toward common group goals, brainstorm well with others, and so on.

• Strengths: I’ve played a significant role in fostering a supportive and inclusive team environment, leading to successful collaborations.
• Weaknesses: I could improve my delegation skills to distribute tasks more evenly among team members.
• Opportunities: By actively seeking feedback from team members and focusing on enhancing my delegation abilities, I could further strengthen my collaboration skills.
• Threats: The introduction of new team members or an increase in project scope could challenge my current collaboration strategies.

If you want to focus on evaluating and improving your collaboration skills, I’d recommend you check out some of my other content on this website on collaboration and teamwork, which can get your mind working on what to write about and reflect on. Start with my piece on what a team player is , followed by my work on the importance of group brainstorming , and the importance of teamwork .

10. Evaluating your Creativity and Innovation

This reflection is for thinking about your ability to generate innovative solutions, think outside the box, and contribute to creative endeavors.

• Strengths: My creative thinking has resulted in several innovative ideas that have improved team productivity.
• Weaknesses: I’ve noticed that I sometimes hesitate to share unconventional ideas for fear of rejection.
• Opportunities: I could cultivate a more fearless approach to innovation and more actively seek feedback on my ideas.
• Threats: The increasing demand for innovative solutions to tackle industry challenges necessitates continual enhancement of my creative thinking skills .

11. Evaluating your Organizational Skills

Another good area to self-evaluate is your organizational skills , which refers to your ability to arrange your tasks, time, and resources to optimize for productivity and output.

• Strengths: My effective organization of tasks and responsibilities has facilitated smooth workflows and timely project completion.
• Weaknesses: I have sometimes struggled with managing complex tasks and projects due to insufficient planning.
• Opportunities: There are opportunities to improve my skills by incorporating more advanced organizational tools and methods.
• Threats: The complexity and volume of tasks and projects will likely increase, requiring me to continually refine my organization skills.

12. Evaluating your Feedback Receptivity

Many of us find it hard to give and receive feedback – and of course, there’s an art to good feedback. It should be constructive . Here is a self-evaluation of a person who has been struggling to accept feedback.

• Strengths: I’ve consistently demonstrated an openness to feedback and have made meaningful improvements based on it.
• Weaknesses: I sometimes become defensive when receiving critical feedback.
• Opportunities: I can further improve my receptivity by cultivating a growth mindset and actively seeking constructive criticism .
• Threats: As roles and responsibilities evolve, the need for constructive feedback will likely increase, requiring an ongoing openness to and learning from feedback.

13. Evaluating your Conflict Resolution Skills

This self-evaluation is for setting goals for managers , customer service representatives, or anyone who needs to resolve conflicts in their workplace.

• Strengths: I’ve demonstrated a knack for facilitating fair and effective resolutions to team conflicts.
• Weaknesses: I could work on preventing conflicts before they escalate, by fostering better communication within the team.
• Opportunities: By enhancing my understanding of conflict dynamics and resolution techniques, I can further improve my skills in this area.
• Threats: The expansion of the team and the pressure of project deadlines could potentially increase the occurrence of conflicts, making effective conflict resolution skills increasingly important.

14. Evaluating your Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is elusive to many of us. It refers to our capacity to exercise empathy and read and respond to both our own and others’ emotions.

• Strengths: I’ve consistently demonstrated empathy and understanding in my interactions with colleagues, contributing to a positive workplace culture.
• Weaknesses: I sometimes struggle to manage my own stress during high-pressure periods.
• Opportunities: There are numerous resources and techniques available to help manage stress and further enhance emotional intelligence.
• Threats: The demands and pressures of the workplace can escalate, making emotional intelligence an essential skill for maintaining team morale and personal well-being.

See Also: Emotional Intelligence Examples

15. Evaluating your Learning and Development Progress

This area of self-reflection is all about how receptive we are to learning new things, and of course, how we’ve managed to go out there and actually engage in some lifelong learning in the workplace, especially in these times of rapid change.

• Strengths: I’ve quickly learned new skills and adapted to changes, keeping up with our industry’s fast-paced nature.
• Weaknesses: I’ve noticed some resistance when faced with learning new technologies or methodologies.
• Opportunities: I could leverage available learning resources and training opportunities to continually enhance my learning agility.
• Threats: Rapid technological advancements and changing industry trends could present continual learning challenges, requiring an ongoing commitment to professional development.

Benefits of Self-Evaluation

Self-evaluation is a valuable tool that promotes self-awareness , helping individuals understand their strengths, weaknesses, and areas of growth.

It aids in goal-setting, allowing people to align their ambitions with their capabilities effectively. Self-evaluation also encourages accountability, as it involves owning up to shortcomings and actively planning for improvement.

It facilitates personal and professional development by serving as a roadmap for progress. It’s a great tool for reflection, fostering a deeper understanding of one’s roles and responsibilities.

Moreover, self-evaluation fosters continuous learning, enhancing an individual’s adaptability and resilience. Finally, it can boost self-confidence and self-efficacy, especially when individuals see tangible progress towards their goals.

Self-evaluation refers to our ability to use metacognition, reflect on our performance, and identify the best ways to move forward to achieve our goals. It is essential for continual personal and professional development. My preferred approach is to use the structured SWOT method because it helps us to know how to go about both evaluating ourselves and thinking about setting ourselves well up for the future .

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 10 Reasons you’re Perpetually Single
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 20 Montessori Toddler Bedrooms (Design Inspiration)
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 21 Montessori Homeschool Setups
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 101 Hidden Talents Examples

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Skip to Content

Other ways to search:

• Events Calendar
• Student Self-assessment

Self-assessments encourage students to reflect on their growing skills and knowledge, learning goals and processes, products of their learning, and progress in the course. Student self-assessment can take many forms, from low-stakes check-ins on their understanding of the day’s lecture content to self-assessment and self-evaluation of their performance on major projects. Student self-assessment is also an important practice in courses that use alternative grading approaches . While the foci and mechanisms of self-assessment vary widely, at their core the purpose of all self-assessment is to “generate feedback that promotes learning and improvements in performance” (Andrade, 2019). Fostering students’ self-assessment skills can also help them develop an array of transferable lifelong learning skills, including:

• Metacognition: Thinking about one’s own thinking. Metacognitive skills allow learners to “monitor, plan, and control their mental processing and accurately judge how well they’ve learned something” (McGuire & McGuire 2015).
• Critical thinking: Carefully reasoning about the evidence and strength of evidence presented in support of a claim or argument.
• Reflective thinking: Examining or questioning one’s own assumptions, positionality, basis of your beliefs, growth, etc.
• Self-regulated learning: Setting goals, checking in on one’s own progress, reflecting on what learning or study strategies are working well or not so well, being intentional about where/when/how one studies, etc.

Students' skills to self-assess can vary, especially if they have not encountered many opportunities for structured self-assessment. Therefore, it is important to provide structure, guidance, and support to help them develop these skills over time.

• Create a supportive learning environment so that students feel comfortable sharing their self-assessment experiences ( Create a Supportive Course Climate ).
• Foster a growth-mindset in students by using strategies that show students that abilities can be grown through hard work, effective strategies, and help from others when needed ( Fostering Growth Mindset ; Identifying teaching behaviors that foster growth mindset classroom cultures ).
• Set clear, specific, measurable, and achievable learning outcomes so that students know what is expected of them and can better assess their progress ( Creating and Using Learning Outcomes ).
• Explain the concept of self-assessment and some of the benefits (above).
• Provide students with specific prompts and/or rubrics to guide self-assessment ( assessing student learning with Rubrics ).
• Provide clear instructions (see an example under Rubrics below).
• Encourage students to make adjustments to their learning strategies (e.g., retrieval, spacing, interleaving, elaboration, generation, reflection, calibration; Make It Stick , pp. 200-225) and/or set new goals based on their identified areas for improvement.

Self-Assessment Techniques

Expand the boxes below to learn more about techniques you can use to engage students in self-assessment and decide which would work best for your context.

To foster self-assessment as part of students’ regular learning practice you can embed prompts directly into your formative and summative assignments and assessments. 

• What do you think is a fair grade for the work you have handed in, and why do you think so?
• What did you do best in this task?
• What did you do least well in this task?
• What did you find was the hardest part of completing this task?
• What was the most important thing you learned in doing this task?
• If you had more time to complete the task, what (if anything) would you change, and why?

Providing students the opportunity to regularly engage in writing that allows them to reflect on their learning experiences, habits, and practices can help students retain learning, identify challenges, and strengthen their metacognitive skills. Reflective writing may take the form of short writing prompts related to assignments (see Embedded self-assessment prompts above and Classroom Assessment Techniques ) or writing more broadly about recent learning experiences (e.g., What? So What? Now What? Journals ). Reflective writing is a skill that takes practice and is most effective when done regularly throughout the course ( Using Reflective Writing to Deepen Student Learning ).

Rubrics are an important tool to help students self-assess their work, especially for self-assessment that includes multiple prompts about the same piece of work. If you’re providing a rubric to guide self-assessment, it is important to also provide instructions on how to use the rubric.

Students are using a rubric (e.g., grading rubric for written assignments (docx) ) to self-assess a draft essay before turning it in or making revisions. As part of that process, you want them to assess their use of textual evidence to support their claim. Here are example instructions you could provide (adapted from Beard, 2021):

To self-assess your use of textual evidence to support your claim, please follow these steps:

• In your draft, highlight your claim sentence and where you used textual evidence to support your claim
• Based on the textual evidence you used, circle your current level of skill on the provided rubric
• Use the information on the provided rubric to list one action you can take to make your textual evidence stronger

Self-assessment surveys can be helpful if you are asking students to self-assess their skills, knowledge, attitudes, and/or effectiveness of study methods they used. These may take the form of 2-3 free-response questions or a questionnaire where students rate their agreement with a series of statements (e.g., I am skilled at creating formulas in Excel”, “I can define ‘promissory coup’”, “I feel confident in my study skills”). A Background Knowledge Probe administered at the very beginning of the course (or when starting a new unit) can help you better understand what students already know (or don’t know) about the class subject. Self-assessment surveys administered over time can help you and students assess their progress toward meeting defined learning outcomes (and provide you with feedback on the effectiveness of your teaching methods). Student Assessment of their Learning Gains is a free tool that you can use to create and administer self-assessment surveys for your course.

Wrappers are tools that learners use after completing and receiving feedback on an exam or assignment ( exam and assignment wrappers , post-test analysis ) or even after listening to a lecture ( lecture wrappers ). Instead of focusing on content, wrappers focus on the process of learning and are designed to provide students with a chance to reflect on their learning strategies and plan new strategies before the next assignment or assessment. The Eberly Center at Carnegie Mellon includes multiple examples of exam, homework, and paper wrappers for several disciplines.

References:

Andrade, H. L. (2019). A critical review of research on student self-assessment . Frontiers in Education , 4, Article 87. 

Beard, E. (2021, April 27). The importance of student self-assessment . Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA).

Brown, P. C., Roediger III, H. L., & McDaniel, M. A. (2014). Make it stick: The science of successful learning . Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press

McGuire, S. Y., & McGuire, S. (2015). Teach students how to learn: Strategies you can incorporate into any course to improve student metacognition, study skills, and motivation . New York, NY: Routledge. 

McMillan, J. H., & Hearn, J. (2008). Student Self-Assessment: The Key to Stronger Student Motivation and Higher Achievement . Educational Horizons , 87 (1), 40–49.

Race, P. (2001). A briefing on self, peer and group assessment (pdf) . LTSN Generic Centre, Assessment Series No. 9. 

RCampus. (2023, June 7). Student self-assessments: Importance, benefits, and implementation . 

Teaching (n.d.). Student Self-Assessment . University of New South Wales Sydney.

Further Reading & Resources: 

Bjork, R. (n.d.). Applying cognitive psychology to enhance educational practice . UCLA Bjork Learning and Forgetting Lab.

Center for Teaching and Learning (n.d.). Classroom Assessment Techniques . University of Colorado Boulder.

Center for Teaching and Learning (n.d.). Formative Assessments . University of Colorado Boulder.

Center for Teaching and Learning (n.d.). Student Peer Assessment . University of Colorado Boulder.

Center for Teaching and Learning (n.d.). Summative Assessments . University of Colorado Boulder

Center for Teaching and Learning (n.d.). Summative Assessments: Types . University of Colorado Boulder

<Quick Access Links>

• Assessment in Large Enrollment Classes
• Classroom Assessment Techniques
• Creating and Using Learning Outcomes
• Early Feedback
• Five Misconceptions on Writing Feedback
• Formative Assessments
• Frequent Feedback
• Online and Remote Exams
• Student Learning Outcomes Assessment
• Student Peer Assessment
• Summative Assessments: Best Practices
• Summative Assessments: Types
• Assessing & Reflecting on Teaching
• Departmental Teaching Evaluation
• Equity in Assessment
• Glossary of Terms
• Attendance Policies
• Books We Recommend
• Classroom Management
• Community-Developed Resources
• Compassion & Self-Compassion
• Course Design & Development
• Course-in-a-box for New CU Educators
• Enthusiasm & Teaching
• First Day Tips
• Flexible Teaching
• Grants & Awards
• Inclusivity
• Learner Motivation
• Making Teaching & Learning Visible
• National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity
• Open Education
• Student Support Toolkit
• Sustainaiblity
• TA/Instructor Agreement
• Teaching & Learning in the Age of AI
• Teaching Well with Technology

Evaluation Essay

Evaluation essay generator.

Creating an essay is a part of every student’s academic journey. There are different kinds of essays that can be a part of a  student writing  task. One of these essays is the evaluation essay. What can set apart an evaluation essay from various kinds of academic essays is that it can also be used in different undertakings within the corporate and professional environment. Evaluation essays are not limited to be used for educational purposes as it can also be beneficial in the fields of business, research and community development.

An evaluation essay contains an objective assessment that is written by an individual who should be fully-knowledgeable of what he or she is writing about. More so, this essay relays the sound judgement about a specific subject matter or topic of discussion. Each evaluation essay are based on evaluative writing that are commonly created in accordance to a set of criteria or value measurements. We have curated ten evaluation essays that you can refer to if you want to write your own evaluation essay.

Self-Evaluation Essay Sample

Size: 31 KB

Student Self-Evaluation Essay

Size: 121 KB

Things to Remember When Writing an Evaluation Essay

An evaluation essay should always be direct to the point and specific as it contains factual information that is essential to be known by the readers. To avoid  common essay mistakes , some of the things that you should always remind yourself when writing an evaluation essay are listed below.

• When writing an evaluation essay, a writer must always be backed up by evidences so that he or she can support the evaluation being made. If you are writing an evaluation essay, you should always be objective with the content that you are presenting. Your opinion matters but you should make sure that it is based on reality. Evaluation essays work best if the readers can identify the sources that you have used to come up with the assessment that they are currently reading. If you will ensure that there is enough evidences to support you, then your evaluation essay can be more credible and relevant.
• Be specific with the kind of evaluation essay that you are creating. An evaluation essay can only be effective if you are aware of the purpose on why you are writing the document. Being able to present details, comments, and information that is directly related to the kind of evaluation essay that you are writing can help you create a highly-usable output. There are different kinds of evaluation essays and you should be aware that each of them have differences depending on the purpose of their creation. Come up with a highly-usable and effective evaluation essay by directly providing the needs of your readers.
• Always be clear when presenting your evaluation. Since the main purpose of an evaluation essay is to relay your viewpoint about a specific subject, you have to make sure that you will be precise and concise when delivering the message that you want your readers to be knowledgeable of. You have to explain how you were able to create the evaluation which includes the specification of the factors that you have considered within the entirety of the evaluation and writing process.

Humanities Project Evaluation Essay

Size: 331 KB

Printable Self-Evaluation Essay Example

Size: 128 KB

Purposes of an Evaluation Essay

There is a wide variety of evaluation  essay examples that are specifically created for particular purposes. Evaluation essays can cover a lot of topics which is why it is used in a range of industries and processes. The different kinds of evaluation essays can be used for the following instances and activities:

• To create a book report or a review of a book’s content and how it has affected the reader
• To identify critical points of a written work may it be a poem, another essay or a research paper
• To create a literature or literary review to fully identify the content of a literary piece
• To give critique about an initial analysis or a full process
• To support the processes of employment regularization or employee promotion
• To assess and analyze the results of a reading activity
• To add value to a recommendation letter
• To analyze a research topic that can fully affect the entire research activity
• To evaluate the work performance of either a student or an employee
• To identify the strengths and weaknesses of an individual through a self-evaluation

With the different ways on how you can use an evaluation essay, it is safe to say that there are a lot of fields of expertise that can benefit from this document. When creating your own evaluation essay, you should always keep in mind that the content of your essay must be relevant to the message that you would like to disseminate or share to your target readers.

Thesis Paper Evaluation Essay Example

Size: 100 KB

Evaluation Essay Sample in PDF

Size: 282 KB

Qualitative Evaluation Essay Example

Size: 396 KB

Steps in Writing an Evaluation Essay

If you want to create an evaluation essay, you should be strategic when it comes to the presentation of information that can be helpful in the writing activity. Your evaluation essay can only be fully-maximized if there is an organized discussion of your evaluation as well as the facts that can support your thesis statement.

Here is an  essay writing basic guide  that you may follow when writing an evaluation essay:

• Be aware of your topic. The first thing that you need to do when writing an evaluation essay is to be knowledgeable about the topic that you will write about. As much as possible, research about the subject of discussion so you can easily identify the characteristics that you can evaluate and the criteria that you will use for evaluation.
• Make sure to have a set of criteria that can help you determine your evaluation. Once you are already aware of your topic, you can already set criteria that will serve as the basis for your evaluation. If you will properly identify the criteria that will best fit your needs for the specific evaluation, then you can make your evaluation essay stronger and more effective.
• Refer to samples and templates of evaluation essays. It will be helpful if you will look at different kinds of evaluation essay samples and templates. These documents can help you be more familiar with what an evaluation essay is and how the details present in this kind of essay should be arranged and presented.
• Create an evaluation essay draft. It will depend on you if you will use a template as your guide when writing an evaluation essay. You can also just browse through samples and start your evaluation essay from scratch. One thing that we highly suggest you should do is to make a draft or an outline of the discussion that you would like to have. This can help you ensure that all the necessary information will be placed in your final evaluation essay.
• Start writing the content of your evaluation essay. Through the help of the draft that you have created, write a thesis in the first paragraph of your essay. This is the part where you can discuss the topic that you will use for evaluation and the statement on whether you think positively or negatively of the subject. The way that you create a thesis statement will be based on the nature of operations or functions where the essay will be used.
• Incorporate evidences in your discussion so you can support your claims and/or opinions. After your thesis statement and discussion of important details, your next paragraphs should contain your opinions as well as the evidence that you have used as references. You can end your evaluation essay by having a firm statement of your conclusion.

Printable Self-Evaluation Essay Sample

Size: 13 KB

Self-Assessment Essay Example

Size: 29 KB

Simple Self-Evaluation Essay Example

Size: 51 KB

Evaluation Essay as an Important Written Document

An evaluation essay should be taken seriously especially in matters where its content can affect other people or even an entire community. Since an evaluation essay is not only a part of  college essay examples  as it can also be used in business and corporate processes, you have to understand the weight of its effectiveness. May it be a self-evaluation essay or a project evaluation essay, always keep in mind that you should put together all the evident facts and your statements in a professional and objective manner.

Whether it is a  last minute essay writing  or a thoughtfully planned evaluation essay composition, being aware of the items that we have discussed in this post can help you further improve the content and structure of an evaluation essay. It will also be easier for you to come up with an evaluation that can be trusted by your readers. Present all the details that you need to discuss in an organized and informative manner so you can come up with an evaluation essay that will truly work.

Text prompt

• Instructive
• Professional

Write an Evaluation Essay on the effectiveness of online learning platforms.

Discuss the quality of a school cafeteria's lunch options in an Evaluation Essay.

Self-Evaluation Essay Examples

A self-evaluation essay aims to describe one’s accomplishments and mistakes over a given period or throughout a lifetime. It also suggests how it is possible to enhance the merits and resolve the errors.

This writing task is highly beneficial for future managers, nurses, and other students planning to work with people. We are too prone to exaggerate our merits and underestimate our failures. This essay teaches you to take a critical look at how you treat others.

Here you can consult dozens of self-evaluation essay examples featuring every possible approach to the assignment. Your own text will undoubtedly be different in structure and conclusions, but the general tone of the samples will help you do it correctly.

33 Best Self-Evaluation Essay Examples

Communication style of a program manager.

• Subjects: Communications Sociology

Personal Cultural Awareness in Management: Self-Evaluation

• Subjects: Family, Life & Experiences Personal Experiences

Privilege to Work for Exide Technologies Canada Corporation

• Subjects: Business Business Communication
• Words: 3287

Personal Planning to Building Financial Wealth

• Subjects: Business Strategy
• Words: 1417

Personal Nursing Experience and Traits Development

• Subjects: Health & Medicine Nursing
• Words: 1694

Trends in Nursing, Leadership Styles, Career Plans

• Words: 2252

Personality Type & Leadership Qualities

• Subjects: Psychology Psychology and Personality

Aspects of Nursing Informatics

Stating personal nursing philosophy.

• Words: 1361

Personal and Professional Development Plan

• Words: 1033

Personal Code of Ethics of the Nurse

Personal stress management and relaxation techniques, personal experience of ineffective leadership.

• Subjects: Business Leadership Styles
• Words: 1016

Clinical Personal Experience in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

• Subjects: Health & Medicine Pediatrics

Lifestyle Assessment: Personal Experiences

• Words: 2896

What It Means to Be a Philosopher

• Subjects: Philosophical Concept Philosophy
• Words: 1697

Characteristics of a Fair-Minded Thinker

Business informatics: skills and attributes.

• Subjects: Business Professions

Cognitive Dissonance and Its Impact in My Life

• Subjects: Psychological Issues Psychology

From Birth to Death: Human’s Destiny

• Words: 1936

Religion Implicit Association Test Evaluation

• Subjects: Applications of Psychology Psychology

Gender Identity: Definitions, Factors, Comparison

• Subjects: Gender Studies Sociology

The Importance of Critical Thinking at Work

Race and your community, based on personal experience.

• Subjects: Racism Sociology
• Words: 1735

The Character Who Influenced Me: Abraham Lincoln

The application of interpersonal communication skills.

• Words: 1987

Self-Perception as a Student: Powerful or Powerless?

Interest profiler and career development.

• Subjects: Career Education
• Words: 1125

Leadership: Portfolio Project

• Words: 1721

International Business Manager Skills Development

• Words: 2853

Human Growth & Development Class: Lessons Learnt

• Subjects: Education Study Courses and Education Programs
• Words: 3050

What I Learned in Human Resource Management – Essay

• Subjects: Business Management
• Words: 5457

The Role of Media’s Influence

• Subjects: Linguistics Stylistics
• Words: 3421

Helping Students Thrive by Using Self-Assessment

As a teacher, when you design a lesson or unit, you design it with the hope that everything will go according to plan, your students will learn the content, and they’ll be ready to move on to the next concept. If you’ve been a teacher for more than a day or two, however, you know that this often isn’t the case.

Some students will pick up the information and quickly get bored while others will be lost and quickly fall behind. And sometimes, the lesson will fall flat and none of your students will understand much of anything.

Other times, a lesson will work really well with one group of students, but it will flop with another. This is all just par for the course with teaching, and you never know what you’re going to get on any given day.

Thankfully, there is a way you can make your lessons better, more achievable, and more appropriate for all students. The solution is to teach them how to use self-assessment.

Self-assessment is one of those “teach a man to fish” concepts–once students understand how to self-assess, they’ll be more equipped to learn in all aspects of their life. At the very basic level, self assessment is simple: students need to think:

• What was I supposed to learn?
• Did I learn it?
• What questions do I still have?

This formative assessment helps students and teachers understand where they’re at in their learning. The more students learn to do this at your direction and the more techniques they have to self-assess, the more likely they are to inherently do it on their own.

What does self-assessment look like?

Self-assessment can take many forms, and it can be very quick and informal, or it might be more structured and important. In essence though, self assessment looks like students pausing to examine what they do and don’t know. However, if you simply say, “OK, class, time to self-assess,” you’ll likely be met with blank stares.

The more you’re able to walk students through strategies for self-assessment, the more they’ll understand the purpose, process, and value of thinking about their learning. For the best results to reach the most students, aim to incorporate different types of self-assessment, just as you aim to incorporate different ways of teaching into your lessons.

Why self-assessment works

One of the reasons self-assessment is so effective is because it helps students stay within their zone of proximal development when they’re learning. In this zone, students are being challenged, which means they’re learning, but they’re not being pushed too hard into frustration.

The reason this is so helpful is because teachers can see anywhere from 15-150+ students every day, so it’s hard for a teacher to know where every single student is at in his or her learning. Without stopping for self-assessment, it’s easy for a teacher to move on before students are ready or to belabor a concept students mastered days ago.

When students are able to self-assess, they take control of their learning and realize when they need to ask more questions or spend more time working on a concept. Self-assessment that is relayed back to the teacher, either formally or informally, helps the teacher get a better idea of where students are at with their learning.

Another benefit of self-assessment is that students tend to take more ownership and find more value in their learning, according to a study out of Duquesne University. According to the study, formative assessments like self-assessment “give students the means, motive, and opportunity to take control of their own learning.” When teachers give students those opportunities, they empower their students and help turn them into active, rather than passive learners.

Self-assessment also helps students practice learning independently, which is a key skill for life, and especially for students who are pursuing higher education.

How to execute self assessment

To truly make this part of your classroom, you’ll need to explain to students what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and you’ll need to hold them accountable for their self assessment. The following steps can help you successfully set up self-assessment in your classroom.

Step 1: Explain what self-assessment is and why it’s important

Sometimes teachers have a tendency to surprise students with what’s coming next or to not explain the reasoning behind a teaching strategy or decision. While this is often done out of a desire for control and power as the leader of the classroom, it doesn’t do much to help students and their learning.

If students don’t understand why they’re doing what they’re doing, they usually won’t do it at all, or will just to the bare minimum to go through the motions and get the grade. If students don’t understand the purpose of a learning strategy, they often see it as busy work. Most students are very used to being assessed only by their teachers, so they may not understand why they’re suddenly being asked to take stock of their own learning.

Make sure you take the time to explain why you’re implementing this new learning strategy and how it is going to directly benefit them. That explanation is going to vary based on the age of your students and other factors, but you can give students some variation of the explanation of why self-assessment works above.

Step 2: Always show a model

As you scroll down, you’ll see that we give you some examples of ways to use self assessment; each time you try one of these new techniques, be sure to create an exemplar model for your students. If you want this to work, students need to know what the goal that they’re working toward looks like.

Depending on the type of self-assessment you’re working with, a simple model might be enough, or students might need to practice with the work of others. A low stakes way to start this out is with examples from past students. Pull out an old project from years past and have students assess the project as if it were their own.

Once students learn how to be respectful and constructive with this peer assessment, they can practice with the peers in their class. Including this step often makes it easier for students to assess their own work. It can be hard to look back at your own work or thought process, especially if not much time has passed since you did the work.

Step 3: Teach students different strategies of self-assessment

We all learn best by doing, so rather than just giving students a list of self-assessment strategies, take your time walking through different strategies together. Also remember that the strategy that works best for Jimmy might not work well for Susan, so the more you can diversify self-assessment for your students, the more students you’re going to be able to reach.

Try starting with just one type of self assessment, give students time to master that type, then add another type. As time goes on, you can offer students choice in the type of self-assessment they want to use.

Step 4: Practice

Before you ask students to actively assess their own work, let them practice with some low stakes examples. It’s hard for many people to critique themselves and to recognize they have room for improvement, yet it’s essential.

Give students some examples of work from past students (names always removed) and walk through “self” assessment with those examples together as a class.

Step 5: Create a way to hold students accountable

Self-assessment shouldn’t always be tied to a grade, but students will catch on quickly if you’re not somehow holding them accountable. There are many ways to do this, for example:

• Conference with each student throughout the process
• Make self-assessment part of the final grade for a project or unit
• Create a self-assessment reward chart

The important thing to remember with holding students accountable for their self-assessment is that you should be holding them accountable for doing the self-assessment, but not for what they do or don’t know, nor for the changes they make based on their self-assessment.

Step 6: Don’t stop

Sometimes we have a tendency to try a strategy once or twice and then let it slide as the school year goes on, but as students learn that they’re no longer being held accountable, they will stop. You can’t ever assume a student will keep using a strategy unless you give them explicit instructions and hold them accountable.

Remember that as with anything, students will get better at self-assessment the more they practice it. The more you explicitly assign self-assessment, the more it will become a normal part of the learning process.

Examples of self assessment

Remember that it’s good to use a variety of self-assessment strategies so all students have a chance to find a style that works best for them. Any time you introduce a new strategy or assign self-assessment, be very clear about what students should do and how they should do it.

The strategies we suggest are broken down by age, but always use your best judgment regarding which strategies will be best for your students.

KWL chart: Before starting a lesson or unit, have students write or say what they already know (K) and what they want to know (W) about the topic. After the lesson or unit, they write or say what they learned (L). This can easily evolve into larger discussions and assignments.

Goals: At the end of each lesson, day, week, etc. students write one learning goal they would like to achieve. This can be very open-ended, or it could be very focused, asking students to reflect on one specific subject or topic. You can expand on this by having students return to their goal to see if they met it, encouraging them to ask for help if they haven’t met their goal.

Red, yellow, green: Give each student three circles: one red, one yellow, and one green. Throughout the school day, students place their red circle on their desk if they’re lost or confused, yellow if they’re struggling a little bit, and green if they understand, and they’re good to go. You can also stop to have students check their understanding by asking them to hold up a color. Some students feel shy about admitting they’re confused, so this strategy can also work really well if you have students place their heads down before holding up their circle.

Objective check: In the morning, give students a list of objectives you will cover in school today. Have each student write down an objective they would really like to learn today. At the end of the day, students return to the objective and determine whether they learned it or not.

Tricky spots: Work with students to identify where they struggle (for example, “I have trouble with word problems in math,” or “I have trouble spelling new words”). When starting a new lesson or unit, have each student identify one tricky spot they want to focus on. Be sure to check in with students often on their tricky spot to make sure they are making progress and not getting frustrated.

Highlighting: Have students go back to a writing assignment, worksheet, or project and highlight the section that they think was their best work. As an extension, have them explain why this was their best work. This is an excellent strategy to use with students who struggle or lack confidence in their work.

Self reflection: After a speech or presentation, have students write down three things they did well and one thing they can improve on. Extend this by returning to these during the next speech or presentation; you could even make them part of the rubric for the next assignment.

Exit tickets: Before students can leave the room, they must fill out an exit ticket and hand it to the teacher. You might ask them to write one thing they learned today and one thing they want to learn tomorrow, for example.

Think, pair, share: Pose a reflective question or prompt to students, for example you might tell them to think about or even write down the most important thing they learned in class today. Next, have them pair with a partner or small group to discuss their answer to the question or prompt, and finally, have students report back to the whole class.

Grades 9-12

Rubrics: Before completing a project, give students the rubric you will use to grade their effort. Have students complete a draft of the project and assess themselves using the rubric. After they do this, you might conference with them, give them feedback, or have them complete a reflective assignment. Then, have students complete a second draft that they will turn in for their grade (or to continue to work and improve upon).

Writing conferences: After students write an outline or first draft of an essay, hold an individual conference with each student. Before you provide your input, have students identify the strengths and weaknesses of their work. Use their self assessment as the guide of what you discuss during the conference. You might even find that students are more critical of themselves than you would have been.

Empty rubrics: At the beginning of a project, leave a space on the rubric empty. Help each student fill in the empty spot with something they need to work on, whether it’s something that they’re already good at and want to get even better or it’s something they struggle with and want to get better at.

Similar Posts:

• Discover Your Learning Style – Comprehensive Guide on Different Learning Styles
• Using Generative AI Tools to Improve Learning Outcomes
• 15 Learning Theories in Education (A Complete Summary)

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name and email in this browser for the next time I comment.