Challenge 2

peerScholar Individual Assignment

April 18 - May 27  /   2016 

Based on the first two months of learning experiences, 
students will write a letter in peerScholar 

and give feedback on the work of three peers.

In the first phase (April 18 - May 1) students can write their letter.
In the second phase (May 2 - May 15) students will give feedback on the letters

of three other students from the Learning Circles.

In the third phase (May 16 - May 27) of this amazing process of peer learning

students can reflect on their own work 

and with constructive feedback from three of their classmates in the Learning Circle, 
each student can improve their own work. 

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

During this period, all schools are closed 1-2 weeks for holidays; so take your time for a good planning!  

"And how do you feel about children's rights in the world?" 

Individual peerScholar Assignment. April 18 - May 27  / 2016 

On April 18, all teachers receive an email with a teacher's login and password

and a link to a document with USERNAME and PASSWORD for the students.

Find your schoolname with the logins for the students of your group in the right Learning Circle (LC 6 to 12).

Every student in your class, can start writing the letter (at school or at home), each with their own unique account.

--> Go to: https://login.peerscholar.com and use the usernames and passwords you received. 

All students of your Learning Circle group will make an individual assignment.

We will use the process of peer learning by giving and receiving feedback to/from three peers, your 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 are offering a new way of assessment, based upon peer assessment and the main idea that also during the assess phase students continue to grow and learn together.

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 assignment:
In collaboration with UNICEF we as GTP have launched a 'writing contest' that allows you as LC-participants to speak out and raise your voice.

We ask 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 three 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://login.peerscholar.com

Please enter the login  (sent to you in the document by email); each student will have an individual login username and password.

--> Choose 'English' in the bottom of the screen!

Once you passed the login, please ask your students to select your class: ENGLISH. (don't add a class!!)

1. The Create Phase:

Now the assignment will appear and the first (create) phase is already green (starts on April 18 and ends on May 1)

Ask your students to click on the green Create part and the assignment will open.

Read the assignment and instructions carefully and click at the bottom of the page on 'save & next'.
(picture follows)

Now your students can create their individual paper / letter to the jury of GTP.

When the work is done and their letter is written, please click at the bottom of the page on 'save & next'.

The create phase closes on May 1.

Remember to click on <save & next> at the end of each step!!

2. The Assess Phase: 

This phase opens on May 2.  When the students login again (with the same login name and password) they click on the green 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 their assessments by May 15.   

 After reading the instructions and tips click on <save and next>

Now students can give feedback to the work of three peers from the other schools, the assess phase closes on May 15.

3. The Reflect/Revise Phase: 

Once the phase opens (green), on May 16, students now 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 submission.

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

Same procedure, instructions and tips (save) --> review feedback (continue) --> revise my own work (save) --> reflect on my own learning.

REMARK:

---> In Phase 1 (Create) students have written a letter to the jury of .
---> 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 upon 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 April 18 - 03:45 am
• Closes May 1 - 23:55 pm

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

• Opens May 2 - 00:05 am 
• Closes May 15 - 23:55 pm

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

• Opens May 16 - 00:05 am 
• Closes May 27 - 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 http://login.peerscholar.com --> login with your teacher login name and password

--> select your class (English)

--> click on < STUDENT PROGRESS > to see the letters and feedback of your students.