Instrument 2 Phase 2
Title
Evaluating With Symbols (Basic Tools)
Introduction to Self-evaluation: Basis towards Nuance
There is nothing that suggests that young people from another country are less able to evaluate themselves in a nuanced way. Some evaluation skills have little to do with the language of the country of origin. The ability to make in-depth observations and analysis is connected with richer language skills, but not with a specific language. In fact, we see that many schools are not accustomed to systematically using self-evaluations and rarely require a student to do it. This means that in some cases, a number of refugees or newcomers might actually be stronger in self-evaluation than more privileged native students.
When we bring together a group of well-educated adults into an unknown situation and afterwards discuss this situation with them, we see that they limit their evaluation to the categories of ‘good – not good’. In other words, in a new context (where a specific language is less necessary to describe a situation), everyone falls back onto the same basic level of evaluation (good – not good). Evaluation is then very quickly expanded to more emotions. From Paul Ekman’s research on non-verbal communication, we know that there are about six universal emotions, where facial expressions in all cultures are more or less the same. These emotions are the following: happiness, fear, contempt, sadness, disgust (= good and not good) and surprise.
For a group of newcomers, this is a potentially strong starting point for self-evaluation. When we combine this with the OICO-principle, then we can develop the following (learning-) path:
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Formulation Good – Neutral - Not Good (thumbs)
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Based on Feelings (emojis)
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Evaluation of strengths, coupled with Observation, Imitation, Creation, Originality (OICO)
The strategy of the teacher is always the same:
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Let the student choose a method of evaluation using the following universal evaluation tools (e.g. either Thumbs (hand signals), Feelings (emojis), or the Strategy of the OICO-principle.
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After the student chooses a category of evaluation, ask them what they were doing when he or she felt in a certain way (e.g. use the Thumbs or the Feelings) or how they learned when they were doing something (OICO).
Evaluation with Hand Signals (i.e. thumbs)
Evaluation with the OICO-principle
The OICO-principle is explained above, but also in the Guide to Strength-Based Learning. Here, when engaging a student about what they have done, you ask them how they learned to do something. After he or she has chosen a particular form or strategy of learning, you then ask them what learned when using this form (or strategy).
Notes
These instruments are very useful in a context with newcomers because they combine a simple and universal method of evaluation, self-expression and language improvement!
In the next instrument (instrument 3) these instruments are integrated in a self-evaluation tool for strength-based learning. Instrument 4 is the mirror evaluation of the teacher.
