Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.

Jacques Haenen and Hanneke Tuithof describe an activity that they developed for pupils as part of an initial teacher education course. Teams of Year 7 pupils were given a structure and guidelines within which they were to work collaboratively and at their own direction and pace. Pupils were given various tools for monitoring the success of their own learning and for evaluating the results. As well as a structure and resources for a motivating, collaborative six-week long activity in which Year 7 pupils designed their own historical game, this article offers insights into the impact of self-assessment and self-monitoring processes on pupils’ attitudes and learning. Haenen and Tuithof also share their evaluation of the project and explain the changes that they made as they reflected on its effectiveness in developing independent and collaborative learning. Issues raised in this article are particularly pertinent to the debates about ‘Assessment For Learning’ explored in Edition 115 of Teaching History.