The Power of Homework as a Formative Tool

Posted on 1 CommentPosted in Assessment, Feedback, General, Instruction, Results

If homework is to serve as formative data, then it needs to be instructionally sensitive for both student and teacher alike. Ideally, then, what happened with homework the night before should inform a classroom teacher’s instruction immediately the next day. Rather than simply correcting right/wrong answers and then collecting the homework papers to be recorded […]

Focused Formatives

Posted on 4 CommentsPosted in Assessment, Education, Feedback, General, Grading, Instruction

Researchers and educators alike have sounded the clarion call for teachers to implement more formative assessment in their classrooms because the research is overwhelmingly clear that the use of formative assessment in the classroom can radically improve student achievement results.  Unfortunately, the very idea of ‘implementing more’ feels like an ‘add on’ to an already […]

Rewarding Effort Requires Effort

Posted on Leave a commentPosted in Assessment, Education, Feedback, Relationships

It’s easy to find research that supports praising student effort in schools.  Today, Dr. Carol Dweck’s work on Mindset (2006) leads the way for such claims as it highlights how important it is to praise effort over intelligence:  “[The] growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate […]