Giving Students A Say

Assessment is an essential part of teaching and learning, but too often it leads to misleading conclusions—sometimes with dire consequences for students. How can educators improve assessment practices so that the results are accurate, meaningful, informative, and fair? Educator and best-selling author Myron Dueck draws from his firsthand experience and his work with districts around the world to provide a simple but profound answer: put student voice and choice at the center of the process. In this engaging and well-researched book, Dueck reveals troubling issues related to traditional approaches and offers numerous examples of educators at all levels who are transforming assessment by using tools and methods that engage and empower students. He also shares surprising revelations about the nature of memory and learning that speak to the need for rethinking how we measure student understanding and achievement. Readers will find sound advice and detailed guidance on how to * Share and cocreate precise learning targets, * Develop student-friendly rubrics linked to standards, * Involve students in ongoing assessment procedures, * Replace flawed grading systems with ones that better reflect what students know and can do, and * Design structures for students' self-reporting on their progress in learning. Inspired by the origins of the word assessment—derived from the Latin for "to sit beside"—Dueck urges educators to discard old habits and instead work with students as partners in assessment. For those who do, the effort is rewarding and the benefits are significant

Assessment is an essential part of teaching and learning, but too often it leads to misleading conclusions—sometimes with dire consequences for students. How can educators improve assessment practices so that the results are accurate, meaningful, informative, and fair? Educator and best-selling author Myron Dueck draws from his firsthand experience and his work with districts around the world to provide a simple but profound answer: put student voice and choice at the center of the process. In this engaging and well-researched book, Dueck reveals troubling issues related to traditional approaches and offers numerous examples of educators at all levels who are transforming assessment by using tools and methods that engage and empower students. He also shares surprising revelations about the nature of memory and learning that speak to the need for rethinking how we measure student understanding and achievement. Readers will find sound advice and detailed guidance on how to * Share and cocreate precise learning targets, * Develop student-friendly rubrics linked to standards, * Involve students in ongoing assessment procedures, * Replace flawed grading systems with ones that better reflect what students know and can do, and * Design structures for students' self-reporting on their progress in learning. Inspired by the origins of the word assessment—derived from the Latin for "to sit beside"—Dueck urges educators to discard old habits and instead work with students as partners in assessment. For those who do, the effort is rewarding and the benefits are significant

All the talk of closing the achievement gap in schools obscures a more fundamental issue: do the grades we assign to students truly reflect the extent of their learning? In this lively and eye-opening book, educator Myron Dueck reveals how many of the assessment policies that teachers adopt can actually prove detrimental to student motivation and achievement and shows how we can tailor policies to address what really matters: student understanding of content. In sharing lessons, anecdotes, and cautionary tales from his own experiences revamping assessment procedures in the classroom, Dueck offers a variety of practical strategies for ensuring that grades measure what students know without punishing them for factors outside their control; critically examining the fairness and effectiveness of grading homework assignments; designing and distributing unit plans that make assessment criteria crystal-clear to students; creating a flexible and modular retesting system so that students can improve their scores on individual sections of important tests. Grading Smarter, Not Harder is brimming with reproducible forms, templates, and real-life examples of grading solutions developed to allow students every opportunity to demonstrate their learning. Written with abundant humor and heart, this book is a must-read for all teachers who want their grades to contribute to, rather than hinder, their students' success.

Properly crafted and individually tailored feedback on student work boosts student achievement across subjects and grades. In this updated and expanded second edition of her best-selling book, Susan M. Brookhart offers enhanced guidance and three lenses for considering the effectiveness of feedback: (1) does it conform to the research, (2) does it offer an episode of learning for the student and teacher, and (3) does the student use the feedback to extend learning? In this comprehensive guide for teachers at all levels, you will find information on every aspect of feedback, including • Strategies to uplift and encourage students to persevere in their work. • How to formulate and deliver feedback that both assesses learning and extends instruction. • When and how to use oral, written, and visual as well as individual, group, or whole-class feedback. • A concise and updated overview of the research findings on feedback and how they apply to today's classrooms. In addition, the book is replete with examples of good and bad feedback as well as rubrics that you can use to construct feedback tailored to different learners, including successful students, struggling students, and English language learners. The vast majority of students will respond positively to feedback that shows you care about them and their learning. Whether you teach young students or teens, this book is an invaluable resource for guaranteeing that the feedback you give students is engaging, informative, and, above all, effective.

"Outstanding! . . . a great guide for teachers who want to succeed with every student they teach." --William Glasser Teachers everywhere face the daily challenge of engaging students whose knowledge, skills, needs, and temperaments vary greatly. How does a teacher establish a learning environment that supports the class as a whole while meeting the particular needs of individual students? Teacher Jonathan C. Erwin believes the answer lies in offering real opportunities to students rather than throwing up the obstacles inherent in traditional discipline and motivation techniques. At the heart of his approach are the five basic human needs of William Glasser's Choice Theory: survival and security, love and belonging, power through cooperation and competency, freedom, and fun. By understanding and attending to these needs, teachers can customize and manage a classroom environment where students learn to motivate and monitor themselves. Drawing on theories and practices from experts in a variety of learning techniques, Erwin explores each of the five basic needs to create nearly 200 adaptable strategies for teaching and classroom management at any grade level. Readers will find dozens of ideas for helping students make positive changes, including * Improving their work habits, * Connecting curriculum with individual interests, * Opening lines of communication with teachers and other students, * Boosting self-worth through accomplishment, and * Supporting their classmates in cooperative work. Erwin ties everything together in a unit guide that allows teachers to develop a classroom profile based on the needs of individual students. The guide can be used with any district planning approach or curriculum. For teachers seeking a win-win situation in managing their classrooms, The Classroom of Choice is an excellent aid in creating a learning environment in which students and teachers approach each day with energy and enthusiasm. Note: This product listing is for the Adobe Acrobat (PDF) version of the book.

"Introducing creativity into the classroom is a challenge for governments and teachers. Employers around the world are increasingly interested in people who can think and work in a creative fashion. Families and Communities need people who are self-reliant, able to takes risks, to express and speak up for themselves and to be able to act independently. In recent years there has been a drive to make experiences at school more exciting, relevant, challenging and dynamic for all young people. Creative Approaches to Learning explores imaginative and creative ways to involve young people and children as stakeholders in their education. It looks at how they have actively participated in their own learning; transforming classrooms, curricula, school environments and teaching practices. Promoting reflection on current 'student-teacher-school' relationships, links between home and school and between school and the wider world, the contributions within this book illustrate how the active engagement of students can lead to greater confidence, self-reliance and risk-taking; skills essential for a successful post-school career. Through an exploration of students' current inclusion in school life, this book provides: - A study of key issues and debates surrounding student participation - Ideas for increasing student participation and motivation for learning - Case studies from a range of creative learning projects with analysis of their achievements and challenges - Guidance on the creation of active, relevant and effective pedagogies - Practical suggestions for reflective practice and CPD A functional, accessible guide to creatively increasing students' participation"-- Provided by publisher.