Learning is messy. Feedback shouldn’t be!

This is a biggy, I know.. how do you draw the line between waiting too long and waiting long enough?

These children come to us and we jump into learning in all its wonderful, crazy glory and you want to ensure everyone is with you and stays there.

I know Val, my parallel teacher, and I, in particular, are trying to find balance in the provision of feedback so it serves a purpose and it’s not just words or ticks on a page. 😨🤦🏽‍♀ One thing we know we have to do this year is choose what we correct. It’s impossible to effectively mark all the thousands of sheets AND the books.. We then have to forgive ourselves for not marking everything… You know that teacher guilt creeps up on us like nobody’s business!

🤞🏾Three tips I’m putting into practice this year are:
1. Create a paper flow. Think about how you will collect papers and where they go from the copying phase to collection, correction and return.. Think of the whoooooole process and ensure you have each step accounted for.

2. Have a marking station.This is ideally in your paper flow but you may not have the space for that. Make it mobile. A basket or bag with slips, post it’s, pens, stamps, markers and whatever other marking things you need. (This is likely separate from your regular pencil case).

3. Decide on your best marking time and stick with it. You know that time of day when your groove is easiest to find. Designate that your making time and run with it. Even 15 minutes per day makes a difference. You know how marking time often comes after everything else and somehow you can then mark the whole stack in 20 seconds flat! 👀 No? Just me.. ok. 😜 Yeah. Stop that. Prioritise. Take note of where the children start and the progression you see. Be specific and make notes. Your sanity will thank you…And the careful, noted observations serve us better than panicked, rushed assessments.

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