14 replies to this topic

[welshie]

Interested to know how fellow Humanities teachers keep on top of marking? Having just spent another Saturday indoors marking I am keen to hear any suggestions of lessoning the workload.

Am Head of Hums and have a policy of ticking and flicking and notebooks and marking assessment books (every half term) in detail.

[Jenjane]

Interested to know how fellow Humanities teachers keep on top of marking? Having just spent another Saturday indoors marking I am keen to hear any suggestions of lessoning the workload.

Am Head of Hums and have a policy of ticking and flicking and notebooks and marking assessment books (every half term) in detail.

Get a stamper: "verbal feedback" and try to do some in lessons with lower school, especially this time of year and get them to write the target/ comment based on what you say. Don't get them to come to your desk though, do it standing by them, it's more uncomfortable and makes you quicker.
6th form, get them to do a task that they have to do by themselves and explain that you meanwhile will do verbal feedback on their essays at the back of the room on an individual basis. Even if you don't get a whole class done then you have less to do at home.

Get them to write the comment after they have completed the essay and sometimes it cuts out a few sentences where all you then have to add is things like 'agree' etc.
I get GCSE students doing source q's to highlight the key features eg quotes, inferences, reliabilty etc to help them figure out a mark, or save me having to look for them. Often they are right, and my "Checked by your teacher" stamp comes into play. Many answers then require no comment as they have written what is wrong/right about it themselves.

Jane

[welshie]

Thank you Jane, some very useful tips there!

Interested to know how fellow Humanities teachers keep on top of marking? Having just spent another Saturday indoors marking I am keen to hear any suggestions of lessoning the workload.

Am Head of Hums and have a policy of ticking and flicking and notebooks and marking assessment books (every half term) in detail.

Get a stamper: "verbal feedback" and try to do some in lessons with lower school, especially this time of year and get them to write the target/ comment based on what you say. Don't get them to come to your desk though, do it standing by them, it's more uncomfortable and makes you quicker.
6th form, get them to do a task that they have to do by themselves and explain that you meanwhile will do verbal feedback on their essays at the back of the room on an individual basis. Even if you don't get a whole class done then you have less to do at home.

Get them to write the comment after they have completed the essay and sometimes it cuts out a few sentences where all you then have to add is things like 'agree' etc.
I get GCSE students doing source q's to highlight the key features eg quotes, inferences, reliabilty etc to help them figure out a mark, or save me having to look for them. Often they are right, and my "Checked by your teacher" stamp comes into play. Many answers then require no comment as they have written what is wrong/right about it themselves.

Jane

[NeilM]

Hi,

This is something that I struggle with constantly, and has to be the main bugbear of the job as far I can see. I've tried a range of ideas, but will be stealing some of those wisely mentioned above. I also am currently piloting stickers which both enable students to participate in the marking (by saying exactly how they will improve) and also to stop me writing 32 times the same things. I've attached a few recent ecamples, but have loads if anyone is interested.



These are absed on 8-per page printing stickers that are currently half price in Staples.
Hope they're useful.

Neil.

Attached Files

•  Marking Labels 8perpage v4 updated.doc   67K   332 downloads
•  Marking Labels 8perpage v3.doc   68K   244 downloads

[welshie]

Hi Neil,

I love this idea, thanks for forwarding on the stickers. Would be great to see the other examples you have-if you don't mind??

[dwiliamsmts]

These are all great ideas but on a side note this level of marking is going to kill many of us off in this profession.

[welshie]

Agreed!

These are all great ideas but on a side note this level of marking is going to kill many of us off in this profession.

[Tony Fox]

How to Have the Best Year of Your Life (without Setting a Single Goal)

I found this message inspiring on a number of levels, but thought it had some relevance here

Most productivity systems focus on beginning with the “end in mind” and setting goals to get there. Many are based on the assumption that in order to get what you want later, you have to give up what you want now. You work the plan, endure pain, and win.

But this is not the only path you can take.

my suggestion is to make marking and assessment flexible, to have different approaches, to be less formulaic. sometimes a sticker will suffice, other times individual, or universal instruction will be best.

[LukeR]

I've always been a fan of 'deep' marking. Detailed comments every three or four weeks on a rotationary basis with individual classes. Although you are spending time making unique comments, you are cutting your marking down into bitesize chunks.

[Louise OG]

We use these arrows to mark our assessments.
Am very aware that they could be much better and more personalised but time has not been found to do so.
Kids like them though because they are the same and they can see where gaps develop and focus on them.

The marking tags have developed from this to try and lessen the burden not used yet.

Attached Files

•  History arrow 2011.pdf   46.37K   249 downloads
•  History arrow marking tag.pdf   90.41K   257 downloads

[welshie]

Hi,

I looooooooove this Louise! is there any chance of getting it as a word doc?

Many thanks for sharing

We use these arrows to mark our assessments.
Am very aware that they could be much better and more personalised but time has not been found to do so.
Kids like them though because they are the same and they can see where gaps develop and focus on them.

The marking tags have developed from this to try and lessen the burden not used yet.

[Stewart Hogg]

It could be converted using zamzar ?

[welshie]

Hmmmm! what is that?

[Louise OG]

Oh thank you, we find them really useful.
They are on publisher at work but will have a play

Hi,

I looooooooove this Louise! is there any chance of getting it as a word doc?

Many thanks for sharing

We use these arrows to mark our assessments.
Am very aware that they could be much better and more personalised but time has not been found to do so.
Kids like them though because they are the same and they can see where gaps develop and focus on them.

The marking tags have developed from this to try and lessen the burden not used yet.

[Ed Waller]

Hi,

I looooooooove this Louise! is there any chance of getting it as a word doc?

Many thanks for sharing

A bit like this... via website: zamzar

Attached Files

•  History arrow marking tag.doc   222K   198 downloads
•  History arrow 2011.doc   170.5K   212 downloads