Homework, marking and feedback used to be the bane of my teaching life. Students did not put as much effort into their homework as I wanted them to, marking and giving written feedback took ages, and students largely ignored it. In this course, I share what I do now. How can we improve homework generally, and how can we make it feed into lessons? Then written feedback - how can we improve its effectiveness, or replace it with whole-class feedback? This chapter should save you time, and help your students learn more.
See the bottom of this page for FAQs.
Course overview
Making the most of this course
Tip 1. Make homework feed into lessons
Tip 2. Eight ideas to improve homework
Tip 3. Two things to check if homework or test scores are a surprise
Tip 4. Be careful how you respond to "silly" mistakes
Tip 5. Turn feedback into detective work
Tip 6. Consider recording verbal feedback
Tip 7. Twelve ideas to improve whole-class feedback
Going forward
Contents
How to make the most of this course
The issue with FOMO
Two questions to consider
Two types of tips to look for
The issue with good intentions
Two questions to consider
Implementation intentions
Tip 1 - Make homework feed into lessons
Where we are at
My history with homeworks
A question...
Two questions to consider
A claim...
Idea 1 - Address homework at the start of the lesson
Idea 2 - Use class time to look at homework questions that caused problems
Idea 3 - Use class time to improve a piece of homework
Idea 4 - Use class time to showcase excellence
Idea 5 - Consider not giving books back until the review process has happened
Idea 6 - Set the Do Now or Low-Stakes Quiz on homework topics
Idea 7 - Treat online homework just as seriously as you treat written homework
Reflection on all 7 ideas
Image of all 7 ideas
Implementation intention
Tip 2 - Eight ideas to improve homework
Where we are at
Introduction
Two questions to consider
Idea 1 - Rebrand homework as “checking for understanding”
Idea 2 - Have something students can do if they are stuck on their homework
Idea 3 - Ensure all homeworks have questions for topics students learned previously
Idea 4 - Ensure all homeworks have questions that are relevant prior knowledge for the next topic
Idea 5 - Challenge students to create a diagnostic question
Idea 6 - Collect in books open at the homework
Idea 7 - Consider having a separate homework book
Idea 8 - Ask students to assign confidence scores to their answers
Reflection on all 8 ideas
Image of all 8 ideas
Implementation intention
Tip 3 - Two things to check if homework or test scores are a surprise
Where we are at
Can you relate to this?
Two questions to consider
Two types of question
Surprise 1: Poor performance on topics students have studied recently
Surprise 2: Poor performance on topics students have studied in the past
Implementation intention
Tip 4 - Be careful how you respond to "silly" mistakes
Where we are at
A challenge for you
Image of the student's work
My response
"Silly" mistakes in maths
Two questions to consider
Why students make these mistakes
Idea 1 - Give students a second opportunity to check their work
Idea 2 - Isolate and practice that final step
Idea 3 - Teach students to write the final step first
Implementation intention
Tip 5 - Turn feedback into detective work
Where we are at
What is the problem?
Two questions to consider
Dylan Wiliam's idea
The general approach
In the classroom: Topic-specific work
In the classroom: Topic-specific work wrap-up
In the classroom: Mixed-topic work
Implementation intention
Tip 6 - Consider recording verbal feedback
Where we are at
What is the problem?
Two questions to consider
How it works
8 reasons to try recording verbal feedback
Implementation intention
Tip 7 - Twelve ideas to improve whole-class feedback
Where we are at
Introduction
Two questions to consider
Introduction to the 12 ideas
Idea 1 - Have a quick flick through all pieces of work first
Idea 2 - Have a more in-depth look at three pieces of work
Idea 3 - Look through students’ work with a purpose
Idea 4 - Have a blank copy of the test or homework with you
Idea 5 - Categorise issues into two columns
Idea 6 - Take pictures of students’ work
Idea 7 - Prepare follow-up questions
Idea 8 - Don’t give the work back yet
Idea 9 - Discuss > Model > Follow-up question
Idea 10 - Don’t worry about the students who can do it
Idea 11 - Consider using review cards
Idea 12 - End with detective work
Review of all 12 ideas
Image of all 12 ideas
Whole-class feedback: In action!
Implementation intention
Going forward
Review of what we have covered
Image of what we have covered
Goodbye!
Links to my other work
My books
My podcasts
My websites
FAQs
Is this course suitable for primary school teachers?
I am a secondary school maths teacher by training, and I make no claim whatsoever to have any expertise in the domain of primary teaching. I get a sense the key ideas here might transfer to Year 5 and 6, but I make no guarantees.
Is this course suitable for non-maths teachers?
I think so. I am always reluctant to offer any kind of insight to my non-maths colleagues, but I have been lucky enough to run this workshop for whole school INSET training a number of times, and it seems to go down well. Whilst the specific examples used are mainly from the world of maths, the focus is on the improvement of homework, making and feedback in any classroom.
Is this course suitable for non-UK teachers?
Yes! I have been lucky enough to work with teachers all around the world, and I ensure wherever possible that my courses are not tied to any specific curriculum or specification. I am confident that aside form my weird accent, teachers from other countries will find most of the ideas relevant and transferable.
How long does it take to do the course
You could whizz through all the videos in an hour. But the idea is you watch the video where I present a problem, reflect where you are at, listen to my proposed solution, reflect upon that, and consider what you would need to change to make it work for you.
Therefore, a half-day is probably suitable to do the course.
Even better if you can do a section of the course, try some ideas in your classroom, reflect on what worked and what didn't, and then move on to the next section of the course.
How long can I access the course content for?
As long as this platform exists! That is one of the key advantages of an online course - you can go back over the content again and again.
If, for whatever reason, the platform shuts down or I need to remove content, I will give you as much notice as possible (I will aim for at least 6 months) so you can complete the courses.
Can I pay with an invoice instead of online?
The easiest way to pay is online. The service accepts all major cards as well as PayPal. Paying this way gives you immediate access to the course.
But if you need to pay via invoice, then no problem! Just send an email to mrbartonmaths@gmail.com with details of:
1. The email addresses of the delegates taking the course
2. Your school name and address
3. Who to email to invoice to
Then I will send you an invoice and register your colleagues on the course.
Can I get a VAT receipt?
Of course!
If you have paid online, just login, click on the drop-down menu next to your picture on the top-right of the screen, select Billing and you can print off your VAT receipt(s) there.
If you pay-offline (by emailing me as described above) then I will email you an invoice which will serve as your VAT receipt.
Can I buy one pass and then share it with my colleagues?
I am afraid not. The price of each course is per person.
Each person who pays for the course has their own log-in details, so the platform can keep track of their individual progress. This allows you to log back on using any device and pick up where you left off.
Are there discounts available?
If you want to purchase a bundle of passes for the courses - perhaps you have a large department or you are part of an Academy chain - send me an email telling me what you have in mind, and hopefully we can reach a deal!
