Recently, I have been looking at our departments marking procedures and how best to be effective markers (obviously reducing workload is key!).
I designed this crib sheet as a way to provide quicker feedback to the whole classroom rather than writing comments in each book, so reducing marking time from 2-3 hours per class to less than an hour. Now I actually really do miss writing comments, leaving questions and the other bits in their books but it really wasn’t a workload issue I could continue with (especially as I have my first child on the way!).
Therefore the crib sheet allows me to go through each students’ book and I make comments on the whole class sheet using the sections below.
The benefits are that it gives me a snapshot of the whole class’s progress, allows me to ‘fine tune’ my lesson planning and it also gives activities and tasks for students to complete within DIRT the next lesson.
Using this I do the following which we complete in lessons for 20-25 minutes, you can also get a feel of what it looks like in students books. Students’ are given an A5 copy to stick in under the title of ‘DIRT’ and using a red pen they review their SPaG, answer questions I have created from reading their books, finish any work or complete an extension activity. We always finish with a spelling test to hammer home those misspelt key words.
Pupils books look something like this – we do this every 2 weeks or so.
Now, that does not mean I use this for assessments – my focus is on providing more detailed and worthwhile assessment feedback, with this being reserved for standard lessons etc. For more on what I’m trying in assessments, check out the rest of my blog.
Need to convince SLT or others, or want a handy guide on how it works?
https://www.dropbox.com/s/svno99pmwtbdnti/Research%20Conference%20Handout.pptx?dl=0
Attached is ppt. resource
Marking Crib Sheet ppt. Marking Crib Sheet V2
April 8, 2016 at 6:42 pm
How about just doing this sheet only? Not marking any books as such but just recording stuff to inform your teaching?
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April 11, 2016 at 7:07 pm
Been using a version of this since you first posted it on Twitter. Made so much difference to my verbal feedback when we do DIRT. Thanks 🙂
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April 11, 2016 at 7:36 pm
Ah thanks!! That’s made my night 😀
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September 20, 2016 at 9:13 pm
Fantastic resources! I’d love to see some examples of your actual lesson powerpoints and how you normally break down a longer term scheme of work into individual lessons. Any chance you will be sharing any of these in the future?
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September 21, 2016 at 12:27 am
This is ace. I love it! What was the feedback from inspectors?
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September 21, 2016 at 5:16 am
Ofsted? Not interested
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January 8, 2018 at 8:52 pm
well said. Looking forward to giving it a whirl tomorrow. 🙂
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September 22, 2016 at 8:09 pm
They aren’t or you aren’t? 🙂
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September 22, 2016 at 8:11 pm
I’m not!
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September 25, 2016 at 9:19 am
Reblogged this on No Easy Answers and commented:
Excellent idea for whole class, whole topic marking
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September 25, 2016 at 10:29 am
I really like this, as a Primary Teacher who covers PPA, I can see this would be a good way of feeding back to the class teachers also. Great for Computing and other subjects where no written work to mark e.g. computing and music. I am going to start using this straightaway and will share with colleagues. Thanks for sharing it.
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October 18, 2018 at 6:15 pm
Hi Nicola,
Long shot that you’re monitoring replies, but wonder if I could ask a favour? I’m working on my doctoral thesis on teacher PD and Twitter, and would be really grateful if you would allow me to quote your comment?
More details are available at https://cpdin140.wordpress.com/publishing-my-thesis-information-for-participants/, together with additional ways to contact me if you have any questions.
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September 26, 2016 at 7:23 pm
Reblogged this on Bob Pritchard and commented:
A great idea. Will be trying this.
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September 28, 2016 at 6:24 pm
Hi
Just saw this and will try to use it for Year 5 class. What does DIRT stand for if it does.
Thanks
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September 28, 2016 at 6:41 pm
This is great and I am hoping to put it to my head of department for trial… Currently we do not do anything like this at school, just usual book marking with stickers. Any advice for ‘selling’ this to sceptics? Also – would you put students in the cause for concern box and then hand out to whole class? I’m not sure about this?
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September 28, 2016 at 6:43 pm
Great idea, I’m hoping to put this to my head of dept to see if we can trial? A bit nervous as we don’t do anything like this but it makes so much sense… Any tips for selling it to sceptics?
Also – how do you get on if you have cause for concern students in the box? I’m not sure how this would go down with students / parents?
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October 4, 2016 at 10:42 pm
Hi, this is a great idea and I will try it out with my new classes when we begin our early-start program at the end of the year. Excuse my ignorance, but what does DIRT stand for? It’s not an acronym I’ve come across here in Australia.
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October 4, 2016 at 10:45 pm
Hi, this is a great idea and I can’t wait to try it out with my new classes when we start our early-start program for 2017 at the end of the year. Excuse my ignorance, but what does DIRT stand for? I haven’t come across that acronym here in Australia.
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October 9, 2016 at 11:34 am
Directed Independent Response Time
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October 10, 2016 at 6:13 am
Hi, this sounds like a wonderful idea. Can I ask what their books look like – I mean in terms of the piece of work you marked – do you annotate it at all, correct spellings, circle misunderstanding or literacy errors etc… or is it all on the sheet? Thanks for the idea
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October 24, 2016 at 7:44 pm
MrsBeec – we use a different meaning of DIRT to the one MrE gave… Dedicated Improvement and Reflection Time, though essentially meaning the same thing.
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October 29, 2016 at 5:12 pm
Love this idea! I’m just trying to work out how I can adapt it for Maths… obviously no real need for a spelling test but everything does apply quite nicely. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know!
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October 30, 2016 at 11:54 am
Spelling is still relevant in maths, we just have fewer words, but the students still need to be able to spell substitute and quadrilateral, for example.
Mr T, do you then provide any feedback on the DIRT or does it end there?
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October 29, 2016 at 5:31 pm
I like it but I’m not sure that the names of the students’ work that caused concern should be in everyone else’s books.
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October 29, 2016 at 5:32 pm
Recently changed to ‘EBI’ but there’s high expectations, should
Be nowhere to hide
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October 29, 2016 at 9:32 pm
Sorry if daft question but EBI? Love this idea thanks for sharing.
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October 30, 2016 at 7:15 pm
Even Better If 🙂
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October 29, 2016 at 6:16 pm
What does the EBI stand for?
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October 29, 2016 at 8:39 pm
I’m not sure having names of all the class should be in everyone’s book. Could be a little degrading for some.
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October 29, 2016 at 8:41 pm
If it doesn’t work for you, you don’t have to put sheets in
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October 29, 2016 at 8:41 pm
It’s the feedback that counts
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October 30, 2016 at 6:07 am
Thanks for sharing this. It’s helped me to give structured whole-class feedback to my upper primary class on an inquiry unit.
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October 30, 2016 at 6:00 pm
I love using these. So informative. Was yours influenced by anyone else’s work? I only ask as it is almost identical to one I developed a number of years ago. Would be great to see my work inspiring others
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October 30, 2016 at 7:15 pm
Not particularly, I’m still fresh to teaching (just out of RQT) and pretty much created by annoyance at writing post-its/email notes and wanting to reduce workload.
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October 30, 2016 at 7:16 pm
Send me over what you’ve done before though – would love to see how it’s evolved for you over time!
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November 17, 2016 at 1:37 pm
Reblogged this on Guilsborough Teaching & Learning Blog and commented:
Ways to reduce marking workload…
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November 20, 2016 at 10:48 am
Love this sheet. Got me thinking about test feedback. We already do individual feedback and specific targetted questions for students to follow up but figure that a little time spent reviewing the test itself could be useful for teacher and pupils alike. Have rejigged the sheet to use when you’ve marked a set of tests and need to get a sense of the test – areas of weakness/ strengths, misconceptions common to students and what you might need to teach again. Thanks
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November 20, 2016 at 11:36 am
Have you see my assessment feedback sheet? I need to upload what we do on codes and assessments too, should help!
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November 30, 2016 at 12:25 pm
These are great! But please excuse my ignorance, what does GMS stand for in the Presentation and GMS box?
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November 30, 2016 at 12:45 pm
Growth Mindset
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September 2, 2017 at 7:30 am
This is great! I’ve posted a link to your blog but not enough words to thank you so thought I’d do it here! Thank you very much for what looks like a very useful tool! Happy new year! 🙂
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September 10, 2018 at 10:43 pm
How does this work in practical subjects such as food, art & textiles. For them to redo the work in food could be costly if it is a practical task or do you just wait till the next practical to see their improvements… in art or textioes they could be working on a piece of work that has taken weeks to produce
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September 11, 2018 at 5:18 am
To be honest, I don’t know – this example is from my context (history) but staff in those arts subjects should have methods for marking/feedback that works for them. Obviously redoing food practicals would just be silly
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January 1, 2019 at 6:10 pm
Thank you. I am so glad I have found your website.
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September 30, 2020 at 7:55 am
Can you tell me what GMS means? Don’t see this in Scotland
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