How can you get your marking workload under control this term?
For those of you who still mark too much and sleep too little, here are a number of tried and tested ideas from my years of attempting to work smart not hard (to clarify, I gave up this ideal many years ago, settling for working smart and hard).
1. Self-marking
Whenever possible, give children the answers to mark their own work. Train them from an early age. Either put the answers at the front to check, give them a calculator when they have finished or give them
How does the traffic light idea allow for improvement or feedback and then subsequently further progress?
Hello and thanks for your comment. The schools where I have seen this used have a strong emphasis on verbal feedback which doesn’t need recording (as set out in their policy) therefore, children can still make progress and respond to feedback even if the books don’t explicitly record this.
Number two is a real shame. Fast finisher is another way of phrasing a child who isn’t challenged. The concept of then enlisting them into marking books for you instead of having the opportunity to learn? Really disappointing.
From an assessment perspective, it’s also a good way to keep students involved with their own learning… This research suggests self-directed learning is important for lifelong learning… and this research suggests “teacher identity changes led the teachers to gain insights about the individual learners in their classroom, seeing the adolescents’ true potential as learners and peer leaders.”
As always, what works in your classroom, works.
Thanks for your comment Daniel and yours Ross. I should have added some more detail to this one. I was referring to the AFL practice of students embedding their learning more deeply by explaining it to others. In this instance, pupils who are marking can be giving peer support as they go.
This tips are all well and good for KS3 and GCSE/ A-level teachers but what about those teachers like myself that have to mark internal assessments. I teach 3 different courses with internal assessments that all need to be marked with specific comments and during specific times of the year usually all at the same time. I also teach 2 A level subjects which require mock marking at the same time as coursework. I loose my life to marking from January to May as well as planning and monitoring and running a department. Teaching has just become impossible. I’d love to know how I could manage this workload.
I don’t dispute the level of work required for exam classes. It can be relentless. Who is driving the internal assessments? Are they compulsory? Does everything need to have written feedback?
Exam boards dictate the amount of feedback and type of feedback students need in order to improve work. Exam boards also determine the number of assessments. All assessments are compulsory for getting students grades. I would love to know how to better manage this but requirements are insane. A-level students also must sit PPE’s which add to marking pressures particularly when you have large cohorts.
Yes, I agree. I’ve been researching teacher workload for a decade and whilst marking features as the number one issue, it’s not for the fault of some schools. It’s totally exam board expectations, sometimes exacerbated by external inspection.
Thanks for your comments Jake – I agree that sometimes workload is simply untenable. I would suggest as Ross has said to question what needs doing. Also, a good way of monitoring workload is to keep a diary on a blank timetable of actual hours worked and on what. This needs to be shared with senior leaders so they understand the extent of what they are asking you to do. If you can get colleagues on board with this it is even more powerful. The numbers of teachers resigning recently is also saying that something needs to be done at a government level to improve conditions and retention. I only hope that enough of us can add to putting enough pressure on the government to ensure they review and improving the situation.