This highly practical guide focuses on learning objectives, effective questioning and feedback as the key elements of formative assessment - assessment for learning - in the secondary classroom. Taking forward core themes developed in Unlocking Formative Assessment, Shirley Clarke shows how marking and feedback complete the 'learning loop' which starts with learning intentions and success criteria. The ways in which pupils are told what is expected of them, how well they are doing, and how their efforts are appraised, lie at the heart of effective assessment for learning. Shirley Clarke explains first how to formulate, and communicate, clear learning intentions and the types of success criteria to which pupils can relate. She then explores the use of questioning as a tool for effective teaching, before looking at classroom interaction and how pupils respond to written, oral and 'incidental' feedback. Different approaches to marking, including self- and paired marking, are then considered as one aspect of feedback, which in turn can underpin pupil self-evaluation and target setting. Down to earth and direct, and with examples from across the secondary curriculum, this book shows how formative assessment can bring a dramatic culture shift to teaching and learning in your own classroom.

Author Biography

Shirley Clarke is the foremost consultant in formative assessment and 'assessment for learning', an Associate at the Institute of Education, University of London, and author of the hugely popular Unlocking Formative Assessment (2001). A former teacher and advisory teacher, she is a popular speaker who is much in demand, in the UK and internationally. Her courses and training days for teachers, and ongoing involvement in classroom research, give her both credibility and a down-to-earth perspective on day-to-day classroom realities.