I taught bottom set year elevens last year, and by October, they were used to the fact that they would always rewrite their work to improve it. Though I sometimes heard mild protests, these students always got pens to paper and worked, with impressive focus, for most of the lesson.
How? Well, after years of trial-and-error, CPD and a nostalgic hearkening back to the blackboard low-tech days of my own education, I had one of those rare moments of clarity. I remembered really valuing the specific feedback I received from my English teacher when it was insightful (the OFSTED term) and clear enough to allow me to visualise what the piece would look like after I had made the improvements.
What does insightful marking look like? Well, from my experience, I’ve seen that the most student-motivating marking comes in two levels.
There are two levels of marking: The Specific and the Holistic
