Managing Student Work
Teacher Friendly Tips for Managing Classwork in Class and at Home
Keeping up with marking student papers is not an easy task, especially for a new teacher. Experiment with some of these teacher tested tips and ideas.
Teacher organization is an inevitable part of the new teacher's ongoing routine both at home and in the classroom. It has practical implications for how to regain control of clutter as well as how to manage student work especially when you are not a terribly organized person. In this short article, you will receive ideas and tips for managing student work both in the classroom and at home without having to buy an entire new line of teacher resources.
It's Folder Time!
Folders are inexpensive and convenient for the teacher on the go. The best kind of folders are the eight pocket size where all classes are kept under one 'roof'. Designate one for each class where classwork and tests can be kept until you are ready to mark them. You can label each folder using index labels or stickers, so each class stands out when you need immediate access.
Some teacher planners have their own folders and sections, but often, these break and fall off easily and are not made out of strong plastic material.
Hey, You Lost My Work!
Avoid this common problem of students claiming you lost their work, by putting all their papers in a see-through folder, which then goes into your folder. That way, you keep an entire class together. There is always one student who has not written his or her name on the work, so keep a special folder or file for that or put it on the top of the student work to give back as a special reminder. Alternatively, you can use a user-friendly number system for making sure all students' names are written on their work.
Keep Ahead of the Marking Game - Have a System
At home, put the work that you've collected from the previous day's work, in a box or in a special folder, which has yet to be marked. It will help to take the classwork out of the folders to know exactly what classes you have to mark at home. They then go back into the main class folder.
A Nice Sight - An Empty Class Folder...
Try to minimize the time you spend redistributing class homework and work. In addition, have a set time when you return student work. Five minutes at the end of a lesson is better than five minutes at the beginning as you want to spend those five five minutes, motivating your students by starting with your actual lesson plan.
What ideas and tips can you share for managing student work? Share your ideas and start a discussion.
