to think teachers should stop marking books?

[Notsuretoday]

It is the single biggest waste of time and it would improve teachers' work-life balance no end.

In Germany where I am from books are not marked. Tests are marked, verbal feedback is given in lessons. Homework is discussed in lessons. It doesn't seem to mean that German pupils do less well...

We also have unannounced observations that count towards our performance management (any requires improvement or inadequate= no pay rise). Then they wonder why everyone is so miserable!

Maths marking is a total waste of time. Constructive comments when they get it all right pointless.

I disagree... constructive comments can inspire a child to love the subject - especially at higher levels.

I am not a teacher but can say my DS got no comments in his homework book last year and did his homework but with no real effort. This year loads of comments hence more effort.

Ex secondary teacher. We marked with comments one homework a week. Everything else was marked in class by the pupil themselves except for marking I did as went around the class/sat at my desk helping pupils. This level of marking worked well as it meant I picked up on things that were problems before moving further on with a concept.

Another question I'd add is there any point in homework?

Constructive feedback makes a big difference.

I check my children's books weekly and can see the difference it makes to them and helps me guide them

I absolutely think homework is a complete farce.

I do think marking books at KS2 + is important though.

if there's no evidence it didn't happen
That's the message in most jobs now.

Marking has two purposes: informing the teacher where the class is at so they can plan effectively and informing the student how they are getting on, acknowledging good effort and suggesting improvements.

Maths marking isn't a waste of time - I just marked a set of Y8 books and found I need to do more work on simplifying fractions. I only mark homework though, the kids mark the work done in lessons themselves.

Exactly noble when I was teaching I needed to at least look at their work to check if they understood it. That would then inform my future lessons.

I think the difference is marking work as part of our AfL and planning next steps is vital, but lengthy comments in set format as a hoop expected by various parties and that takes a ridiculous amount of time every time a child puts pencil to paper is not.

Did you have to write that 32 times on their work noblegiraffe. I think that bits pointless. The comments in a set format bit as asbright said.

I don't mark stuff that we have done together as a class, but will mark all independent work. I sometimes make them redo work using their first attempt plus my feedback to try and teach them how to improve their work.

The kids don't read your comments unless you explicitly tell them to.

I make them initial the comment to show they have read and understood it. They then have time to go back and correct mistakes if they need to.

How do you assess if you don't mark?

If I get partway through a stack of marking and realise that most are struggling with the same thing, I stop writing helpful comments and start writing 'we'll go through this in class' instead. Then we go over it at the start of the next lesson and the kids write their own notes.

Cherry maths isn't all about getting it right but how you worked things out.Suggesting alternative methods and getting kids to reflect on what they've done and how they could do better next time is hugely beneficial.

Also when having a class of 30 going back through books and looking at marking is a good reminder and indicator of possible issues.

If marking is pointless surely kids doing anything in books is pointless.

In certain subjects (RE and Geography being two of them) my school books were never marked.

The teacher would mark them alphabetically during each lesson and as I was always at the bottom, or nearly at the bottom, of each register my books were never even looked at by the teacher.

As a result my knowledge on all religion, different kinds of rock and the weather cycle are appalling. I just never did any work. No point. Teacher never wanted to see it.

Not marking work is a bad idea.

Agreed LePetit.

My maths marking will usually be about next steps, so a lesson on equivalent fractions might have a comment saying "well done, you can find equivalent fractions, now go back and circle each fraction in its simplest form", with time at the beginning of the next lesson to do it.

Our books go home fortnightly, so they absolutely have to be up to date every other Friday. We give a traffic light, a positive comment and some constructive feedback.

We're actually just reviewing the marking policy. It's a constant work in progress and very difficult to balance the needs of the children and teachers, and expectations of parents.

That said, a TA marked DS's maths homework once, marked it as incorrect and then scrawled all over it that they 'needed to go over it'.

I checked it. He had two questions wrong, not all of them. (Am not too shabby at year 6 maths.) I left her a note suggesting she and I went over it and left my number. She never contacted me.

So it's only worth doing if the teachers/TA actually know whether it's right or not. No point if they're just guessing.

Are you secondary noblegiraffe ?

As a primary teacher I hope I would have picked up on whole class misconceptions as I teach and move around the room during whole class independent work. If I'm doing guided group teaching whilst others are working independently there may be some problems but this usually later in the week when I have assessed a concept and be providing differentiated activities for those working independently whilst I and the TAs support groups who are struggling or ready for extension work.

I realise there is a different approach in secondary.

I agree completely with the OP. I went through the education system in Holland, and doing homework was simple: it was up to you as the student to do it, or not. It would be gone over in class, and at any time you could be called upon to provide an answer to an item.

In addition there were assessed items of homework, which were taken in and marked, and counted towards your termly report, and then there were tests - three per term per subject. Plenty of opportunities for teacher feedback.

I never did my languages homework because writing out endless sentences on - for example - French prepositions when I had them all in my head was a waste of paper, ink and time. My French teacher didn't mind - it was my responsibility as a student to decide what learning and work strategies I needed in order to achieve. This was the culture throughout the system.

This method instilled the ability to learn and work independently and not be spoonfed, and stood me in good stead at university.

The big difference in Germany is that if you fail in a subject, you have to resit the whole year, so if you fail German in year 7, you do another year with the new year 7s instead of moving up to year 8. That gives kids a big incentive to take responsibility for their own learning.

jewel yes I am secondary. It's a bottom set. We did work on simplifying fractions in the lesson, only for 20 minutes or so because they are Y8 and have been doing it since primary school. With me and a TA circulating and helping in a class of 15 they could do it. Homework identified that they couldn't do it independently, without someone there prompting them 'what goes into 15 and 20?'. More practice needed.