This poster has become one of my most prominent sayings in the classroom. My students know that if their work is not their best completed work they will need to either do it again or add to it. The poster hangs near the middle of the room for all to see and I reference it often. My students have quickly caught on that if they put their best effort in every time they have work to do, they will succeed and not have as many redos or missing assignments.
This poster ties in nicely to the first chapter of Teach Like a Champion: Setting High Academic Expectations. Teaching Technique 2: Right is Right and Technique 4: Format Matters speak to the theme the poster conveys. That is, if you don’t do your best work and do it correctly, you will have to redo the work. This can apply to the simplest of tasks to huge projects. Right answers matter, grammar matters, correct use of words matter. Our 5th grade class is one where I set high academic expectations.
This is a great poster! I also ask my 9th and 12th graders to redo work that isn't their best. Fixing mistakes is such a great way to learn. I would have to say that most of them don't seem particularly concerned with the idea of having to fix mistakes - not enough to ensure they regularly do their best the first time.
ReplyDeleteI also feel like insisting that work be corrected until satisfactory is one of the key causes of my time use issues. For example, if the majority of my science students improve upon the original work they had done on a lab assignment I immediately lose an hour or two or more from my weekend. Does anyone have ideas for how to insist on quality work without creating a grading nightmare? I have a dream that one day I will have two day weekends!
I have been refering to this poster in all my classes and acting upon the basic idea frequently. When they do a poor job on their work, I remind them of this and then give them the "opportunity to do it right"... Good stuff!
ReplyDeleteI also have my kids redo work that is not done well the first time. At first, it's a huge battle...they sigh, complain, and grumble...and then they redo it. Most kids learn pretty quickly, but I've had a few who had to do the same assignment 3 times before they did it correctly and did it with excellence. Fortunately, that's the rarity, but that kid is much better about doing things well the first time. I have found that the hassle of having kids redo things is worth it in the long run, as they start to realize that it's better to do it correctly the first time.
ReplyDelete