This document discusses how to create effective assignments for students. It notes that ineffective assignments do not clearly explain what students are supposed to learn or accomplish. Effective assignments have clear standards, objectives, and activities with specified purposes. Teachers should determine what they want students to learn and accomplish, write each assignment as a single sentence objective, give students a copy of the objectives, and post the objectives for reference. This helps students understand what is expected and ensures mastery learning rather than "mystery learning" where students are lost.

1. Effective
Assignment
By
Matt Jackson

2. What is an ineffective
assignment?
 The bottom line in education is student
learning.
 If the students do not do their
assignments, no learning will occur.
 Teachers assign assignments but that
doesn’t mean all students know what
they are doing.
 For example “Do chapter seven and test
Friday???”

3. More on ineffective
 Students don’t know what that means
and so they will not complete the
assignment.
 Some students also do not see the point in
doing the assignment so they decide to
fail.

4. Examples of Ineffective
Learning
 No standards, no objectives, and no
activities done for a specified reason.
 No student will understand if you don’t
explain what they are learning.

5. Teachers Should Ask
 What do I want the students to learn?
 What do I want the students to
accomplish?

6. Mastery/Mystery Learning
 If students know what they are learning its
called mastery learning.
 If the students don’t understand its turns
into mystery learning. Meaning kids are
lost and don’t know what they are doing.

7. Cover/Uncover
 Teachers should be worried about
uncovering a topic or section rather than
covering it.
 An effective teacher uncovers what the
students will be learning up front. What
the students will accomplish.

8. Four Steps for Important
Learning
 Determine what you want the students to
accomplish.
 Write each assignment as a single
sentence.
 Give the students a copy of the same
sentences.
 Post or send these sentences home with
the students.

9. Students Accomplish
 The question should be what do my students
need to learn? Not what am I covering?
 Standards identify what is essential for
students to master. Standards are in most
states.
 Standards are like the backbone of teaching.
With standards in place schools can create
guides for the curriculum. These guides inform
what the students should master and teacher
should teach.

10. More…..
 With these outlines teachers can teach
and uncover a lesson.
 Students need to understand what's
going on and what they are learning.
Which goes back to mastering their skills.

11. Write each accomplishment in
one Sent.
 Objectives or Learning Criteria
 Objectives help students anticipate,
focus, and understand the purpose of a
lesson.

12. More…
 To teach for learning, use words, especially
verbs, that state how to demonstrate what
learning has taken place.
 Knowledge
 Comprehension
 Application
 Analysis
Those are just a few examples of the word
choice.

13. More…
 Do not use these verbs when you write
objectives!!!!
 Appreciate, enjoy, beautify, love, be happy,
like, celebrate, and understand. This words
are not on Bloom’s list.
 The more students understand the sentecene,
the greater the chance that the students will
do what is intended.
 Example of this: Describe what happens when
two molds grow together?

14. Most Important
 Continually look at the objectives to make
sure the class is on course!!!

15. Give a copy of the Objectives
to the Students
 Students can be in control of what they
know what objective they are responsible
to learn.