Strategic Class
Assignments


Why strategic assignments:
Without clear structure and precisely stated expectations, students are vulnerable to a kind of educational "wanderlust" that pulls them far afield. The challenge - how do we provide sufficient structure to keep students productive without destroying initiative, motivation and resourcefulness? It is, ultimately, a balancing act. Even though we offer clarity and structure, the students must still complete the assignment and fashion new insights. The most important work is done by the student. We simply provide the outer structure.
- Jamie McKenzie (2001)



Strategic Assignments:

• Reflect the Big Idea: Student assignments should be built with the Big Idea in mind.

• Make the purpose explicit: When students understand the purpose of an assignment their ability to tackle it efficiently and successfully increases. Knowing the purpose of the assignment helps the learner know what's important and what strategy to use to approach the assignment. (Example)

• Include clear and precise written directions: When lessons are chunked into manageable parts and include checklists and due dates, students are more likely to stay on course and efficiently make their way to the learning target. (Example)

• Include models of completed work: Models help students know when they are on the right track. There's nothing like a visual representation of your expectations(Example)

• Offer choice when appropriate:

• Include resources needed to complete the assignment: Guiding students to the proper resources is another great strategy to keep them on track. (Example) Or create your own Google Search.
• Try this Google search made for this section. Search "science" or "scaffolding" and see how it works!

• Include clear expectations: Rubrics are great ways to make sure your assignments expectations are clear from the start. Check out Rubistar, an online rubric creator.

• Are posted on the class web space: Posting the assignment directions, goals, expectations, resources and scaffolds on your website allows students access to all of the information outside of the classroom. (Example)

• Are created with adjustable amounts of support: Creating scaffolded lessons is one way to adjust the support. (Example)