The magic of formative assessment with Professor Dylan Wiliam

What makes an excellent teacher? According to acclaimed educational researcher, Professor Dylan Wiliam, it’s about regularly checking for student understanding.

Professor Wiliam is passionate about the practice of formative assessment—the assessment that many people say ‘doesn’t count’. Over the course of many decades of research, Professor Wiliam has established that there is nothing teachers can do that has a greater impact on student achievement than by making teaching more responsive to students’ needs through consistent, formative feedback. This is a particular focus in Year 7 at Girls Grammar, with students undertaking a ‘Philosophy of Teaching’ course that sets a foundation for students to embrace academic challenges and benefit from struggles they may encounter. 

Professor Wiliam sat down with Principal, Ms Jacinda Euler Welsh, to discuss how teachers can prioritise formative feedback.