Four Foundations Top Ten Habits #8

Next in our consideration of the top ten habits of great teaching is #8:

"I make it a habit to frequently use models of strong and weak work."

Imitation is a powerful tool for teaching and learning. Models of strong and weak work help to make the elements of quality clear to students, leading them to have a similar understanding of quality that the teacher has. 

A couple of things to keep in mind:

• Use anonymous examples of previous student work, or create them as needed. (Start collecting samples now for use next year.)
• Working individually or in small groups have students apply rubrics to sample work. Have them group the work into general categories ('stronger', 'weaker'), then hold a class discussion to assign a specific rubric score or placement. 
• Have students occasionally assist in creating rubrics, as appropriate. This will build deeper understanding in students and will focus them on the learning rather than the activity.