If we want our students to thrive in the impossibly complex, unpredictable world of the 21st century, we must concentrate on increasing educational achievement by increasing the quality of the teachers in our schools. new In this book Dylan Wiliam argues that quality of teachers is the single most important factor in the education system. He outlines the many possible ways in which we could seek to develop the practice of serving teachers and concludes that of these, formative assessment has the biggest impact on student outcomes. He looks at some of the popular initiatives that aim to increase student achievement, such as learning styles, and presents research that shows formative assessment practices have a much greater impact on educational achievement than most other reforms. Formative assessment functions to the extent that evidence about student achievement is elicited, interpreted and used by teachers and learners to make decisions about the next steps in instruction that are likely to be better than the decisions they would have made in the absence of that evidence. The five key strategies of formative assessment that Wiliam outlines are: Clarifying, sharing and understanding learning intentions and criteria for success Engineering effective classroom discussions, activities and learning tasks that elicit evidence of learning Providing feedback that moves learners forward Activating learners instructional resources for one another Activating learners as the owners of their learning Wiliam presents a summary of the research evidence that shows the impact of each of the above strategies, and offers over fifty practical techniques that teachers can use to incorporate the strategies into their classroom practice. Click HERE or on the image below to hear interview with author Dylan Wiliam about this book. Dylan Youtube [ISBN: 9781742398112; 199 Pages; Published May 2011] [Author: Dylan Wiliam PhD; Age Suitability: All] Read what other professionals are saying about this book: "With precision, clarity and practical comprehensiveness, Wiliam gives us all we need to know to get deep and lasting success. Each of his five strategies is a gem; in combination, they are unbeatable" Michael Fullan, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto "Dylan Wiliam's wonderful new book strips away the murk currently surrounding formative assessment. Deftly moving between research evidence and classroom practicalities, Wiliam provides a compelling vision of how formative assessment can enhance students' learning. For today's educators, this is truly a must-read!" W. James Popham, Professor Emeritus, UCLA "Wiliam's most recent work confirms his place in the front rank of global thought leaders in education. Teachers and school leaders will find this work enormously practical." Douglas Reeves, The Leadership and Learning Center "This is a must-have, must-read, must-put-into-immediate-action book for every teacher, principal and network leader. Dylan has made powerful coaching learning ideas accessible in a highly engaging way and makes the development of a learning system possible." Linda Kaser, Co-Director of Network of Performance Based Schools and Co-Director of Center for Innovative Educational Leadership, VIU About the Author: Dylan WilliamDylan Wiliam, PhD, is a consultant who works with educators in the United Kingdom and North America to develop effective, research-based formative assessment practices. He is former deputy director of the Institute of Education at the University of London. From teaching in urban public schools to directing a large-scale testing program to serving in university administration, his professional path has led to a variety of positions at the forefront of education. Dr. Wiliam is also senior research director of the Learning and Teaching Research Center at the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, New Jersey. During his early years of teaching in private and inner-city classrooms, Dr. Wiliam focused on physics and mathematics. He later joined the faculty of Chelsea College, University of London, which later became part of King's College London. Here, he worked on developing innovative assessment schemes in mathematics before accepting leadership of the King's College Mathematics Education Program. For three years, Dr. Wiliam served as the academic coordinator of the Consortium for Assessment and Testing in Schools, which developed a variety of assessments for the national curriculum of England and Wales. He then returned to King's College to serve as Dean of the School of Education before being promoted as assistant principal of the university. He co-authored a major review of research evidence on formative assessment with Paul Black and has worked with many teachers in the United Kingdom and United States on developing formative assessment practices to support learning. In addition to a doctor of education, Dr. Wiliam holds numerous degrees in mathematics and mathematics education.