Introduction

Responsive teaching blends planning and teaching based on an understanding of how students learn from cognitive science, with formative assessment to identify what students have learned and adapt accordingly. This overcomes three problems I faced as teacher: I let summative assessment dominate my planning and teaching, believed skills were more important than knowledge and focused on the techniques of Assessment for Learning, rather than the principles. This book is shaped around six problems all teachers face in planning, assessing and responding: it shares principles and practices to address them.