Do you ever wonder who is actually working the hardest in the classroom? And are you looking for ways to increase your students' ownership of their learning? Then the trajectory “Towards a formative culture. The sweat on the right back” is the right choice for you. You will learn how to integrate formative action into your teaching practice and get practical tools to do so, supported by a scientific basis.
Learning process
Formative action is a powerful didactic intervention focused on the student's learning process. It is a part of good teaching and enables you as a teacher to visualize learning, whilst students get more control over their own learning process. This way of working centers around three main questions: “where is the student now”, “how is the student doing in relation to the learning objectives” and “what actions are needed to ensure that the student achieves these ojectives?”.
Classroom management, feedback and interaction
To use formative action effectively, it is important that your teaching backpack is filled with good classroom management, feedback skills, a wide variety of learning activities and much more. To equip secondary teachers with these skills, we pay close attention to these topics during the trajectory.
Target group
The course “The sweat on the right back” is designed for all teachers, department leaders and school leaders in secondary education, who want to take a leadership role, implement formative action or broaden their horizon. No matter what year or level you teach in, formative action can boost every teacher's teaching practice and every student's learning!
At the end of the trajectory, you will be able to
- Apply the core principles of formative practice in your own teaching practice.
- Apply effective feedback strategies that support students in their learning.
- Use various learning activities to understand and adjust student learning as needed.
- Use classroom management strategies to create an effective learning environment.
- Apply strategies to promote students' motivation and self-regulation, making students more actively involved in their learning.
- Activate students to take greater control of their own learning.
The trajectory consists of five 3-hour interactive meetings spread over six months.
The meetings have a blended format, which means that we ask you to prepare via our online learning environment. Next, there will be physical meetings, during which we will have a mix of theory and practical assignments and exchange.
Please find an overview of the planned meetings below. All meetings will take place in the Mandeville Building of Erasmus University Rotterdam.
- Mastering (basic) formative action, October 2, 2025, 14.00 – 17.00
- Cyclical work, November 13, 2025, 14.00 – 17.00
- Feedback, December 11, 2025, 14.00 – 17.00
- Self regulation & motivation, January 20, 2026, 14.00 – 17.00
- Wrap up session, February 10, 2026, 14.00 – 17.00
You can choose to add the following options to your trajectory (at an additional cost):
- Individual coaching: 2 hours of coaching, to be deployed as you wish.
- Classroom visits: a Risbo consultant will visit you to observe 2/3 lessons.
- Intervision groups: Would you like to spar with colleagues from other schools and exchange experiences? Then take part in two intervision meetings guided by a Risbo consultant. You plan these together with the peer review group: this can already take place during the program, or after the completion of the program.
Sign up
Would you like to have more information and/or to register? Or do you not work in secondary education, but are still curious what formative action can mean for your educational institution? Then contact our educational advisors Celine and Joost via the contact information below.
Contact
Joost MaarschalkerweerdEducational consultant & trainer
Email address
Celine van der LiendenEducational consultant & trainer
Email address