Save time with reward stampers

Some people turn their noses up at ‘lazy’ and ‘ineffective’ reward stampers. But Jo Payne finds they save her time and improve the quality of her feedback...

There are teachers who look down on the humble assessment stamper and, while pursing their lips, exclaim “I don’t believe in stampers”. Phrases like “children don’t read them”, “they ruin work” and “they show laziness” flow from the mouths of these educators, whom I like to call the ‘Stamper Snobs’. One of the most frustrating things about these teachers is how they thrust their snobby attitude towards stampers on their colleagues. I would find it very difficult to work with a Stamper Snob, and they would cry looking through my books.

There are a huge number of stampers available to teachers. Some contain phrases like ‘Well Done!’ and ‘Good Work!’. While these stampers do have their time-saving uses when marking certain pieces of work, they are the least effective in moving children on in their learning; they are probably the reason some teachers are so snobby towards stampers. “What’s the point?” they would argue, and I’d be inclined to agree.

On the other hand, there are a growing number of stampers being sold that bear common formative comments to help children improve – or which can be personalised to do so. It is these stampers that enable me to give my class the quality feedback they deserve, whilst ensuring I don’t spend every available hour marking books. 

During my NQT year, I found I was constantly writing the same formative phrases in children’s books: ‘Remember to use capital letters’, ‘Now try to join your handwriting’ or ‘Remember to write in paragraphs’. Nowadays, if I find myself writing the same comment repeatedly, I will purchase the appropriate stamper. Although school pays for some of the stampers, I buy the personalised ones myself – it’s a minor cost for maximum gain, especially when they are in the sale! And by using stampers to print these common phrases, I can use the time I have gained to personalise future learning.

Critics often label the use of stampers as ‘lazy’. However, I find they help me to be efficient and focused in my feedback. A stamper with ‘Great Learning! Now try this:’ can be followed by personalised questions for that child to complete. Similarly, a ‘Well done! Your next step is:’ stamper can precede future learning for an individual child. 

The most effective personalised stamper I own reads, ‘Let’s chat about _______ on M Tu W Th F’.  I simply fill the gap with an area of learning the child needs to develop and circle the day on which I will support him or her with this. My class know it is their responsibility to find me on that day and that, once I have ‘chatted’ with them, they must write notes next to the stamper to show how the conversation has helped them. This saves me from writing out a detailed explanation in the child’s book, which he or she may or may not understand.

Many Stamper Snobs argue that children do not read stampers when they’re used in marking, but the same could be said for all written feedback. However, this is not the case in my Year 4 classroom because of the routine I have introduced. Before my class do anything in any lesson, they must use a gel pen to do three things:

1. Complete any corrections from the last lesson, or explain where they went wrong;
2. Read and initial any comments (which often include stampers);
3. Respond to any comments or stampers, including getting help if needed.

This has transformed the learning ethos of my class. The children now have clarity in their learning; they know from where they have come, where they are at, and to where they are going. They have become more independent and in control, and they are not afraid to request my help when they are uncertain.

The formative stampers allow me to focus on giving the most effective comments. They help children to understand how they are doing and where they have room for improvement. They stop me from writing the same phrases repeatedly and save me the frustration of doing this. They help me to alter the course of the next lesson, and my comments are neater and more concise. Above all, they have given me time. And, as any teacher knows, time is a rare and precious gift.