Worksheet - useful, creative and inspirating tool
a good practice
by Karolina Szurek
During my mobilities, as weel and in my school practice, I've found that worksheets - however frequently used - are often underestimated as a useful and creative tool. In schools most often they are just copies from some work books or - even worse - "patchwork" of some exercises.
On the oposite - while vistiting Cite de l'Espace, National Space Centre or Assen Archieve I saw some impresive, most inspiring worksheets.
In my experience I have experimented with variuos types of worksheets and I discovered some rules which I improving my teaching.
- The worksheet has to have a goode template. A title, subtitles, numbers of exercises.
- It should fit well A4 sheet (double-sided). If more pages are needed they have to be numbered.
We have to do everything to make the worksheet friendly for our dislectic weaker pupils. Whle for the brightes ones the font doesn't matter - for special needs it's very often most important. So:
- - The best fonts are Cambria or BookAntiqua (sherif). Do not use Calibri or Arial.
- - For children from 8 to 12 use font size 13-14, for older studnets (13-16) 11 or 12 will make. Never use smaller!
- - Make sure that you provide exercises of variuos level of difficulty.
- - Use simple language and short words
- - Use drawing, filling, connecting, coloring
Plan as many as possible open and creative exercises. Give room for creativity.
Use the same template for many years. You will find that pupils will improve!
