ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Writing the acknowledgments section of any book is fraught with risk. When individuals are named, there is an implication that the contributions of those who were not named are somehow less important. The alternative—not naming anyone—means that those who have made the greatest contributions get no recognition. However, there is a bigger problem with acknowledgments. The very idea of acknowledging those who have contributed to the book rests on the assumption that the author is able to identify whose ideas, suggestions, conversations, and so on have influenced the author’s thinking.

Sometimes, this is true. My collaboration with Paul Black, now well into its third decade, has been the most profound influence on my work as a teacher and researcher, for which I am deeply grateful. It is also clear to me that particular researchers, such as Linda Darling-Hammond, Carol Dweck, Eric Hanushek, Lorrie Shepard, and Lauren Resnick, have powerfully influenced the way I think about education. Most recently, I have become acutely aware that I should have known more about the work of cognitive scientists such as Robert Bjork, John Sweller, and Daniel Willingham much earlier in my career.

However, I am also aware that my thinking about educational issues has been influenced—sometimes dramatically, sometimes more slowly and subtly—in other ways, through reading articles and books, of course, but also through conversations with my students and other researchers, by listening to podcasts, through exchanges with complete strangers on social media, and so on. Again, I am grateful.

Thanks are also due to Mark Combes and his editorial team at Learning Sciences International, and especially Lesley Bolton for her willingness to expedite the production of this book. Harry Fletcher-Wood, Ulrich Boser, and Daniel Willingham provided helpful comments on drafts of the manuscript although, of course, responsibility for any errors in the book remains with me.

Finally, as ever, my greatest thanks go to my partner, Siobhan Leahy, who has supported me in the writing of this book as she has throughout my academic career, providing advice and guidance, keeping my feet on the ground, and sharpening both my arguments and the writing. That is why this book is dedicated to her.

About The Author

Dylan Wiliam is one of the world’s foremost education authorities. He has helped to successfully implement classroom formative assessment in thousands of schools all over the world, including the United States, Singapore, Sweden, Australia, and the United Kingdom. A two-part BBC series, The Classroom Experiment , tracked Dr. Wiliam’s work at one British middle school, showing how formative assessment strategies empower students, significantly increase engagement, and shift classroom responsibility from teachers to their students so that students become agents of and collaborators in their own learning.

Dylan Wiliam is emeritus professor of educational assessment at University College London. After a first degree in mathematics and physics, he taught in urban schools for seven years, during which time he earned further degrees in mathematics and mathematics education.

Learn more about Wiliam’s research, as well as his products and services, at the Learning Sciences Dylan Wiliam Center, www.dylanwiliamcenter.com.