piecework tasks

Students take on small components of a larger task. These can be brought together as an assessment or practice for the main task.

Piecework tasks aim to break down a complicated or multistage process into its constituent parts for the learner to complete each task and receive feedback before moving on to the next task. This process ensures that learners are correct and demonstrate their competency at each stage so as not to fail at the larger task. This strategy is essential when a mistake at a single point will mean failure overall. Identifying these failure points is crucial for these tasks, and each one needs to be accompanied by feedback that allows the learner to self-correct. Feedback must ensure that the learner understands at which point they failed and why. This kind of task may require students to submit multiple times or to remedy their process before the next task through discussion with the teacher.