To be useful, feedback has to be timely, specific and actionable. Teachers are often buried under day-to-day demands of the profession. But delayed feedback loses its power and utility for students, writes Tara Quigley
OVER THE COURSE OF MY 24-YEAR TEACHING career, I have assessed and provided feedback to students on countless assignments. But only after I learned about how our brains work as we learn, that made the biggest difference to how I provide feedback.
Knowing the end goal of an assignment is critical for providing useful feedback. According to educationists Hattie and Timperley, in their essay The Power of Feedback (2007), “effective feedback must answer three major questions asked by a teacher and/or student: Where am I going? (What are the goals?), How am I going? (what progress is being made towards the goal?), and Where to next? (what actions need to be undertaken to make better progress?). These questions correspond to feed up, feedback, and feed forward.”
There are two types of feedback, formative and summative. The first provides guidance about how a student is progressing towards a summative goal and what she can do to improve her performance. It also informs a teacher how she can provide corrective instruction to individual students or the whole class.
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I teach English grammar using a particular pattern of practice. I introduce the concept and the class engages in practice together. For instance, students are given three formative assignments that progress in complexity and allow them opportunity to practice compound sentences creation. During this phase, I am very clear this is the time to make mistakes, and assignments are specifically designed for them to make errors and learn. These are practice. Each unit finishes with a summative skills checking assessment.
The summative assessment is similar, but asks students to apply what they have learned together with previously studied grammar lessons, looping skills learned throughout the year. This step can also be formative; students who have not yet mastered the topic can demonstrate competency later. It isn’t usually needed, though, as I work with students to reinstruct or correct misunderstandings during the formative phase.
This pedagogy was developed after I noticed that after receiving practice worksheets, many students rushed to finish them without thoughtful engagement. They were more concerned with completion rather than understanding the purpose of the exercise. It was eye-opening, and I spent some time that first year, explaining that the purpose was not to finish, but build competency. Subsequently their sharpened focus when they learned there was no grading, was remarkable.
To be useful, feedback has to be timely, specific, and actionable. As teachers, we are often buried under day-to-day demands of the profession and days pile up. But delayed feedback loses its power and usefulness for students. Teachers who spend hours reviewing and assessing students’ work without bearing in mind that students must use the feedback for revision or application soon after, will nullify their own effort. The assumption that students study teachers comments on their work and will recall and apply them when necessary, is erroneous given what we know about the mind-brain education. If you are unable to provide timely feedback, reduce the number of assignments you are giving to your students for formative assessment, or turn to peer feedback strategies to create more efficient feedback loops.
Referencing the exemplar or final goal of an assignment in your comments limits the number of skills in an assignment that a student needs to develop. This can be really challenging for an educator who wants to document everything. But if we overwhelm students with commentary, they become demoralised and shut down.
So, it’s advisable to include only two or three comments to specific tasks a student can work on. These tasks can be increased as the year progresses, reminding them of the work they have done before. Feedback that is actionable means that it recommends specific actions and/ or strategies rather than using generic phrases such as “good job” or “well-done”. When I provide students with commentary or a rubric, I choose pieces of their work that they can improve and suggest strategies or solutions that we might have already worked on in class.
Trust and ‘belonging’ are also critical elements of giving and receiving feedback. Research indicates that when students experience a sense of belonging, they take more risks, believe in their capability and try harder to learn. Before you implement any of these feedback tips and strategies, remember that the first priority should be to build personal rapport with your students so that they understand you believe they can succeed.
Providing feedback to students that will encourage them to use it to improve their growth and mastery requires careful consideration of the strategies and content you offer. Make sure you consider the above factors when you plan for feedback.
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