The purpose of feedback is to drive student improvement. By indicating what needs attention you identify strengths and weaknesses, but without suggestions, these areas may remain unimproved.
Suggestions can be:
Closing the Gap: comments to get students from where they are to where they want to be
Turning the Wheel: comments focused on redirecting students to the learning intentions or success criteria
Reflections: comments left open-ended in order to inspire the student to move into higher-level thinking
Detailed Feeback is often provided at the end of a task, but that doesn't mean you don't provide time to review and enact the feedback you have provided! Find ways to allow your students the time to grow.
Examples:
Some comments can be open-ended:
'What could you change about this sentence to make it more descriptive?'
How would focussing on your fluency help your reading to improve?
Feedback Stacks can help deliver constructive criticism. Layer your feedback as a positive, an area to improve, and end with a contextual comment, (I liked X because Y, now try adding Z).
Use Example/Scaffold/Reminder comments, you can read more about them here.
Discuss your feedback with the student. You can ask follow-up questions such as:
Would an example help clarify this comment?
What can you do if you get confused again?
Where do you think you can go from here?
Is there anything I can clarify for you?
Detailed feedback can take time to complete, and it can also appear overwhelming to students. To help alleviate both of these, you can develop symbols or codes for your feedback that take less time to write or draw, and are smaller and less intimidating to the students.
Symbols and codes can help save time and clarify feedback, but they are only as effective as the understanding of the students! It is important to carefully define what your symbols mean.
Examples:
Simple drawn or sticker emojis can be used to indicate areas of support in a student task
Students can use this method as well to clarify what they do and do not understand about the teacher feedback
You can give coded feedback verbally as well
* Be more like a lion here! Be brave and powerful"
'This is a very fluffy cloud of an idea!'
'How can you make this more you, like a mirror?'
The feedback process is full of possibilities, but without reflecting on your own part of this process there may be missed opportunities for helping you and your students grow. Ask yourself the following questions:
Was I clear about my feedback?
Did I relate my feedback to the Learning Intentions or Success Criteria?
Have I noted both positive areas of work and areas for improvement?
Did I provide strategies to help students improve their work?
Have I allowed the students time to read and enact the changes I have suggested?
Reflecting is a never-ending process in providing feedback. Classes evolve, new year groups come in, and even individual students may require adjustments to the feedback you are providing.
Examples:
You can ask yourself the following questions about the feedback you are providing:
Was I clear about my feedback?
Did I relate my feedback to the Learning Intentions or Success Criteria?
Have I noted both positive areas of work and areas for improvement?
Did I provide strategies to help students improve their work?
Have I allowed the students time to read and enact the changes I have suggested?