Embedded Files
General Feedback should not take more than a few minutes per student, so it is important to plan ahead, normalize the process, and involve your students.
General Feedback should not take more than a few minutes per student, so it is important to plan ahead, normalize the process, and involve your students.
Keep these in mind when providing general feedback:
Keep these in mind when providing general feedback:
- Feedback should be linked to the learning intentions, success criteria, or both
- Timely feedback is critical, so prioritise the most important 3-4 feedback comments for your students - this saves you time as well!
- Avoid too much focus on 'surface level' issues with student work, (punctuation, spelling, etc)
- Marking can be a form of feedback, but most feedback should be qualitative instead of quantitative
- Praise ≠ Feedback
How to normalise feedback:
How to normalise feedback:
- Create a Feedback Cycle with normal feedback and action periods for students to continue developing their skills
- Ask students if the feedback is appropriate for them, make them part of the process
- Feedback should be provided during and not simply at the end of a task
Creating a Feedback Cycle
Creating a Feedback Cycle
The parts of a Feedback Cycle can be thought of as:
(Re)Define Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
Feedback on student progress
Students Revise, Teachers Reflect
Repeat as often as you need
This cycle can be performed several times as students work on a task, or even in longer time scales. Students can now continually develop their work, and teachers can stay connected to the students and revisit or re-evaluate the learning intentions and success criteria.
The key is building the relationship and trust with your students that you are helping them improve, no matter what their level currently is.
Examples:
Students keep a journal or learning log which the teacher collects every week or fortnight
Students complete an ever-growing vocabulary quiz. Using the scores the teacher is able to provide quick and targeted feedback.
Students exchange work with a peer or self-evaluate, the teacher can review this feedback and add to or clarify
With a practical report which is due in five weeks, every Tuesday students are able to submit their work for a quick general feedback application
While writing an essay students can ask the teacher for specific feedback they would like to have
Making Students Part of the Feedback Process
Making Students Part of the Feedback Process
Students can learn a lot from evaluating their work, the work of their peers, or the work of their class. By involving them in the process both the student and teacher can gain valuable insights into what is happening and how it can be addressed. This can be accomplished in several ways, but by including students in the feedback cycle you can develop student agency and engagement as well.
This process may take time to be successfully completed by the students. It would do well to be a regular process with heavy moderation from the teacher at the start to set guidelines and expectations.
Examples:
Students use the rubric to evaluate their work, but only with a few selected criteria each time
Students use the rubric to evaluate the work of a peer or group, but only with a few selected criteria each time
Have students make "Heart and Brain" comments on their work. Heart comments are likes, and positive. Brain comments are suggestions to improve, but should be framed constructively and tied to the success criteria or learning goals
Teachers can have short connection conferences with the students to see what the student interpreted the teacher feedback to mean, and ideas can be clarified if need be
When To Provide Feedback
When To Provide Feedback
One critical factor to effective feedback is timeliness. If feedback is simply provided at the end of a task, there is no time for the student to reflect or engage with the suggestions, and they can easily be forgotten. Feedback should be provided early and as often as needed to help guide your students and keep you informed of their progress.
Feedback early, feedback often! Look for an opportunity to provide formal feedback for your students and check again to see if your suggestions were taken on board, and what else can be developed.
Examples:
Students can leave their files unsubmitted in your Google Classroom.
Once a week students can leave a comment asking for a review of a particular part of their work
Teachers can provide feedback as Google Workspace comments or on classroom comments
Using apps can expedite the process
Break the task into 'chunks' or checkpoints. At each checkpoint offer more general, formal feedback.
Page updated
Report abuse