In this presentation you can: Clarify the purpose and value - Clarify the purpose and value of effective feedback to learners Identify strategies - Identify strategies that improve the quality of feedback to learners, through suggested readings and classroom activities.

Effective feedback For feedback to be effective for students, they need the following: 1- An understanding of the desired goal 2- Evidence about their present position in relation to that goal 3- Guidance on the way to close the gap between the two

To be effective, “To be effective, “If feedback is directed at the right level, it can assist students to comprehend, engage, or develop effective strategies to process the information intended to be learnt.” effective instruction enhancing learning “Thus, when feedback is combined with effective instruction in classrooms, it can be very powerful in enhancing learning.”

feedback Effective feedback should… - Focus on what is being learnt (learning intention) and how students should go about it (success criteria) - Occur as the students are doing the learning - Provide information on how and why the student has or has not met the criteria - Provide strategies to help the students to improve

A typology of feedback evaluative judgment evaluative – involving a value judgment or descriptive guidance descriptive – describing what the student said or did, and providing guidance for improvement

Evaluative feedback Evaluative feedback judgment Evaluative feedback involves a judgment by the teacher based on implicit or explicit norms. Evaluative feedback Evaluative feedback may take the form of: Approval: Approval: “That’s a good essay.” “You’ve done well.” Disapproval: Disapproval: “That’s not good enough.” Reward: Gold stars Punishment: “Write it out again.”

Descriptive feedback Descriptive feedback: focuses on identified learning outcomes and makes specific reference to the student’s achievement. looks towards improvement. An example of descriptive feedback: “That’s a good introduction because you have covered the main points we discussed at the beginning. Now … which points do you think you should expand on?”

good students less able students An emphasis on evaluative feedback can affect how students feel about themselves. It can make the good students feel better (and possibly complacent) and the less able students feel worse (and the more sure that they will never be able to succeed.)

How we provide suggestions for improvement is critical in ‘closing the gap’ for students. Improvement is more likely if we use the kind of feedback prompt that best meets the need of the student.

Types of descriptive feedback prompt * Reminder prompt * Scaffold prompt * Scaffold prompt * Example prompt * Example prompt Remember, prompts need to be focused around the learning intention of the task.

- Reminder prompts: How could you make the description of the character more striking? Remember the rule about circles we talked about? - Scaffold prompts: Why don’t you try using a simile to describe how he eats? - Example prompts: Why don’t you use a simile to describe your character?

Check the adequacy of the feedback “Do you know what to do next?” “Is that enough help?” “What will you do if you get stuck again?”

Written feedback When feedback is given in writing, some students: - Have difficulty understanding the points the teacher is trying to make - Are unable to read the teacher’s writing-can’t process the feedback and understand what to do next. Asking a student to tell you what they think you are trying to say to them is the best way to check this out.

Marks versus comments - Students given only marks made no gain from the first to the second lesson. - Students given only comments scored on average 30% higher. - Giving marks alongside comments cancelled the beneficial effects of the comments.Conclusion: If you are going to grade or mark a piece of work, you are wasting your time writing careful diagnostic comments.

Findings from field observations: Teachers give: - Too many criteria making it very difficult for specific feedback to be given - Too much information in their marking which students find overwhelming and difficult to take in. I suggests that: when giving written feedback, teachers highlight two or three successes in the student’s work and one area where some improvement is necessary.

Some practical strategies for effective formative feedback to try out in the classroom

Feedback for improvement - Comments on students’ work should act as guidance showing how the student can improve. - Develop this by asking students to write in the same way when peer assessing work.

Comment-only marking - Comment-only marking provides students with a focus for progression instead of a reward or punishment for their ego (as a grade does). - Comments should make it clear how the student can improve. - Plan activities and work with feedback in mind – let the design assist the process.

Self assessment Reinforce the focus on redrafting and comment-only marking by insisting on seeing evidence of student self assessment on their work before you look at it. (You’ll have to allow time for this).