1. “What are the Features of Effective Feedback?”
Action Research at Oxford Spires Academy
Helen Woolley

2. What are the Features of Effective Feedback?

3. Action Research Project at Oxford Spires
The Research Context:
Oxford Spires Academy opened in January 2011 on the site of Oxford School and is one of a growing number of CfBT academies. Oxford Spires serves the East Oxford Community and a richly diverse student body. Approximately half of the students at the school speak English as an additional language. Oxford Spires is a highly aspirational school; having achieved a Good in the most recent Ofsted inspection. (2013) and moving rapidly towards Outstanding via examination success (61% A-C including English and Maths, 2014), winning prestigious competitions and most recently being the first school in Oxfordshire to be awarded the NACE challenge award for able students.

4. Project aims:
To ascertain what makes effective feedback- ie. Feedback which students can learn from and progress by using.

5. Research Questions What type of feedback do you get?
Do you always understand your feedback?
Do you understand how to improve your work after looking at your feedback?
How does feedback help you?
Do you like to get a grade / level or mark for a piece of work?
Do you get enough time to respond to / act on your feedback?
When do you act on your feedback?
How could your feedback be improved to help you more?

6. The Research Project
Students completed an online survey about their feedback.

7. Abstract
Feedback is currently seen as a vital tool in the promotion of student progression and fundamental to teaching students effectively. However, historically, there has been comparatively little research into precisely what makes for effective feedback and how this is differentiated from other forms of feedback which are less effectual in the promotion of student progress. Feedback has become prominent in the educational sphere in recent years and the role which feedback plays in achievement has been the focus of much contemporary pedagogical debate. This research project explores this emerging literature; in addition to conducting research involving both the staff and students at Oxford Spires Academy.
This research project explores the issues surrounding this relationship between the effectiveness of feedback given to a student and their subsequent progress. This small- scale exploratory research focuses upon the type and quality of feedback given to a student, their ability to act upon this feedback and their ensuing progress. The research was conducted at Oxford Spires Academy; a secondary school in East Oxford which serves a richly diverse and comprehensive student population. Both staff and students participated in this research which revealed that although feedback is not a one size fits all discipline; certain principles and practices have a transformative effect upon student practice.
The study highlighted that students value personalised, individual feedback and that highly generic feedback is seen as exemplification of the educational requirement to give them feedback, but is often of little use to the student. Students also saw verbal feedback as just as helpful as written feedback; and at least half of the responding students valued this type of feedback above the more traditional written variety. Many students cited having a conversation with the teacher as the single most important factor in aiding their progression. The teachers concluded that the type and timing of feedback given to students is very important and that certain methods worked better with different groups of students such as A,G&T, SEN and EAL students. Therefore from this research we have concluded that personalisation is of salient importance.

8. Findings
Do you always understand your feedback?

9. Findings
Do you understand how to improve your work after looking at your feedback?

10. Findings
Do you like to get a grade / level or mark for a piece of work?

11. Findings
Do you get enough time to respond to / act on your feedback?

12. Findings
When do you act on your feedback?

13. Conclusions from the Student Questionnaire:
Students want more verbal communication in conjunction to their written feedback to help them to make progress and ensure that they have understood what is required of them to improve.
Students want written feedback to be presented clearly and often have trouble reading a teacher’s handwriting.
Clear, simple feedback without sophisticated (often seen as confusing) vocabulary is preferred.
Time to act on feedback and improve work (preferably straight away) and have these improvements confirmed by the teacher.
Time to act on the feedback in class and before moving on to another topic.
Personalised for them.

14. Recommendations:
1) Standardised feedback method across the school and curriculum areas.
2) Dialogue marking - traffic lighting may not be enough (particularly for KS3).
3) Literacy feedback in all subjects, using a universal marking 'code'.
4) Time consistently allocated in lessons for students to work on responding to feedback and building good habits.
5) More frequent audit (once per term, per year group).
6) Teachers to receive feedback on their marking practices as a result of book monitoring.
7) Aim for a balance in red/green pen content of at least 50% green pen.