Some Strategies for Creative and Immediate Feedback in Your Classroom

Some Strategies for Creative and Immediate Feedback in your Classroom

1.Non-Test test: At the start of a topic (or a few days into a new unit of work) set a “test”. Using strict ‘exam conditions’ have students write in silence for 15-20 minutes without putting down a single answer! They have to write down as many questions about the topic as they can think of in the allotted time.

This strategy is effective in determining what the students already know; what they don’t know and still need to learn; and how much of what you have taught is understood. The nature of the questions will also tell you how well the content has been understood.

2.5-5 (five in five): Students must answer five questions on the lesson or topic (or write 5 comments/ give 5 key points) in the last 5 minutes of class and hand this to you as an ‘exit pass’ when they leave the class.

By scanning students’ answers, you can see if what you taught has been learned (or not, as the case might be.) The comments or key points they write down may influence what (and maybe how) you will teach or re-teach in the next period.

3.321RIQ: Students are made to reflect on the lesson (or topic) by writing down

3 Reflections(encourage them to reflect on how they learnt today)
2 Insights(have them write about why they found this meaningful)
1 Question(encourage a question about how they might improve their

understanding)

This strategy is hugely successful if incorporated into (nearly) every lesson. The students learn to reflect thoughtfully on what the lesson was about, what and how they have learnt, while identifying what they still need to do to improve.

4.Pass the buck: Students exchange work and have their peers evaluate it with written comments. When the work is returned, the pair discuss the comments given and received and make suggestions for improvement, which is written below the comments.

By circulating around the room, you are able to check the feedback being given and received, and augment the student feedback by discussing pertinent issues with individuals/pairs.

5.5W’s & H: Encourage students to constantly ask questions about their learning beginning with who; what; where; when; why and how. Model some of these questions beforehand, and make a wall-chart that they can refer to regularly.

By asking students to hand in their written questions and answers occasionally, (or creating opportunities during lessons for a verbal discussion of these questions) you will gain insight into their thinking about the topic, and be able to plug the gaps you detect.

6.Question with caution: The quality and timing of the feedback students give and receive is paramount to their success in knowing ‘where to next?’ and how to move forward. The type of question and the way that we question makes a difference to how successfully questions probe student understandings.

Suggestions:
“Tell me more…”
“Can you give me an example?”
“What strategy did you use to solve that problem?”
“Are there any other possible answers?”
“Are there other ways you could consider this?”

7.TAPS (Thinking Aloud Problem Solving):Create an environment that allows students to think out loud. Model this yourselfin the classroom. Get students used to thinking aloud, so that they (and their peers) can hear themselves reasoning and recognise where they go wrong.

This strategy enables students to self-evaluate and self-reflect; it allows for peer feedback and input, as well as giving you the opportunity to check students’ thinking about the topic.

8.Wait time: Allow (insist upon!) a brief waiting period for students to think before responding to a question. Also allow wait time before you – or other students – acknowledge, and comment upon, their response.

Waiting as you ponder their answer will give you the opportunity to think about the strengths and weaknesses of the student's response, to be more specific in your reaction, and to provide all students with more useful feedback as well. It might be a revelation to the students to see you actually mulling over one of their answers… This waiting period also allows other students time to think about what has been said and to decide whether they want to say something of their own

9.Stop and Jot: At any point in a lesson when you want instant feedback on how you are going in your lesson or topic, turn to the students and say “Stop and Jot”. The students draw a largish rectangle, (or star or other appropriate shape in a bright colour) and jot down six main points of the lesson or topic.

By circulating around the room, you are able to check what students have written and gauge their understanding of the material you have covered. This is an effective yet non-threatening way of ascertaining whether what you have taught is indeed what the students have learnt.

10.Perception check: Another version of the “Stop & Jot” strategy is to do a perception check designed specifically for students to reflect on the content so far and decide if they really understand it, or in pairs to check out each others’ understanding of the lesson ortopic.

As above, the benefits of this feedback are that students can pause and consolidate what they have learnt; students still unsure of the content can confer with a peer rather than ask the teacher; it enables you to ascertain students’ perceptions of what you have covered in the lesson.

11.Cross out the X: Everyone enjoyssuccess. A tick in a pupil’s book signifies success. A crosslooks so terminal; X screams out “Failure!” So why not cross out the cross and instead introduce the dot which, as you will have explained to the class, signifies that they did not get this task right today, but if they gave it another go now, or tomorrow, they may well get it right! It’s subtle but worth the effort.

The essence of effective feedback is the nature of the communication with the student, and a positive approach will encourage students to believe they can succeed. Follow this up with brief verbal conferencing wherever possible to guide the student as to ‘where to next’.

12.SWOT analysis: Students draw a grid in which they record the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats relating to their learning (and/or your teaching) of the current topic.

This strategy calls for effective self-evaluation and self-assessment on the part of the student.

10 ways to check answers and give feedback

Give the students an answer key or put the answer key on the wall or the board. They mark their own work.

Give each student the answer to one or more questions – they read out their answer for the class to check.

One student has the answer key and plays the teacher. The student with the answer key has to be able to answer questions asked by the class to make it more effective.

Get students to write the answers on the board. This is a good way to deal with early finishers and to monitor accuracy.

Get one student to read out his/her answers – the rest of the class see if they have thesame. This works well if students have different answers to questions because they can discuss the answer and come to an agreed conclusion.

Give the students a written text with all the answers in it. (An alternative way to get the students reading in your class.) It develops skimming and scanning skills and has a real purpose for reading. They check their own work.

Students nominate a classmate to give an answer. It works better if students choose the questions to answer at random as it keeps everyone on their toes and encourages them to listen to one another.

Do it as a competition – students work in teams to check their answers and then get points. Makes the feedback more interesting and adds fun, and could help to change the pace of the lesson.

Teacher monitors while students are on task and makes a note of common problems to concentrate on in group feedback. This saves time going through answers which the students have got correct and leaves more time to work on the answers they got wrong, enabling them to think about the reasons why.

Use a ball or a scrunched up ball of newspaper weighted with a thick rubber band to throw at random around the class to see who gets to give the next answer to a question. Whoever gets the ball throws it to the next student. Alternate between asking for answers to be volunteered and calling on specific students to answer questions. This activity gives everyone a chance, even those who might not readily volunteer an answer while providing the teacher with feedback on the level of knowledge and comprehension within the group.

When giving written feedback teachers should highlight three successes in the student’s work and one area where some improvement is needed.

NB:If you are going to grade or mark a piece of work, you are wasting your time writing careful diagnostic comments on it. Students only notice the grade.

Some suggestions for verbal feedback

Comments for Feedback (on the Content of Written Work)

I like this very much.

This is a good example.

Tell me more about this.

Can you think of another example?

Do you have a personal example about this?

Can you make this clearer?

Can you think of another way to say this?

Why do you think so?

Is this paragraph complete?

Do you think this is necessary? Why or why not?

Should this paragraph be divided?

Is your thesis clear?

Are your topic sentences clear?

You are repeating yourself here.

I am not sure what you mean.

Conferences:

Were there any comments or markings that you did not understand?

Were there any comments or markings that you understood but were not sure what to do with?

Were there any other things about the assignments or class that you have questions about?

Jason Gordon Williams

Points for consideration when giving feedback

General questions:

Is the feedback consistent with the goals of the course?

Is the feedback consistent with the goals of the assignment?

Is the feedback consistent with the goals for this phase of the assignment?

Is the form of the feedback consistent with the three previous questions?

Form:

Is the feedback clear and easy for the students to understand?

Did I use the system and symbols that I made the students aware of?

Have I consistently marked the same error or types of errors?

Have I only marked errors that I told the students I would, or that I covered in class?

Have I marked anything not gone over in class? why?

Will the student know what to do with the feedback?

Did I correct the errors or mark it for the students to correct? Why?

Content:

Is the feedback clear and easy for the students to understand?

Did I use the system and symbols that I made the students aware of?

Have I consistently marked the same error or types of errors?

Have I made only negative comments or did I also add some praise?

Did I rewrite student words? Why?

Did I make any specific comments or ask direct questions? why?

Are the comments I wrote specific to content and problems that we are covering or have covered in class?

Jason Gordon Williams

For anyone following up on Feedback...

Some examples of growth-minded questioning and feedback for the classroom…

Questioning:

What made you come to this conclusion?
What evidence supports that?
How does it feel to get that answer?
How can your partner/team help you solve this?/answer that?/reason it out?
What can be some strategies to figure this out?
What additional information would help?
What question(s) do you have?
How can we attach this to something in your/our long-term memory?
What is your plan for practicing and/or learning?
Is my explanation helping, or should I try something new?
What are you thinking right now?
Do you believe you can succeed at this? Because I believe you can.

Feedback:

When does it start to become confusing?
Let’s do one together, out loud.
I can see you really understand ______.
I can see you really enjoyed learning ______.
Your passion for this topic is quite obvious.
Your hard word Is clearly evident in you project/essay/assignment.
Let’s think about how to improve (the accuracy of) this section/paragraph/sentence/word choice/logic/description/problem.
Let me add new information to help you solve this….
Here are some strategies to figure this out.
Of course it’s tough – it’s school!
If it were easy – they wouldn’t call it learning!
You can do it – it’s tough, but you can.
Here is what I was thinking when I solved it…”____Think aloud ____” (entire thought process – then give a new question, issue, problem).
Let’s practice (skill) so we can move it from Temporary storage to our long-term memory.
We’re growing dendrites here!
Let’s write a plan for practicing and/or learning.
If you make ______changes, we can re-asses your score. Let’s discuss a plan for you.
Describe your process for completing this task.

Found on blog at:

[Research-based principles of assessment for learning to guide classroom practice]

ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING…

is part of effective planning

Assessment for learning should be part of effective planning of teaching and learning

A teacher’s planning should provide opportunities for both learner and teacher to obtain and use information about progress towards learning goals. It also has to be flexible to respond to initial and emerging ideas and skills. Planning should include strategies to ensure that learners understand the goals they are pursuing and the criteria that will be applied in assessing their work. How learners will receive feedback, how they will take part in assessing their learning and how they will be helped to make further progress should also be planned.

focuses on how students learn

Assessment for learning should focus on how students learn

The process of learning has to be in the minds of both learner and teacher when assessment is planned and when the evidence is interpreted. Learners should become as aware of the ‘how’ of their learning as they are of the ‘what’.

is central to classroom practice

Assessment for learning should be recognised as central to classroom practice

Much of what teachers and learners do in classrooms can be described as assessment. That is, tasks and questions prompt learners to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and skills. What learners say and do is then observed and interpreted, and judgements are made about how learning can be improved. These assessment processes are an essential part of everyday classroom practice and involve both teachers and learners in reflection, dialogue and decision making.

is a key professional skill

Assessment for learning should be regarded as a key professional skill for teachers

Teachers require the professional knowledge and skills to: plan for assessment; observe learning; analyse and interpret evidence of learning; give feedback to learners and support learners in self-assessment. Teachers should be supported in developing these skills through initial and continuing professional development.

is sensitive and constructive

Assessment for learning should be sensitive and constructive because any assessment has an emotional impact

Teachers should be aware of the impact that comments, marks and grades can have on learners’ confidence and enthusiasm and should be as constructive as possible in the feedback that they give. Comments that focus on the work rather than the person are more constructive for both learning and motivation.

lfosters motivation

Assessment should take account of the importance of learner motivation

Assessment that encourages learning fosters motivation by emphasising progress and achievement rather than failure.Comparison with others who have been more successful is unlikely to motivate learners. It can also lead to their withdrawing from the learning process in areas where they have been made to feel they are ‘no good’. Motivation can be preserved and enhanced by assessment methods which protect the learner’s autonomy, provide some choice and constructive feedback, and create opportunity for self-direction.

promotes understanding of goals and criteria

Assessment for learning should promote commitment to learning goals and a shared understanding of the criteria by which they are assessed