Fellow PD. To keep students on course so they arrive successfully at their predetermined...

SPECIFIC CONSTRUCTIVE

FEEDBACK Fellow PD

OBJECTIVE

PRIMARY PURPOSES OF FEEDBACK To keep students on course so they arrive

successfully at their predetermined destination.

~ W. Fred Miser “It is one thing to collect feedback about

students’ progress, but if you simply collect this feedback and never use it to adjust your instruction, then you are collecting it in vain. The data you receive from grading your assignments and assessments will give you feedback about the effectiveness of your own instruction.”

~ Robyn R. Jackson

RESEARCH SAYS…. “Several studies, going back 50 years, have investigated the

effects of grades versus comments on student performance. Page (1958) is the classic of this type of study. Page found that student achievement was higher for a group receiving prespecified comments instead of letter grades and higher still for students receiving free comments (written by the teacher). Writing comments was more effective for learning than giving grades. Other researchers replicated Page's study many times over the years, with an interesting result: sometimes these results were replicated, and sometimes they weren't (Stewart & White, 1976). More recent research has identified the problem: in these early studies about comments, the "feedback" was evaluative or judgmental, not descriptive. Page himself described the prespecified comments as words that were "thought to be 'encouraging'" (1958, p. 180). Evaluative feedback is not always helpful.”

~~(Brookhart, 2008)

TEACHER EXPECTATIONS: A SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY Students perceive differences in teacher

expectations by watching how the teacher behaves towards them1

With time, students' achievement and behaviour conform more and more closely to the expectations of the teacher

1(Alderman, 2004, p. 171)

FEEDBACK STRATEGIESFeedback Strategies Can Vary In…

In These Ways… Recommendations for Good Feedback

Timing • When Given• How Often

• Provide immediate feedback for knowledge of facts (right/wrong)

• Delay feedback slightly for more comprehensive reviews of student thinking and processing.

• Never delay feedback beyond when it would make a difference to students.



Amount • How many points made

• How much about each point

• Prioritize-pick most important points

• Choose points that relate to major learning goals

• Consider the students developmental level.

Mode • Oral• Written• Visual/

Demonstration

• Select best mode for the message.

• Interactive feedback when possible.

• Given written feedback on written work

• Does student need and example or demonstration related to the feedback.



Audience • Individual• Group

• Individual says, “The teacher values my learning.”

• Group feedback works if most of the group missed the same concept and there is a re-teaching opportunity.

FEEDBACK CONTENTFeedback Content Can Vary In…


Focus • On the work itself• On the process the

student used to do the work

• On the student’s self-regulation

• On the student personally

• When possible, describe both the work and the process—and their relationship.

• Comment on the student’s self-regulation if the comment will foster self-efficacy.

• Avoid personal comments.

Function • Description• Evaluation/ Judgment

• Describe• Don’t Judge

Valence • Positive• Negative

• Use positive comments that describe what is well done.

• Accompany negative descriptions of the work with positive suggestions for improvement.



Comparison • To criteria for good work (criterion-referenced)

• To other students (norm-referenced)

• To students own past performance (self-referenced)

• Use criterion-references feedback for giving information about the work itself.

• Use norm-referenced feedback for giving information about student processes or effort.

• Use self-referenced for unsuccessful learners who need to see the progress they are making, now how far they are from the goal.



Specificity • Nitpicky• Just right• Overly general

• Tailor the degree of specificity to the student and the task.

• Make feedback specific enough so that students know what to do, but no so specific that it’s done for them.

• Identify errors or types or errors, but avoid correcting every one, leaving students with no workload.

Tone • Implications• What the student

will “hear”

• Choose words that communicate respect for the student and the work.

• Choose words that position the student as the agent.

• Choose words that cause students to think/wonder.

FEEDBACK TIMING

Good Timing

Returning a test or assignment the next day

Giving immediate oral responses to questions of fact

Giving immediate oral responses to student misconceptions

Providing flash cards (which give immediate right/wrong feedback) for studying facts

Bad Timing

Returning a test or assignment two weeks after it is completed

Ignoring errors or misconceptions (thereby implying acceptance)

Going over a test or assignment when the unit is over and there is no opportunity to show improvement

~ Susan Brookhart

13(Ferris, 2003, p. 3)

Error Correction Selective correction: choose several major

patterns of error, rather than all types of errors.

Comprehensive correction: give detailed feedback, so that students are not mislead about correctness if the teachers do not mark all errors.

Direct Feedback: teachers write the correct form on student’s paper.

Indirect Feedback: allows the student to engage in guided problem-solving

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Direct or Indirect feedback? Direct feedback The teacher identifies an error and corrects it

for the student, providing an example of the proper form

Indirect feedback Feedback where the educator points out that

an error has been made but does not correct it. The students must identify and correct the error themselves.

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Direct Feedback: Misdirecting Focus? Fregeau (1999) found that direct

feedback was often inconsistent, unclear, and seemed to overemphasize the negative.

Not understanding the errors made, students often guessed at corrections.

Students also tended to focus more on correcting these errors than improving or extending their ideas.

TAKE A LOOK…

TAKE A LOOK

WORK TIME1. Take the student samples you were

asked to bring. Use sticky notes to provide specific feedback and commentary on your samples.

2. Share at least 3 with a think partner. Be prepared to share the concept behind the reasoning for your feedback and what you envision next steps for the student to be after receiving the feedback.

REFERENCES Brookhart, S. M. (2008). How to give effective

feedback to your students. Alexandria, Va.: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Fregeau, L. A. (1999). Preparing ESL Students for College Writing: Two Case Studies. TESL Journal , 5(10). Retrieved November 15, 2008, from http://iteslj.org/Articles/Fregeau-CollegeWriting.html

Marzano(3), Robert. What Works in Schools: Translating Research into Action. ASCD, 2003.

Miser, W. Fred. “Giving Effective Feedback”

http://iteslj.org/Articles/Fregeau-CollegeWriting.html

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