Our Messages to Students

• Read the first page: Feedback as Part of Formative Assessment from How to Give Effective Feedback to Your Students

• by Susan M. Brookhart

• Note:√ Ideas that reinforce your ideas.? Ideas you question! Ideas that surprise you.

Feedback

http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/108019/chapters/Feedback@_An_Overview.aspx

Seven content attributes◦ Focus◦ Comparison◦ Function◦ Valence ◦ Clarity◦ Specificity◦ Tone & Word Choice

Four strategies◦ Timing ◦ Amount ◦ Mode◦ Audience

Making sense of descriptive feedback….not one dimensional!

Feedback Content

Purpose◦ To describe specific qualities of the work in relation to the learning targets ◦ To make observations about students' learning processes and strategies that will help them

figure out how to improve ◦ To foster student self-efficacy by drawing connections between students' work and their

mindful, intentional efforts ◦ To avoid personal comments

Examples of Good Feedback◦ Making comments about the strengths and weaknesses of a performance ◦ Making comments about the work process you observed or recommendations about a work

process or study strategy that would help improve the work ◦ Making comments that position the student as the one who chooses to do the work ◦ Avoiding personal comments

Examples of Bad Feedback◦ Making comments that bypass the student (e.g., "This is hard" instead of "You did a good job

because …") ◦ Making criticisms without offering any insights into how to improve ◦ Making personal compliments or digs (e.g., "How could you do that?" or "You idiot!")

Focus

Purpose◦ Usually, to compare student work with established criteria ◦ Sometimes, to compare a student's work with his or her own past performance ◦ Rarely, to compare a student's work with the work of other students

Examples of Good Feedback◦ Comparing work to student-generated rubrics ◦ Comparing student work to rubrics that have been shared ahead of time ◦ Encouraging a reluctant student who has improved, even though the work is

not yet good

Examples of Bad Feedback◦ Putting up wall charts that compare students with one another ◦ Giving feedback on each student's work according to different criteria or no

criteria

Comparison

Purpose◦ To describe student work ◦ To avoid evaluating or "judging" student work in a way that would stop

students from trying to improve

Examples of Good Feedback◦ Identifying for students the strengths and weaknesses in the work ◦ Expressing what you observe in the work

Examples of Bad Feedback◦ Putting a grade on work intended for practice or formative purposes ◦ Telling students the work is "good" or "bad" ◦ Giving rewards or punishments ◦ Giving general praise or general criticism

Function

• Purpose– To use positive comments that describe what is well

done– To make suggestions about what could be done for

improvement

• Examples of Good Feedback– Being positive – Even when criticizing, being constructive – Making suggestions (not prescriptions or

pronouncements)

• Examples of Bad Feedback– Finding fault – Describing what is wrong and offering no suggestions

about what to do – Punishing or denigrating students for poor work

Valence

Purpose◦ To maximize the chances the students will understand

feedback

Examples of Good Feedback◦ Using simple vocabulary and sentence structure◦ Writing on the student’s developmental level◦ Checking that the student understands the feedback

Examples of Bad Feedback◦ Using big words and complicated sentences◦ Writing to show what you know, not what the student needs◦ Assuming the student understands the feedback

Clarity

Purpose◦ To give guidance but not do the work for the student◦ To give suggestions that are specific enough so that the student can take

concrete next steps

Examples of Good Feedback◦ Using a lot of nouns and descriptive adjectives◦ Describing concepts or criteria◦ Describing learning strategies that might be useful

Examples of Bad Feedback◦ Using a lot of pronouns (this, that)◦ Copyediting or correcting every error◦ Making vague suggestions “Study harder”)

Specificity

Purpose◦ To communicate respect for the student as a learner◦ To position the student as an agent (active, not passive) ◦ To inspire thought curiosity, or wondering

Examples of Good Feedback◦ Using words and phrases that assumes the student is an active learner◦ Asking questions◦ Sharing what you are wondering about

Examples of Bad Feedback Using words and phrases that “Lecture” or “boss” Telling students what to do- leaving nothing up to the student’s

choice Assuming that your feedback is the last word, the final expert opinion

Tone & Word Choice

Feedback Strategy Purpose Good Examples Bad Examples Feedback For students to get feedback

while they are still mindful of the learning target.

For students to get feedback while there is still time to act on it.

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

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

Timing

For students to get enough feedback so that they understand what to do but not so much that the work has been done for them (differs case by case)

For students to get feedback on "teachable moment" points but not an overwhelming number

Selecting two or three main points about a paper for comment

Giving feedback on important learning targets

Commenting on at least as many strengths as weaknesses

Returning a student's paper with every error in mechanics edited

Writing comments on a paper that are more voluminous than the paper itself

Writing voluminous comments on poor-quality papers and almost nothing on good-quality papers

Amount

To communicate the feedback message in the most appropriate way

Using written feedback for comments that students need to be able to save and look over

Using oral feedback for students who don't read well

Using oral feedback if there is more information to convey than students would want to read

Demonstrating how to do something if the student needs to see how to do something or what something "looks like"

Speaking to students to save yourself the trouble of writing

Writing to students who don't read well

Mode

To reach the appropriate students with specific feedback

To communicate, through feedback, that student learning is valued

Communicating with an individual, giving information specific to the individual performance

Giving group or class feedback when the same mini-lesson or reteaching session is required for a number of students

Using the same comments for all students

Never giving individual feedback because it takes too much time

Audience

Looking at Feedback on Student Work

• Read each card. Using the Feedback Content criteria describe why the card would be good or poor feedback.

Good or Bad and Why?

This is really bad….you should take a more serious attitude toward your work.

Feedback Content

Valence

ClaritySpecificity

Tone & Word Choice

Focus

Comparison

Function

Feedback Strategies

Timing

Amount

Mode

Audience

Feedback Strategies

Purpose◦ For students to get feedback while they are still mindful of the learning

target.◦ For students to get feedback while there is still time to act on it.

Examples of Good Feedback◦ Returning a test or assignment the next day ◦ Giving immediate oral responses to questions of fact ◦ Providing flash cards (which give immediate right/wrong feedback) for

studying facts

Examples of Bad Feedback◦ Returning a test or assignment two weeks after it is completed◦ Ignoring errors (thereby implying acceptance)◦ Going over a test or assignment when the unit is over and there is no

opportunity to show improvement

Timing

Purpose◦ For students to get enough feedback so that they understand what to do

but not so much that the work has been done for them (differs case by case) ◦ For students to get feedback on "teachable moment" points but not an

overwhelming number

Examples of Good Feedback◦ Selecting two or three main points about a paper for comment ◦ Giving feedback on important learning targets ◦ Commenting on at least as many strengths as weaknesses

Examples of Bad Feedback◦ Returning a student's paper with every error in mechanics edited ◦ Writing comments on a paper that are more voluminous than the paper

itself ◦ Writing voluminous comments on poor-quality papers and almost nothing

on good-quality papers

Amount

Purpose◦ To communicate the feedback message in the most appropriate way

Examples of Good Feedback◦ Using written feedback for comments that students need to be able to save and

look over ◦ Using oral feedback for students who don't read well ◦ Using oral feedback if there is more information to convey than students would

want to read ◦ Demonstrating how to do something if the student needs to see how to do

something or what something "looks like“

Examples of Bad Feedback◦ Speaking to students to save yourself the trouble of writing ◦ Writing to students who don't read well

Mode

Purpose◦ To reach the appropriate students with specific feedback ◦ To communicate, through feedback, that student learning is valued

Examples of Good Feedback◦ Communicating with an individual, giving information specific to the

individual performance ◦ Giving group or class feedback when the same mini-lesson or

reteaching session is required for a number of students

Examples of Bad Feedback◦ Using the same comments for all students ◦ Never giving individual feedback because it takes too much time

Audience

• An opportunity to look at some student work and practice writing quality feedback….

LASW- Looking at Student Work

Jan's Snack Shop has 3 flavors of ice cream—vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. The ice cream can be served in a dish, a sugar cone, or a regular cone.

There are 9 people who choose 1 dip of ice cream in a dish, or in a sugar cone, or in a regular cone, and all of their choices are different. List or show the 9 different choices.

Could another person have a choice that is different from one of these 9 choices? Why or why not?

Writing Feedback-A 4th grade Math Problem

The picture above shows the positions of two runners at one-second intervals as they move from left to right. For each runner, indicate whether the runner's speed seems to be constant, increasing, or decreasing.

Explain how you can tell this from the pictures.

Writing Feedback-A 8th grade Science Problem

We all have favorite objects that we care about and would not want to give up. Think of one object that is important or valuable to you. For example, it could be a book, a piece of clothing, a game, or any object you care about.

Write about your favorite object. Be sure to describe the object and explain why it is valuable or important to you.

Writing Feedback-A 4th grade Writing Problem

Choose one of the Problem Packets.Write high quality, descriptive feedback to each

student, using Assessing Feedback Strategies & Content guidelines.

When finished, trade papers with a colleague who gave feedback to the same Problem Packet

Peer review….giving your colleague high quality, descriptive feedback using Assessing Feedback Strategies & Content guidelines.

Your Turn

Feedback on Morning’s work

• Return to the colleague who’s rubric you reviewed this morning.

• Read over the feedback you wrote.

• Change, delete or add to your feedback, based upon what you have just learned?

Final Reflection?

•What are three valuable ideas you will take away from today?

•What is one question you still have or area you would like to explore?

Evaluation & Clock hours

FREE Introduction to Assessment for Learning

Assessment for Learning 1: Designing & Assessing Learning

Progressions

Assessment for Learning: Classroom Culture & Feedback

Assessment for Learning: Discourse & Questioning

Assessment for Learning: Designing Formative Assessments

Assessment for Learning: Tracking Learning for Students and

Teachers

Upcoming AfL courses……

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