“CLOSING THE GAP”

GETTING STUDENTS TO

SUCCESSFULLY RESPOND TO

FEEDBACK

WorkGive feedback

Respond

THE RATIONALE

"If I had to reduce all of the research on feedback into one

simple overarching idea, at least for academic subjects in

school, it would be this: feedback should cause thinking"

D. Wiliam (2011)

"feedback aims to reduce the gap between where the student

'is' and where he or she is meant to be"

Sadler (1989)

Start here

The feedback cycle:

THE STRATEGIES…

“Feedback should be more work for the

recipient than the donor”

D. Wiliam (2011)

It doesn’t have to

be this way…• Burning questions

• Drafting and critique

• DIRT time (Dedicated Improvement & Reflection Time)

• Students highlighting “key area” prior to marking

• Make use of marking/feedback keys

• Personalised comments (requiring response)

• Find and fix

• Directing students to speak to ‘class experts’

• Time for students to respond afterwards

Be adaptable – not always suitable for everyone at all times!

EXAMPLES…

Critique

From this…

to this

Why is this better?• Lighter outlines

• Better range of tone

• Accurate shape

• Some texture

Redrafting

Examples from students in Art

Redrafting

Marking

keys

• Save you

time

• Encourage

deeper

thinking

Burning

questions

Burning

questions

“Ask an

expert”

Peer

feedback

and support

STUDENT FEEDBACK ON THEIR

USEFULNESS…

Use of

questionnaires to

inform your future

planning…

CHALLENGES TO OVERCOME

• Initial success vs. eventual success – it can take a while for

students to become familiar with the format.

• Frequency

• Monitoring (ensuring ‘equal distribution of time’ between

classes)

• Fitting in the content

MOVING FORWARD

Blue Sky focus for some staff (NRC).

Monitoring most successful strategies. Class

questionnaires/feedback to assess their usefulness.

Please share good

feedback!