Research tells us that feedback has the potential to really improve the progress students make in their learning. Feedback can also support teachers to learn along with their students, by providing evidence of how well the curriculum, and the way it is taught, is facilitating the students’ learning. As such, feedback is at the heart of learning and a valued part of the educational experience.
However, all feedback is not made equal.
Feedback, as we have highlighted during the online Feedback for Learning course, is conceptually difficult and also complex to facilitate if it is going to have an impact for the student on their learning.
To help support educators to facilitate higher quality feedback for the student, we have shared how it needs to be specific and accurate for them. We have also shared three simple questions, drawn from feedback research, which can be used to help generate such feedback. These questions can be used with students either during the learning in the lesson, or when reviewing their work after it.
The feedback questions to discuss with the students are:
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Where am I going? What are the goals for the learning?
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How am I doing? What progress is being made towards these goals?
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Where do I go next? What activities need to be taken to make better progress?
In addition to being specific and accurate, an idea we highlighted, that can increase the potential of the feedback for the student further, was what the focus of the feedback was hoping to improve.
To help students to make more progress, we shared that the focus of the feedback needs to be linked to improving the learner and their learning, rather than just discussing the way they completed or achieved the task they had undertaken.
By considering these questions, in conjunction with the learning goals, teachers can generate feedback that is both specific, and accurate, and most importantly, is linked to improving the learner as they progress on their learning journey.
This idea was something that resonated with the learners on the online course and helped clarify for them ways they could develop their feedback practices.
You will be pleased to know our Feedback for Learning online course has ideas of how teachers are using specific, accurate and learning focused feedback. In addition, the course has a large range of practical approaches that will help you develop your feedback practices.
If you think that this simple way of improving your feedback would support you and your students, why don’t you think about signing up to learn of others? We would love to see you there.
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