Greetings!
This month, we'll take a look at feedback to students. Feedback is a critical aspect of assessment, whether formal or informal. It doesn't matter if you are providing feedback orally or in written form, it is a crucial part of students improving their work.
In the main column, you'll see four elements of effective feedback. In the Teacher Tips, there's a simple set of guidelines for feedback. And one of the resources is a feedback loop guide I've developed. You can download it for free and you have copyright permission to use it in your classroom.
On Thursday, October 9, I'll be doing a webinar on
Rigor is NOT a Four-Letter Word. Click here for more information or to register.
I'm planning my 2015 calendar, so if you know someone who is interested in professional development, please feel free to give them my contact information:(609) 474-4677 or bcgroup@gmail.com. And if you think it would be helpful, please forward this email to a friend!
Barbara
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Four Elements of Effective Feedback
Douglas Reeves, in Elements of Grading, describes four elements of effective feedback:
1. Accuracy: Should be accurate in terms of content. Asks for accurate answer(s). Based on actual work from student.
2. Fairness: Be careful not to let expectations about who the student is affect grading or assessment. Focus on the work, not the personality.
3. Specificity: If there is flexibility in the criteria, there should be clear boundaries that students understand.
4. Timeliness: If you want students to improve, the feedback should be timely, otherwise, it delays the lesson impact.
Together, these provide a guide to providing effective feedback to students.
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Principal's Perspective
Feedback is also important for teachers. As you are visiting classrooms and conducting formal observations, you are focused on looking for items to use in providing feedback to your teachers. Just as with students, we need to remember to focus on the positive, as well as those areas for improvement.
I think that's easy to forget sometimes. We're so focused on improving instruction, that we don't notice the things that are going well. So next time you are in a classroom, try to match one positive for every area of improvement you write down.
Tim Bekker, over at Connected Principals, offers seven steps to giving effective feedback to teachers. It's well worth three minutes of your time.
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Teacher Tips
Brenda Martin believes students need to be explicitly taught how to give and receive feedback. She uses a three-step approach, both for her own feedback and for feedback students give each other.
1. Begin with a genuine, specific compliment
2. Ask a question to encourage improvement (a question is less threatening and allows the writer to make a decision about the improvement)
3. End with an encouraging statement "you can do it."
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