Observing Feeback

Studies show that feedback to students can give the some of the highest gains in learning if done correctly.  What exactly is correct feedback?  Many educational researchers have different definitions for feedback and putting it in my simple terms, feedback is letting the student know what they have done correctly (or incorrectly) with guidance through questions or prompts to take the learning further.  Researchers do agree that the incorrect form of feedback is praise.  Yes, students need praise.  They need the “great job”, “good work”, “nice going”, etc. but to really get educational gains, students need the prompts to further their thinking, expanding on their ideas, and reach a little higher.

At the middle schools this week, the teachers are giving feedback to their students by

• Using online math textbooks that tell the student if they answered the questioned correctly and gives hints/explanations for getting to the correct answers. Easy and specific (correct/incorrect) feedback. Bonus, the textbook company created it.
• During small group work, a teacher moved from one group to the next checking on progress and asking thought provoking questions:
• You have the right idea, where are you going with that information?
• How did you come to that conclusion?
• There is an error in work, can your find the mistake?
• Small group conferencing allows for personalization and time in class for the students to apply the feedback to the learning process.    
• Self-paced learning via www.blendspace.com.  At different points students take a quiz to check for understanding before they move on to more content.  Feedback includes redirecting students to further learning on the concepts not yet mastered. The teacher was able to check in with students individually as they went through the items on Blendspace.
• Using create.kahoot.it to teach a lesson to the entire class and checking for understanding.  By seeing the correct and incorrect answers in real time, the teacher is able to direct feedback pinpointed at the misconception or talk in more detail about the concepts mastered.
• Brief, individual conversations with each student about what science experiment the student is considering doing in class. Then asking questions to further the brainstorming of how the experiment will need to be conducted.  Individualized conversations allow the teacher and student to know exactly where in the learning process the student is at and with good questions and prompts, the student can be pushed slightly beyond their knowledge level.

Feedback is important in the learning process.  There are many techniques that are beneficial to students.  Feel free to share with me the methods you use and see in classes.