Chappuis, Jan. “How Am I Doing?” Education Leadership. September 2012. 36-40.
This article gives concrete strategies for giving feedback.
It focuses on transparency in learning, so the students know exactly what is expected of them and where they are in terms of learning the specific learning outcomes.
Five characteristics are suggested for effective teacher feedback.
1. Give feedback on what learning outcome(s) was (were) achieved and how (“success feedback”), and also provide suggestions/ guidance in those areas that need improvement or more attention (“intervention feedback”).
2. Give feedback DURING the learning process instead of afterward so any errors in thinking or mistakes in learning can be corrected and then practiced or applied in the correct manner.
3. Address partial understanding. If a students does not have any understanding of a concept, they will not benefit from any feedback given because they will not understand why they went wrong in the first place. The best method is to re-teach the concept instead.
4. Let students do the work. They need to know where they went wrong, not every little detail about how they went wrong. Giving them guidance as to where they made an error, opposed to pointing out exactly how they made their mistake, is more beneficial for them because they can assess the error then make the correction themselves. This is them using metacognition and thinking about their thinking.
5. Feedback must be an adequate amount. Too much causes students to not reflect on their thinking and too little will leave the student paralyzed as to how to correct the error. Provide as much guidance as the student needs.
If students feel heard, they feel more at ease and are more willing to correct their errors. They need to express their thoughts adequately before advice or further action is suggested.
Specific feedback strategies
For primary and lower intermediate students:
The Stars and Stairs Method
Students are given a short feedback with their name, date and two categories, stars and stairs.
The stars area is for learning outcomes that they achieved and how (success feedback).
The stairs area is for further steps or suggestions for advancement to reach the learning objectives (intervention feedback).
For upper intermediate and secondary students:
Assessment Dialogue Form
This form is completed by both student and instructor.
Students reflect on what they think their areas of strength and improvement are.
The instructor then fills out the second part with what they think are the students’ areas of strength and improvement.
A final section is dedicated to suggestions for future steps or advancement.
This form takes a lot more thought so I think I would use it for students in Grade 6 and older.