Going beyond :

‘Well done, guys! Let’s move on…’

Developing classroom feedbackJoe O’Hagan, IH Bristol

Hopefully, you’ll…

• remember some things you used to do

• take away one or two ideas

• see an aspect of feedback from a new perspective

Feedback: why?

• teachers are more than ‘activity managers’

• to help students ‘notice the gap’

• to celebrate achievement

• help students assess performance

• help students understand how to improve

• make students accountable for their time

Feedback is part of a cycle of teaching and learning.

Good feedback comes from:

•an activity with an outcome that you/students can feedback on

•good monitoring: you should have an idea of how well your students have done before feedback

Feedback: what? (1)

Praise: make it specific! ‘Well done for…’ ‘The way you used “_____” sounded really natural.’

Reformulation: improving the language students have used; helping them ‘notice the gap’

Feedback: what? (2)

Praise: make it specific! ‘Well done for…’ ‘The way you used “_____” sounded really natural.’

Reformulation: improving the language students have used; helping them ‘notice the gap’

Answers: focus on problems; provide evidence

Instruction: errors, concept-check, re-explain

Feedback: what? (2)

Praise: make it specific! ‘Well done for…’ ‘The way you used “_____” sounded really natural.’

Reformulation: improving the language students have used; helping them ‘notice the gap’

Answers: focus on problems; provide evidence

Instruction: errors, concept-check, re-explain

Strategies: discuss/model how to do something

Evaluation: the students’ performance; how to improve; most useful language

Feedback: what? (2)

Phonology: what sounded natural, words and phrases to work on

Useful language: things students could have said/written

Feedback: what? (3) 

Phonology: what sounded natural, words and phrases to work on

Useful language: things students could have said/written

Repetition: ‘raise your game’!

Respond to content : students are more than just language learners

Feedback: what? (3) 

Phonology: what sounded natural, words and phrases to work on

Useful language: things students could have said/written

Repetition: ‘raise your game’!

Respond to content : students are more than just language learners

•Vary these and don’t do too many at once•Rule of thumb: feedback not longer than activity (unless it’s listening)

Feedback: what? (3) 

 

Feedback: who, how and when? 

TEACHER TO STUDENTS: SOME IDEAS

•plan what you’re going to feedback on

•give feedback to students while they’re talking/writing - post-it notes?

•student-directed feedback, e.g. put up all answers, students ask for teacher’s help

Feedback: who, how and when? STUDENTS TO TEACHER: SOME IDEAS

•be careful of ‘hotspots’: areas you teach to

•engage everyone : students nominate each other, whiteboard slates, lollipop sticks?

•non-verbal feedback, e.g. hand gestures, traffic light cups?

•agree criteria for success; students self-evaluate e.g. ‘I used four new phrases’

Feedback: who, how and when? 

STUDENTS TO STUDENTS: SOME IDEAS

•students check answers in pairs before ‘going public’ (58% at IH Bristol)

•class secretary writes answers up, teacher monitors

•give one student all answers (students can request teacher explanations)

Further resources

Dylan Williams: lollipop sticks, traffic light cups and whiteboard slates in ‘The Classroom Experiment’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J25d9aC1GZA

Blog entry on feedback: http://www.stevedarn.com/?Writings::GME%3A_Student_Feedback_on_Tasks_and_Activities

Going beyond :

‘Well done, guys! Let’s move on…’

Developing classroom feedbackJoe O’Hagan, IH Bristol