Online Workshop

Giving Quality Feedback

In this workshop you will:

• Remind ourselves of the purpose and value of quality feedback to learners

• Look at student work and share with colleagues the type of feedback you would give that student

• Identify strategies that improve the quality of feedback to learners

Quality feedback should…

• focus on the learning intention of the task

• provide information on how and why the

student understands and misunderstands

• provide strategies to help the student to

improve

• assist the student to understand the goals

of the learning.

Tunstall and Gipps (1996)

In 1996 Pat Tunstall and Caroline Gipps developed a typology of teacher feedback by recording and classifying the feedback given by teachers to the students. They classified feedback as either:

evaluative – involving a value judgmentordescriptive – describing what the student said or did.

Evaluative feedbackEvaluative feedback:• involves a judgment by the teacher based on implicit or

explicit norms.

• promotes self-management and independence.

Most teacher feedback interactions observed were at the evaluative end of the continuum.

Examples of evaluative feedback:“That’s a good essay.” “You’ve done well.”

Descriptive feedback

Descriptive feedback:• is task- and outcome-oriented.

• focuses on identified learning outcomes and makes specific reference to the student’s achievement.

An example of descriptive feedback:“That’s a good essay because you have covered the

main points we discussed at the beginning. Now … which points do you think you could expand on?”

Wiliam (1999)

Findings from Ruth Butler’s research on 132 year 7 students:

• Students given only marks made no gain from the first to the second lesson.

• Students given only comments scored on average 30% higher.

• Giving marks alongside comments cancelled the beneficial effects of the comments.

Research conclusion: If you are going to grade or mark a piece of work, you are wasting your time writing careful diagnostic comments.

Clarke (2003) prompts• Reminder prompt:

“How could you make this ……… better?”

• Scaffolded prompts:A sentence given with missing words.A specific focusing directive or an open ended question.

• Example prompts:“What did he look like? … it would make your story more interesting…”“How did it make you feel? ... happy? … sad?...

Sutton (1998)

Sutton suggests effective feedback should:• be specific – both positive and critical• be descriptive, rather than evaluative• be offered as soon as possible after the event• offer alternatives or ask the learner to do so• look forward to the specific next steps to improve

performance• encourage and plan for opportunities for the feedback to

be used as soon as possible• involve the learner wherever possible, to improve the

chance of feedback being understood and acted upon.

Feedback… in summary

Quality feedback to learners:

• focuses on the learning intention of the task

• occurs as the students are doing the learning

• provides information on how and why the student

understands and misunderstands

• provides strategies to help the student to improve

• assists the student to understand the goals of the

learning.

FeedbackLook at the sample of student work provided by your HOF/TIC

Think about:

• what feedback you would give to the student

• what feed forward (next steps) you would suggest to the student

Assessment references

Clarke, S. (2001). Unlocking formative assessment: Practical strategies for enhancing pupils’ learning in the primary classroom. London: Hodder and Stoughton.

Clarke, S. (2003). Enriching Feedback in the primary classroom. London: Hodder and Stoughton.

Hawk, K. & Hill, J. (2001) The Challenge of Formative Assessment in Secondary Classrooms SPANZ Journal, September 2001.

Tunstall, P., & Gipps, C. (1996). Teacher feedback to young children in formative assessment: A typology. British Educational Research Journal, 22 (4).

Sutton, R. (1998). School-wide Assessment. Improving Teaching and Learning. New Zealand Council for educational Research. Wellington NZ.

Wiliam, D. (1999). Formative Assessment in Mathematics. The Mathematical Association. Equals. Summer Volume 5, Number 2.