This week we read the article Feedback That Fits and were asked to provide a brief response. In the past few years I have been bombarded with in-services on certain hot topics. Bullying and Differentiated instruction are the top two but Assessment practices and strategies easily comes in third. I think what made this article more interesting than the in-services and training I've had is that I was trying to figure out where technology fits into the equation. While reading the article I jotted down a few things that I could take away from the article.
Students deciphering feedback and possibly reading the feedback in an unintended way was one thing that I thought was interesting. I think that writing comments on a writing or research project can be very useful but there is still room for error. Teachers have to be very careful about what they write, just as with emails. If it is not face to face communication where a student can hear voice inflection, facial expressions or body language then there is room for false interpretation.
Finding something positive, no matter how small, for struggling students was another thing to note. This is certainly not a new concept to me, but it is still an important one to remember. It is especially important to set the tone with something positive when interacting with a struggling student because they probably haven't had too many compliments. Starting with a positive can possibly open up a line of communication that wouldn't normally have been there if the conversation started with a criticism or advice for improvement. Parent teacher conferences are another place that I like to set the tone with a positive for the same reasons.
Being specific about positive feedback is the last nugget that I will take away from this article. I will admit that sometimes I get a little lazy with my positive feedback. It is so much easier to walk around and say the same three phrases (good job, nice work, looks good) while looking over students' shoulders. The article pointed out that while it might make a student feel good for a brief moment, the student doesn't benefit from the comment in the long run. Being specific will help students identify exactly what they are doing well (their strengths) and perhaps improve my retention of what the students are proficient in.
Not having student papers to grade, I end up looking at these as things to remember just in general discourse with people. I spend much of my time talking to teachers about their tech skills and you guys need the same kinds of feedback as younger students.
ReplyDeleteAssessment has been the number one priority in our district for several years now, and I feel that I'm pretty comfortable with the principles in this article. I think that as younger students get used to this type of feedback as they grow through school they will be more involved learners, and hopefully get more out of our teaching.
ReplyDeleteBeing specific is something I absolutely agree with. I can't tell you how many students I've handed papers back to, only to talk to them later and have them only understand that they did pretty good or pretty poorly. I taught in Japan with a group of people who were non-teachers who couldn't get with the idea that "Good job" was about as helpful as saying nothing.
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