Formative Feedback

This week’s reading provides a summary of key findings of teacher and author Kate Jones regarding the field of feedback, from her recent book, Feedback: Strategies to support teacher workload and improve pupil progress.

The reading highlights the importance of formative feedback, as opposed to summative feedback, as well as highlighting the importance of balancing the amount of feedback and nature of the feedback against teacher workload.

Key points

• Important questions to ask when it comes to effective feedback: Is the feedback having a positive impact? How do we know, and how can we check whether it is or not?
• A whole school approach to giving feedback improves feedback effectiveness.
• The main focus of feedback should be formative feedback, so feedback that is ongoing and actionable, with multiple opportunities provided for students to act on that feedback.
• Effective feedback also needs to consider the workload constraints of teachers, so it should be workload friendly.
• Technology can also play an important role as there are a range of websites apps and tools that can provide instant and accurate feedback to the learner, for example, in a quiz. However, there are concerns with students’ overuse of technology and associated mental health problems.
• The research suggests teachers will continue to play a highly important role in providing effective feedback, particularly given teachers’ understanding of the context of their classes and the relationships with their students, which enables them to be more responsive in their feedback.

In summary

For feedback to be effective:

• Students need to actively respond to the feedback to move their learning forward.
• The most effective feedback is feedback that is well timed and efficient for the teacher.
• Give less feedback, but make sure students do something with it!

Happy coaching.

Kind regards
Mark

Upcoming events

• 7 May  – Auckland, NZ: The Teachers’ Institute Improving Behaviour and Engagement in the Classroom
• 14 May – Free Webinar: Staff Development Collective
• 19-21 May – Hale School, Perth WA: IBSC Australasian Regional Conference
• 3-5 September – BGS Crowther Centre with Growth Coaching International: The Impact Cycle in Action