2. WHY?
Academic feedback is more strongly and
consistently related to achievement than any
other teaching behavior….This relationship
is consistent regardless of grade,
socioeconomic status, race, or school
setting. ~ Bellon, Bellon & Blank
3. CLEAR TARGET
We can differentiate between
effective and ineffective academic
feedback.
4. ACTIVITY
• Pair up, one seated and one standing directly behind.
• Seated person will receive pencil and a blank piece of
paper.
• Wait for further instruction.
• You will have 3 minutes to complete this activity once
the timer starts.
5. PREASSESSMENT
• (1 minute) Individually, list as many characteristics of
effective academic feedback as you can.
• (2 minutes) Discuss each list as a group & decide on
the top 2 most important characteristics.
6. WAYS IN WHICH WE RESPOND TO
STUDENTS
Evaluation – providing information by making a value judgment
that rates, evaluates, praises, or criticizes what was done.
Advice – letting a student know what you think they should do.
Feedback – providing specific information about how a student is
doing in his/her efforts to reach a goal.
7. 7 KEYS TO EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK
CHARACTERISTIC OUTCOME
1) GOAL-REFERENCED
Learner knows whether they are on track towards a
goal or need to change course.
2) TANGIBLE & TRANSPARENT
Learner can understand exactly how your feedback
relates to the task at hand.
3) ACTIONABLE
Learners know specifically what actions to take to
move towards his/her goal.
4) USER-FRIENDLY
Learner finds the feedback appropriate to his/her
cognitive level.
5) TIMELY
Learner receives feedback while the attempt and effect
are still fresh in his/her mind.
6) ONGOING
Learner has multiple opportunities to learn and
improve towards the ultimate goal.
7) CONSISTENT
Learner can adjust his/her performance based on
stable, accurate, and trust-worthy feedback.
8. EFFECTIVE VS. INEFFECTIVE
FEEDBACK
• Pair up with someone from your group.
• Read each example, and based on the key characteristics,
determine if it’s EFFECTIVE or INEFFECTIVE.
Effective Feedback Ineffective Feedback
9. EFFECTIVE VS. INEFFECTIVE
FEEDBACK
• With your partner, focus on the examples you deemed “ineffective”
and improve them to make them more effective.
• Record your improved examples on the provided handout.
• Share your results with the others in your group and provide
feedback to them.
11. REFERENCES
“7 Keys to Effective Feedback” Educational Leadership,
ASCD; Volume 70, Issue 1, September 2012.
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept12/vol70/num01/Seven-Keys-to-Effective-Feedback.aspx
Editor's Notes
**Room Setup: Make sure the room is set up with groups of desks or tables, ideally with an even number of chairs in each group. Throughout the lesson, participants will need to be able to easily be paired off and at other times need to be able to discuss with their small group.
**Materials Notes: Ensure you have: Powerpoint w/ the included notes printed for presenter, a pencil and a sheet of blank paper for ½ of the participants, “Activity for Set” document for the other ½ of participants, index cards (1 each), “Participant” handout (1 each), “Scenario Card Sort” (printed and cut apart; one for each pair), “Lesson Improvements” handout (1 for each pair). Also, make sure that if you don’t have access to a whiteboard, that you have a large post-it/easel pad sheet to put on the wall.
Welcome group and introduce yourself. Present topic for session.
(1 minute)
Stress that everyone sitting in the room knows that they should be providing feedback. However, if we know how to improve our academic feedback so that it is as effective as possible, it will make a substantial difference in improving student achievement.
Have someone read quote from slide. Instruct everyone to really think for a few seconds how powerful this is.
(1 minute)
Present clear target.
(5 minutes)
Ask participants to pair off with one person staying seated and the partner standing directly behind them facing their seated partner.
Pass out one blank sheet of paper and a pencil to the seated participant.
Instruct the group that this short activity will demonstrate the power of effective feedback in reaching a goal successfully. It will also let the seated participant experience the role of the student as he/she receives feedback and the standing participant experience giving feedback to reach a desired goal.
Inform the pairs that you will be handing a picture (everyone’s is the same) to the standing participant. They should NOT allow their partner to ever see the picture.
They will be given three minutes to verbally describe the picture to the seated person. Remind the standing participant that they can talk, give as much detail as they want, and look at what their partner is drawing, but that they can NOT use their hands in any way.
The seated person will listen and draw the picture based on their partner’s description. They MAY talk back and ask questions or ask for clarification.
Ask if anyone needs more direction and if not, go ahead and pass out the pictures to the standing person.
Start a timer for 3 minutes and announce for participants to begin.
Call time, pencils down, and allow the seated person to see the original drawing.
Draw attention to the symbolism of the flower representing the student outcome and how its success is directly tied to the feedback received.
Take up pencils.
(5 minutes)
Pass out one index card to each participant for a quick pre-assessment.
Ask participants to individually list as many one-word characteristics of effective feedback as possible on their index card.
Set timer for 1 minute and have participants begin.
Call time, and then ask participants to discuss with their small group what they came up with and narrow it down as a group to the 2 most important characteristics. (at the presenter’s discretion: may need to change to only 1 characteristic based on time and size of whole group)
Allow each group to share out their top characteristic(s) while presenter records the results on the sideboard (or big easel paper posted on wall if whiteboard is unavailable).
(We will revisit this list at the end of session for closure)
(10 minutes total - slides 6 and 7 w/ discussion)
Pass out “Ways In Which We Respond to Students” handout to each participant.
Present 3 definitions. May have volunteers read them aloud, including the examples on the handout (not included on slides).
Stress that evaluation and advice are appropriate at different times and can both be positive, but that giving true academic feedback is the most effective when it comes to helping students successfully achieve a goal.
Have brief discussion about where evaluation and advice are appropriate.
(10 minutes total - slides 6 and 7 w/ discussion)
Have participants refer to the bottom of the handout and the screen.
Have participants read each of the 7 characteristics and outcomes.
Ask participants to summarize each characteristic and outcome and call on volunteers to share with the whole group.
Emphasize that feedback must be actionable and must be ongoing. Call special attention to these characteristics and refer back to the “flower pot” activity from the beginning to help illustrate their importance.
(5 minutes)
Pass out the 7 feedback scenario strips to each pair of participants.
Instruct participants to read each scenario and, in pairs, use the 7 keys to effective feedback handout to determine whether the feedback represented in each scenario is effective or ineffective.
Have each pair sort the scenarios into 2 stacks – the left stack being effective and the right stack being ineffective (keep this slide on overhead for clarity)
(10 minutes)
Pass out “Improvement” handout (1 for each pair).
Instruct each pair to take the right stack (ineffective) and identify how the feedback can be improved – ask participants to be specific and to refer to the 7 characteristics. (may have to direct to improve a certain number and not all depending on pacing)
Record observations onto the Lesson Improvements Sheet.
Have pairs at tables share their improvement on one of the scenarios with each other.
Have each table (or a few if limited on time) report out what they consider to be the most insightful observation on a feedback scenario.
(6 minutes)
This video clip helps to emphasize the importance of effective academic feedback to improve student outcomes.
Play video.
Closure (2 minutes)
After the clip is over, ask participants to briefly describe what they observed.
- Guiding questions:
Did you observe each of the 7 characteristics in the student’s feedback?
Was the feedback that the students gave task-focused or person-focused?
Revisit Pre-assessment and compare to what they’ve learned.