The
article “Feedback that Fits" strikes me as the kind of article that should
be required reading in a teacher education program. It also strikes me as proof of why class
sizes need to be MANAGEABLE.
Clearly, meaningful feedback is
imperative for students. The article
focuses on the following feedback for criteria: timely and as frequent as
practical; focused on processes and learning targets; descriptive and non-judgmental;
and positive and specific. This kind of
feedback would have significant impact on student learning and growth. These criteria can also be easy to forget or
overlook in the daily grind of a classroom.
I can unfortunately say that as an English teacher, I handed back more
than one set of papers that looked more like the “what-not-to-do” example. As there is a chance that I will be back in a
traditional classroom next year, I need to remember what meaningful feedback
looks like and strive to give this kind of feedback on formative
assessments.
I also think it is important to
remember to give students time to do something with the feedback. Too often, teachers correct something, offer suggestions,
make comments, etc., and then the class moves on to the next
assignment/assessment/unit. Without time
to do something with the feedback, what are the students really learning? How can they show any growth?
Another important question: how can a teacher provide meaningful, timely,
and frequent feedback to each and every student in an overcrowded
classroom? When there are 30+ students
in a class that meets for 45 minutes, it is very difficult to hold those
conferences that can provide meaningful feedback. When one teacher has 150+ students, writing
150+ paragraphs or essays, the problem seems even more difficult. Technological tools can provide some help. Comments on blogs or on Google Docs could
help teachers provide ongoing feedback through the writing process. Digital recorders could help teachers give
feedback to students in a way that perhaps scribbled comments on a paper might
not be able. Whatever the tool, teachers
need to provide this kind of meaning feedback to students during formative
assessments. It is the best way to
ensure student learning and success.
2 comments:
I completely agree with the reading information and that we, as educators need to find a happy medium to encorporate this into our teaching. I have found, with my online and face-to-face teaching, that Discussion Boards are a great way to share information, constructive feedback and it also provides the other students with the ability to make their own comments on postings. In addition, individual e-mails and follow-up phone calls can make communication more individual and targe specific areas of need.
I totally hear you with your concern of what happens when there are more than 30 students in a class that only meets for 45 minutes. It's really tough already with that number of students and meeting for an hour and a half (on our current block schedule). I guess the question would be, what can we do maybe outside of class to make it happen? I did hear of an English teacher at our school scheduling writing conferences after school with students. Perhaps with technology we could utilize Skype or Google chat to let our students know outside of school how they are doing. Hmm... tough situation!
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