0.5 A-reef: effective feedback

Overview

Effective Feedback happens when students discover their own strengths and weaknesses.

For example, when students take a test, provide an answer key and let them correct their own tests. Ask the students to thenwrite notes to themselves in a learning log about what they got right and what they got wrong and what they noticed.

Effective Feedback happens naturally when students are engaged throughout the evaluation process.

The very nature of Assignment 8 (from the last section) has a built-in feedback loop because the students are continually engagedin the evaluation process from beginning to end. The final student reflection is an act of discovery and it paves the way for dialogue betweenteacher and student. The final student reflection, too, can serve as effective feedback when conferencing with parents.

Effective feedback on assignments

As teachers, we have a choice about how to offer feedback to our students on specific assignments. We can take the route of"the doubting game" the predominant western model that includes "argument, debate, criticism, and extrication of the self" as a way ofknowing, or we can take the route of the "believing game," which challenges us "to listen, affirm, enter in, try to put ourselves into the skin of peoplewith other perceptions and asks us to share our experience with others." In Writing Without Teachers Peter Elbow discusses these two games - the need for both, and the realms in which each game worksbest.

Most likely you will need to utilize a bit of both "games " in your role as a teacher. For giving feedback on assignments, however, weemphasize the "believing game."

We ask teachers to develop and use their "believing muscle" - that is "to understand ideas from the inside." As Peter Elbowwrites, "The believing game is constant practice in getting the mind to see or think what is new, different...[the believing game]emphasizes a model of knowing as an act of constructing, an act of investment, an act ofinvolvement..." (p. 173, )

The believing game

What does it mean to "listen, affirm, enter in" when we speak of giving feedback to students?

For starters, the important thing is to read your student's assignment thoroughly - perhaps two or three times to allow the words to sink in and make an impression upon you.

Then, tell what you experienced as a reader when you read your student's words.

4 elements of effective feedback

In this spirit of engagement, we have identified 4 Elements of Effective Feedback that can be used when giving your students feedback on assignments. The first two elementsare inspired from Peter Elbow's work and are a part of exercising your "believing muscle." The other two are developed from "what works" incoaching. They are as follows:

• Pointing
• Summarizing
• Posing 1 question for your Learner to consider
• Offering 1 or 2 things for improvement

Elements 1 and 2

As you read your student's completed assignment, here are the first two elements to consider: