Key terms:
- models:
- exemplars that demonstrate key features of a genre
- can be student work, teacher work or professional work
- critique lessons:
- lessons that define qualities of high quality work by analyzing models
- aimed at improving skills of whole group
- descriptive feedback:
- forms: teacher-student conference, written comments, peer-to-peer feedback
- precise constructive comments that help students improve quality of work
Tips for Building Safe Culture:
- norm: be kind, be specific, be helpful
- be clear and encouraging
- shape descriptive feedback with individual in mind
- be aware, stop comments that are unintentionally or intentionally unkind
- practice critiques on examples generated outside the classroom
Tips for Choosing Models:
- models show students where they are headed
- include examples of features tied to learning targets
- gather good examples of student work from previous projects
- file models by genre
- create models if needed
- use models from professional world
- choose models that illustrate different approaches to the same assignment or different strong features
Modeling with Weak Work
- work must be anonymous
- model respectful critique
- has compelling, common flaws
- can have a mixture of strong and weak elements
- best examples are results of students who tried hard but had confusions that created specific problems
Critique Lesson Steps:
- choose work samples that go with learning targets
- students individually examine multiple samples and try to make sense of them – what’s good, what’s confusing, etc.
- students in small groups discuss what features were strong and provide evidence
- teacher facilitates whole group discussion of models
- gathers general observations
- gathers observations that relate to learning targets
- discusses which parts are strong/accurate and explains why with evidence
- students in small groups brainstorm attributes of good work
- teacher facilitates whole group discussion to synthesize their tips for producing strong work
Critique Lesson Tips:
- target critique to specific features that tie to learning targets
- clarity of learning targets should not prevent students from sharing unrelated surprises and discoveries
- focus on content, concepts, skills, genre features, habits of scholarship
Possible Times to Implement Critique Lessons:
- at start of project to introduce a genre
- in middle of project during work time to support focused revision
- just before presenting work to fine-tune final revisions
- just before self and peer assessment sessions to teach students how to give effective feedback
- after assignment is due to reflect on quality and set new goals
Facilitating Discussions Tips:
- define sequence of discussion prompts that align to learning targets
- structure time, set amount of time per section
- define and assign discussion roles
- define norms relating to participation and listening
Gallery Critique:
- all students post work to examine
- good for identifying good features and strategies
- too many samples to analyze gaps
- for written work – short excerpts of larger piece work best
- Steps:
- Introduce norms and goals
- Post work
- Silent gallery walk and take notes of strong examples
- Discuss what was noticed
- Discuss what’s working using specific examples and explanations
In-Depth Critique
- single work is analyzed for what’s working and not working
Critique Facilitator Tips:
- Strategically choose students for comments
- Radiate enthusiasm and positivity
- Offer compelling statements to build interest and add key points
- Reframe student observations to make them more clear when needed
- Guide discussion towards learning targets
- Make sure students observe discussion norms
- Have student rephrase vague statements for more clarity
- Model good critique
- Make clear that the work itself, not the author, is the subject of critique
- Model use of “I” statements – “I think … “
- Start discussion with warm feedback before moving to cool feedback
- Frame ideas as questions whenever possible
- Keep discussion moving at an energetic pace
- Help students notice and remember key comments in discussion
- Direct attention to important examples (if not mentioned)
- Guide discussion towards specific strategies that meet learning targets
- Display key ideas and strategies in clear specific language
- Guide students to use academic vocabulary in discussions that go with learning targets
Features of Descriptive Feedback
- Focused on growth of individual student’s skills and/or understanding
- Typically a one-one-one teacher-student exchange
- Rests on base of a strong positive teacher-student relationship
- Includes strategic positive comments that make feedback easier to hear
- Based on strong knowledge of students’ strengths, areas of growth, and goals
Continuum of How Students Hear Feedback
- Blames teacher for being mean
- Ignores feedback
- Hears feedback but doesn’t know how to use it
- Receives feedback, uses it but doesn’t meet goals
- Receives feedback, uses it, reaches goals and can teach others
Planning for Effective Feedback
- Know that students who are most likely receive to feedback well are already successful, see continuum above
- Communicate belief in students’ ability to use feedback to meet high expectations
- Teach students the language of critique related to learning targets
- Consider good timing:
- Provide enough time for students to use the feedback
- Immediate feedback is best for factual knowledge
- Time delay in feedback is better for more complex tasks
- Provide frequent ongoing feedback on major assignments
- Consider quantity:
- Prioritize feedback related to learning targets
- Consider how much feedback individual student can take in at once
- Written vs Oral feedback?
- oral feedback while student is working is more effective and efficient
- get students to paraphrase oral feedback
- give within teacher-student conference
- written feedback on a checklist, assignment sheet, or rubric
- oral feedback while student is working is more effective and efficient
- Group vs Individual feedback?
- individual feedback conveys caring
- whole group feedback is good for correcting a common error
- Consider tone:
- positive, constructive
- suggestions not prescriptions
- avoid pointing out what’s wrong without offering suggestions
- avoid punishing tone
- Aim for clarity:
- student-friendly, specific
- Keep Learning Target in mind:
- connect feedback to how to improve on learning goals
- avoid making it personal
- Leverage comparisons:
- use checklists or rubric with criteria to compare student work to
- avoid comparing work to other students – can damage student motivation
- Be aware of student perceptions of feedback
- does student understand feedback?
- does student feel safe and valued?
- situate feedback within positive culture and positive relationships that value student-engaged assessment
- Feedback Implementation Tips:
- Teacher-Student:
- plan and schedule conference times
- be concise and clear
- target one skill at a time
- use student work to assess effectiveness of feedback
- Peer and Self Feedback
- teach students purpose and strategies for giving feedback
- revisit learning targets often and check that students know how to recognize them in student work
- model giving effective feedback
- emphasize self over peer feedback – research has shown that the former is more effective
- precede feedback sessions with whole group critique lessons that scaffold how to give effective feedback
- Teacher-Student:
Models, critique, and descriptive feedback are tools for improving performance in school and in many other settings and professions. Students can’t visualize quality work in a genre without having seen and analyzed examples. Examining models makes standards real and tangible. Critique and descriptive feedback help build a culture that promotes agency (effort develops skills). They teach students how to achieve quality standards more independently.
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Preparation Steps
- Gather strong models that demonstrate key learning targets
- Research activities aimed at identifying strategies for analyzing models, peer/self critiques, and generating quality feedback. See above and literacy articles for ideas.
- Build culture that values critique and constant improvement
Early Implementation Steps
- Teach students how to be kind, specific and helpful in their feedback
- Incorporate critique lessons and descriptive feedback into product scaffolding and benchmark days
- Use learning targets to frame critique and descriptive feedback
- Facilitate critique lessons using tips listed above.
- After critique lessons have modeled effective feedback, facilitate peer and self feedback activities. See tips listed above.
- Provide ongoing individual feedback to students in short conferences. See tips above.
Advanced Implementation Steps
- Use practiced protocols to reflect on work during process of creation, right before presentations and after presentations
- Use critique lessons to help students co-author or author rubrics for products
- Use checklists of common pitfalls gathered over time to guide peer/teacher critique sessions
