Effective Feedback
Planning for Assessment
Aaron Jamieson, PE
Lochside Academy AaJamieson@aberdeencity.gov.uk
Hannah Lockwood, History Northfield Academy hannah.lockwood@ab-ed.org
What is feedback?
“Feedback is information given to the learner about the learner’s performance relative to learning goals or outcomes. It should aim to (and be capable of producing) improvement in students’ learning.” – Education Endowment Foundation
“Feedback is information about a student’s learning or performance which they can use in future work.” – University of Oxford (2024)
As a group, create a definition for ‘feedback’.
Why do we use feedback?
Feedback is fundamental to learning. It has three purposes:
It achieves these three by identifying clear strengths, areas for improvement and next steps.
Teaching - Learning Gap
The teaching-learning gap is the difference between what a student has learned and what they are expected to learn.
Assessment identifies gap.
High quality feedback is one of the ways teachers can bridge this gap by showing pupils their next steps in their learning.
“Message sent doesn't mean message received”
- Justin Noon, Head teacher Lochside Academy, 2024
“It seems obvious that feedback to students about their work should help them learn, but it turns out that providing effective feedback is far more difficult than it appears.”
– Dylan Wiliam
Does this fit with your experience of feedback?
Think of an example of effective feedback you have been given- what made it effective?
Think of an example of feedback you have given- how do you know if it has been effective?
In groups discuss the questions and be prepared to share!
Do you think you give effective feedback?
Yes
No
Maybe/ sometimes
Use your show me board!
How else do we get feedback from pupils about their knowledge and understanding?
Teachers said…
In an informal poll:
Only effective with senior phase pupils, less so with BGE.
I try, but I’m not sure how effective it is.
Time is a big barrier to effective feedback.
I try to give feedback on success and weakness (e.g. 2 stars and a wish).
Pupils said…
In an informal poll:
Sorry but no. The feedback doesn’t tell me what my feedback is.
Just writing “write more” doesn’t help.
It is too cryptic. How does ‘Why’ help me?
I can’t read the feedback- the handwriting is too bad!
If I don’t understand the feedback I ask, but only if I feel comfortable with the teacher.
Yes because it helps me grow.
Make me cry by being so specific!
I need it to be constructive- I need to know more than just that it is wrong.
I need more! I prefer learning conversations.
The Education Endowment Foundation have summarised global research on feedback into 5 key findings:
Effective feedback tends to focus on the task, subject and self-regulation strategies: it provides specific information on how to improve.
Feedback can be effective during, immediately after and some time after learning.
Feedback can come from a variety of sources – studies have shown positive effects of feedback from teachers and peers.
Different methods of feedback delivery can be effective and feedback should not be limited exclusively to written marking. Studies of verbal feedback show slightly higher impacts overall.
It is important to give feedback when things are correct – not just when they are incorrect.
In groups discuss each of the findings. Do any of them surprise you?
Types of Feedback
| Written Grades | Written Comments | Individual Learning Conversation | Whole Class Discussion | Digital Feedback (Classroom; Mote etc) | Other? |
Positives of strategy | | | | | | |
Negatives of strategy | | | | | | |
Brainstorm examples of feedback.
Example: Daily Review and Assessment Marking
This is a question used as retrieval practice at the start of the lesson that usually links with L.I and S.C.
If students are to understand how they are doing and how to improve, they need to be clear about what they are learning and what success looks like.
Daily Review
What are some examples of effective feedback you have used in the classroom?
As a group create a puzzle of ‘top tips’.
Think about what is important to achieve effective feedback
How are you going to implement effective feedback in your own contexts?
References
Dylan Wiliam, (2011), Embedded Formative Assessment
Education Endowment Foundation, https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit/feedback
University of Oxford, (2024), Oxford Teaching Ideas, https://www.ctl.ox.ac.uk/giving-effective-feedback
Exit Ticket
Now it is time for you to give us some feedback!
Please give us some written feedback on what you found useful from this presentation and if there is anything you would like us to change for next time.