The A.B.C. of Self Efficacy and Effective Feedback

In a course, Strategies to Close the Achievement Gap, that my colleagues, Elli Stern/Jennifer Wolfrum, and I teach, we ask participants (teachers, counselors, administrators, tutors, nurses, etc.) to get into a group and "become the expert" on an article that we have assigned for homework.  To this end, we then ask the group to construct a graphic organizer, mnemonic, or other visual aid to help "teach" the other groups about the article.  

Adapted from the work of Susan Brookhart, John Hattie, Katie Rapp, and Grant Wiggins  

“Whether or not feedback is effective depends on what students need to hear, not what you need to say,”

~ Susan Brookhart

Appeal to the mind (cognition) and the heart (motivation).

Once students feel they understand what to do and why, they are more likely to develop a feeling that they have control over their own learning.

Be explicit and clarify the goal

Expectations and goals need to be described. It is important to give students, a clear picture of end-of-unit achievement standards and how mastery will be assessed.

Create a climate of trust

Students must understand that errors and misunderstandings are part of learning and not be afraid of negative reactions from peers – or the teacher – if they make mistakes. They need to “trust” that you care about them and want them to achieve.

Describe, not judge

Feedback needs to be actionable information describing what the student did in relation to goals, empowering intelligent adjustments. The best feedback compares work to specific criteria or exemplars.

Encourage

If a teacher cannot find something positive to say, then feedback is not what needs to come next. Additional teaching needs to come next.   Also, publically encouraging some students and not all students, discourages many.

Focus on students’ work and work processes, not on them personally

It’s not helpful to talk about how smart or lazy a student is. Talk about the work. When students generate their own feedback, set their own learning goals, and lead conferences with their teachers, they become more empowered learners.

Give feedback in small chunks

Focus on a few bite-size chunks rather than trying to give feedback on everything. Struggling students need to focus on one or two small steps they can take to improve, with simple, clear vocabulary to help them out. Hold a 2-3-minute mini-conference with each student once a week, giving concentrated bursts of usable feedback.

Hold high expectations

Hold high expectations for your student and with reminders that you are there to help them meet those expectations to do the work.

Identify one or more strengths and at least one next step

Sometimes students aren’t aware of their strengths and need them reinforced. They often need next steps pointed out. A teacher might say to a struggling student, “I see you skipped this line. It might help to keep your place with your finger.”

Join with students in the process

Students should generate their own feedback and set their own learning goals. Rather than telling the student all the things you notice about his or her work, start by helping them ask good questions and notice areas for improvement, ”How does this sound when I read it aloud?”  What do I notice about my sentences?“ When students lead conferences with their teachers, they become more empowered learners.

Keep a progress chart

Teachers, who show a completed example and explain the steps needed for a successful product, can help students break down a project and chart their progress with incremental deadlines.

Link feedback to criteria

The learning target and the performance of understanding should match. The criteria should be clear so that students receive the feedback as information for improvement and not an evaluation.  Formative assessments tell students where they are on the continuum of proficiency.

Make sure feedback is positive, clear, and specific

Specific praise is better than “Great job!” – for example, “This is a great paper. I especially appreciated the way you made a chart to summarize your information and then discussed results point by point. That made it really clear.”

Feedback should not be overly technical or more than the recipient can handle. With peer editing, students need to also practice giving effective feedback to each other.

Notice and comment on improvement

Teachers should tell students one important thing they noticed that, if changed, will likely lead to improvement.

Opportunities for practice are essential

Feedback should be followed by the opportunity to digest, understand, and use it .The follow-up work should happen before grades are given, ideally in the classroom where supervision and time for questions is available.

Provide opportunities to demonstrate improvement

What makes any assessment in education formative is not merely that it precedes summative assessments, but that the student has opportunities, if results are less than optimal, to reshape the performance to better achieve the goal.

Quick responses are important

The quicker the better, so students get feedback while they still remember the assignment and why they were doing it... Feedback can arrive more quickly when teachers use technology or peer reviewers.

Refer to goals

The information you give should tell the student whether he/she is on track or needs to change course, A teacher might say, “The point of this writing task is to make readers laugh. So, when rereading your draft or getting feedback from peers, ask yourself:  How funny is this? Where might it be funnier?”

Seek feedback from students

Ask students, “How can I help you?” Teachers who listen to students can adapt lessons, clarify work demands, and provide missing information, all of which helps students do better. It also helps student analyze their own work/thinking, become reflective, and practice advocating for themselves.

Tailor feedback to students

Novice students benefit most from task feedback, somewhat more proficient students from process feedback, and highly competent students thrive on feedback aimed at self-regulation or conceptual understanding.

• Task feedback – This feedback shows students how well they are doing on a particular task and how to improve it.
• Process feedback – This feedback might be suggested strategies to learn from errors, cues to seek information, or ways to relate different ideas.
• Self-regulation feedback – This feedback helps students monitor, direct, and regulate their own actions as they work toward the learning goal – and helps build a belief that effort, more than raw ability, is what produces successful learning.

Understanding should be checked

“Do you understand?” is not enough. Better to ask, “In your own words, tell me the steps you need to take next.”  “What is the most important thing you heard me say?” or “What is the very next thing you’re going to do on this paper?”

View all students as a potential Martin Luther King, Jr., Eleanor Roosevelt, Louise Erdrich, and/or Cesar Chavez.

You cannot know what future potential is in your classroom, nor where your influence will end.  A teacher is a tree, the seeds of which will populate the world.

Words should convey your confidence

The tone of feedback, whether written or oral, should convey your confidence in the student as a learner.

eXamine your own biases.

Students notice who you help, praise, call on, etc. more or less than others.

You, the teacher, have the power to encourage or discourage.

Choose your words carefully.  Be aware of your actions.

Zoom in on appropriate behavior.

Notice when positive things are happening and use them to model in front of others.