Questions by Susan M. Brookhart Answers by Dr. Christopher Chandler
- How do you approach written feedback? How do you choose the words you write on students’ work?
According to most teachers they frame written comments. For example what kind of discourse should be used? How many comments should they provide to students?
In large classes it is often difficult for teachers to engage large class sizes with across the board written feedback. Feedback dialogue even in these situations must be carefully formulated and applied so that students gain instructive value from the teachers written comments. In a consistent way teachers must use a choice of words that illuminate the message that the teacher is trying to convey to the students. To speak to the students and not over them in a patronizing manner is the proper method for teachers to apply their feedback. - Where do you write on students’ work? Do you mostly summarize, or mostly make comments at specific points in the work, or do you use a combination?
The constant theme that runs through a teachers’ day is that the day does not begin and end with the class bell. With this said the teacher must be careful to write feedback in the margins of a students work so as to be instructive and make the point of the feedback exactly where the student needs to read it. In this way the feedback seems natural and as a tool to learn from. Depending upon the type of students’ work that is being reviewed for feedback, teachers must be careful to articulate the feedback points precisely where they are needed. In this way the student is not confused or develops misconceptions or misinformation about the topic. - How do your students respond to the written feedback you give?
Generally students receive feedback notes as a corrective procedure if the teacher has established themselves as the expert in the field and has earned the respect and confidence from the student there will not be a problem in students response to feedback. - Do you ever use rubrics as a vehicle for giving feedback? If so, describe a typical way you do that and some typical student responses?Absolutely a rubric is a very good technique to use as a vehicle for giving feedback. Students are familiar with rubrics that teachers use on the high school or secondary level of teaching. The best way to introduce a rubric is to discuss the rubric before the assessment or when the assignment is handed out.
What information in this chapter has you thinking about your own feedback to students? Based on this chapter, what would you like to try in your classroom to increase the effectiveness of your feedback?
As a certified teacher I constantly think about my classes and students on and off campus. One thing in particular takes most of my time, how does one use differentiated instruction to reach students who are lagging behind the general class and not lose them in the context of the overall semester of teaching.I have found by studying and through practical experience that introducing new vocabulary terms ( Marzano – 6 step program) is a good way to make sure that students are following the lecture and understand the instruction. I develop lesson plans that closely align with the learning objectives of the class and the State of Georgia Standards of Learning, since I am a certified and an active teacher in Georgia.
References:
Marzano; 6 Step Process of introducing New Content Vocabulary Terms
Source: by Dr. Christopher D. Chandler | Dean of Genesis University
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Genesis University.