Pause for a moment and think about the last comment/feedback you gave in a child’s notebook. What was it? ‘Good’? Or ‘Excellent’ Or ‘Can do better”? Now step back. Think of a task that you do everyday. What would your takeaways be if someone were to give you the same feedback? How can you make your own feedback process more effective?
Giving clear and constructive feedback in classrooms to every child, not only helps them achieve their learning outcomes but also is a great dipstick for you to know the effectiveness of your own
teaching.
What is Constructive Feedback?
Constructive Feedback is a timely and specific instruction given to the child on his/her learning
in class. It is based on facts and provides clear actionable with respect to the learning outcomes.
Here is a way to check if the feedback you provided is constructive or not:
- Does it focus on the action or the individual?
- Does it have clear calls to action?
- Does it provide a positive experience to the child?
- Does it stick to facts rather than opinion?
Presenting...#smallBIGidea - 11
| S.NO |
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Use Feedback Sandwich Technique for giving constructive feedback |
| 1 | Positive Feedback – Begin with positive comments regarding the situation in question. Give praise for the person’s strong points. (“I think you put in a lot of effort for this. That’s great.”) |
| 2 | Constructive Feedback – Provide specific points of reference and clear call to actions. (“You see this circle? Do you think it should come below or above the line? Why?”) |
| 3 | Positive Feedback – Remind the person of their strong points again. Offer support in areas of improvement and end on a positive note. (“I know you can do it!”) |
Pedagogic “Why” for this #SmallBIGidea
In the research review paper “Power of Feedback”, Professors John Hattie and Helen Timperley, have highlighted the importance of providing importance of providing timely and specific feedback to students. An ideal learning environment or experience occurs when both teachers and students seek answers to each of these questions - Where am I going? How am I going? and Where to next?
The immediacy of feedback appears to have a positive impact on student achievement. Teachers should provide frequent and immediate feedback to students in order to improve their achievement. **
Let’s do a quick activity:
(Form pairs of A and B. Let A be teachers and B be students. A must give feedback to B on the following. Now, the
Bs must explain how they felt about the feedback received.)
| SITUATION | FEEDBACK |
| Option 1 - ‘Today is a Sunday. Let us go on an advintrous ride. | |
| Option 2 – Student has written answer to only half of the question. |
Supporting Research Articles:
- Power of Feedback, John Hattie and Helen Timperley, Review of Educational Research March 2007, Vol. 77, No. 1, pp. 81-112 DOI: 10.3102/003465430298487
- **The Effects of Immediate Feedback on Reading Achievement S. Jay Samuels Yi-Chen Wu Department of Educational Psychology University of Minnesota
What are #smallBIGideas?
Presenting, some #SmallBigIdeas that can transform Formative Education in your schools. They are seemingly small but definitely impactful. Because, all you would need is an open mind and a willing heart.
What: One #smallBIGidea a week - just 1-minute reading time.
How: #smallBIGidea sent to your email ID with link to a one-page document that explains the pedagogy and the steps to implement it.
It is these simple ideas that can go on to bring a radical transformation. In your school. For the child.
