In any school, feedback is a critical factor in driving progress. Whether this feedback is between a teacher and a student or between a principal and their staff, identifying areas for improvement, building on strengths and getting on to the same page can mean the difference between falling behind and keeping ahead of the curve.
For a teacher or leader, understanding how to give feedback in the right way is crucial in helping others to progress and achieve their potential. However, the question of what format feedback should take has long been a topic of debate.
A study by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) looked into how educators can move "beyond the see-saw" and go back to the principles underlying good feedback, regardless of method. The study culminated in a report, titled: Teacher feedback to improve student learning.
According to the researchers, the report’s findings will support teachers to deliver the "high-quality teaching" that "has never been more important as schools look to recover their students’ learning in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Below, The Educator speaks to Tim Waley, Executive Consultant at Tes Australia & NZ about the study’s implications for Australian educators.
Q1: The report talks about going back to the principles underlying good feedback, regardless of method. Can you tell us what these are, and why they are so important to effective teaching and school leadership in 2021?
Effective feedback needs to be built on strong foundations, be appropriately timed and consider how pupils will receive and use it. Feedback needs to allow students the opportunity to be active contributors in plotting their next learning steps. Important however is the development of student confidence in their classroom environment where it is ok to make mistakes. High levels of engagement achieved through quality teaching will assist determine the purpose of feedback. Timing will vary depending on the task, the pupil and the class. Rather than setting a school wide policy, it is preferable that timing of feedback be left to teachers, recognising the crucial role that their judgement plays. Formative feedback during lessons is personal, practical and timely in allowing students to move on towards their next learning targets.
Q2: The report also noted that feedback can only build on effective teaching and learning. Can you provide a specific example (i.e., case study) where this is being done particularly well?
Feedback should be ongoing and part of classroom routines at all levels and where students learn to reflect on their work, discuss it and help prepare rubrics with the teacher so they can take ownership of their learning. Effective feedback is very much an individual (as opposed to collective) focus and needs to be tailored to meet the specific needs of each student. Pre-assessment tasks and sharing outstanding work examples helps build this, along with a clear statement of learning intention at the commencement of lessons. Examples of such applications can be witnessed in the classrooms of schools where teachers have embraced the Visible Leaning philosophy (Hattie).
Q3: An interesting finding from the study was that schools do not need to be overly specific about when feedback to students is given and should leave this decision to the teacher. Can the same apply to leaders providing feedback to staff?
There is no definitive best time to deliver feedback, and this applies to staff as well as students. The most important consideration is that feedback should focus on moving student learning and staff professional practice forward, targeting specific strengths and areas for development in order that a student or staff member continues to develop and improve. A senior leader’s judgement, built on their knowledge of individual teachers, their teaching styles and their workload, will usually determine the timing of this. Some schools are using tools which facilitate two-way feedback, such as Staff Pulse, which help teachers provide feedback for senior leaders and opens a dialogue to improve staff wellbeing.
Q4: Professor Francis said school leaders should consider time-efficient methods when marking to cut down on workload. What are some methods that school leaders might find particularly helpful in this respect?
Effective feedback is more than a written form. Personal interactions and teacher/student sharing are critical to the process. A classroom where the teacher is actively engaged around the room offering suggestions, asking questions and seeking deeper levels of student understanding provides a positive environment for feedback and learning. Effective teaching is hinged on the establishment of positive, respectful relationships between teachers and their students. This necessitates active engagement. It involves conversations and can be had in the classroom setting through teacher circulation and interaction. Timing is important so provision of feedback that may be immediate, maintains currency, ensures learning goals remain focussed and reduces the need for providing excessive levels of written feedback is worth of consideration.