Optimizing Feedback

There's an article by Katie Dunn that accompanies this infographic at DailyGenius: The teacher’s guide to optimizing student feedback. The article is focused on specific advice for teachers, but it is something useful for all learners to think about: how can you make yourself an active participant in the feedback that you are receiving? How can you use the feedback in order to guide your own learning and development?

Here is a great quote from the article:

Feedback should encourage students to be active in taking the feedback and making their work better, not just consuming teacher comments or correct answers.

I've transcribed the infographic below.

Optimizing Feedback: Putting the Ball in the Student's Court

• Help students be active in their feedback instead of passively consuming it
• Give less feedback; get better results
• Develop critical thinking and problem skills
• See feedback as opportunity, not negativity / criticism
• Involve and engage students in learning from their mistakes
• Expand on ideas, collaborate with peers

Transformation #1. Rather than writing a number of comments on the student's work, the teacher writes one overall comment identifying general areas of improvement. The student then reads those comments and must go back through their work to identify specific areas that need improvement.

Transformation #2. The teacher writes multiple notes in the student's work, but does not offer an overall comment or specific items to be changed or improved. The student then summarizes the teacher's commentaries and uses that to identify specific areas of improvement.

Transformation #3. Identify the "great" parts of a student's work without identifying specific reasons why it was great, elements it included, etc. The student then must identify the "why" in each instance.

Transformation #4. Rather than giving a correct answer or solution to a student's incorrect response, identify that the response is incorrect, and have the student correct it. Give hints if necessary.

Transformation #5. Create a group or pair peer assessment activity. The teacher will give some general comments about the work, and the peers should identify some specific areas where that feedback would apply, and the students all work together to improve upon the work.