Latest / New Teacher Talk / Ep 232: Effective Student Feedback

Transcript

Ep 232: Effective Student Feedback · New Teacher Talk

• Welcome back to New Teacher Talk.
• I'm Anna Quinzio-Zafran.
• And I'm Beth Wilkins.
• Giving feedback that actually moves students forward is
• harder than it sounds, and today, we're getting real,
• practical strategies for doing it well.
• Joining us to talk about effective student feedback is
• Aletha Williams.
• Aletha, welcome to the show.
• Think about the last time you handed back an assignment and
• watched students immediately flip to the grade,
• and nothing else.
• No questions, no revisions, no reflection, just the number.
• Then it goes into the backpack, never to be seen again.
• Now, here's the real question.
• If feedback doesn't change student thinking or student
• work, is it really feedback or just commentary?
• Today,
• we're gonna focus on how to make feedback something students
• actually use, not just something they receive.
• My name is Dr.
• Aletha Williams,
• and I'm a program manager and educator development coach
• supporting teachers and teacher candidates.
• Today,
• I'm gonna talk to you about how to design feedback that
• students actually use through both written and spoken
• strategies.
• By the end of this episode,
• you'll walk away with practical ways to shift your feedback
• from vague and grading focus to targeted, actionable,
• and usable immediately in your classroom.
• So let's define the problem first.
• Most feedback falls into three categories: too vague,
• "Good job"; be more specific.
• Too late, given after the learning window has closed.
• And too overwhelming,
• five paragraphs of corrections students won't read.
• Usable feedback is different.
• It is targeted, focused on one or two skills.
• Actionable, students know exactly what to do next.
• Timely, given while they can still apply it.
• And student-centered,
• written in a language students understand.
• If students can't answer,
• "What do I do next?" your feedback is not usable.
• So what is the first strategy to help you get on that path?
• Focus on one move at a time.
• New teachers often try to fix everything at once,
• but students can't act on everything at once.
• Instead, choose one priority skill per an assignment.
• For elementary, complete sentences or adding details.
• Middle school, evidence and explanations.
• High school, argument, structure, or analysis depth.
• An example across grade levels is an elementary writing
• sample feedback.
• Instead of, "Add more detail and fix punctuation," try,
• "You told me what happened.
• Now add one sentence that explains how you felt during that
• moment." A middle school science example.
• Instead of, "Your CER is unclear," try,
• "Your claim is strong.
• Now add one piece of evidence from the lab data that
• supports it." A high school English example.
• Instead of, "Expand your analysis," try,
• "Explain how your quote connects to your claim about power.
• What does it reveal?" This keeps feedback focused, doable,
• and less overwhelming.
• Strategy number two, use a next step sentence frame.
• One of the most effective shifts you can make is ending
• feedback with a clear action step.
• Think of it as,
• what is the next move the student should make?
• And so when we think of examples, elementary, "Next,
• you will add one describing word to your main character."
• Middle school, "Next,
• you will include data from the chart to support your
• answer." And with high school, you think about, "Next,
• you will revise your thesis to clearly take a position."
• This turns feedback into instruction instead of judgment.
• Strategy number three, make feedback conversational.
• Spoken feedback matters.
• Written feedback is powerful,
• but spoken feedback is often faster, clearer,
• and more impactful.
• Even 20 to 30 seconds of targeted verbal feedback can
• outperform a paragraph of written comments.
• What's this look like?
• Instead of writing everything, you say,
• "I notice your claim is strong,
• but your evidence doesn't fully match it yet.
• Let's fix that together." Then you model one example in
• real time.
• In elementary, pull a student and say,
• "Show me where you told me what happened.
• Now let's add one more sentence together." Middle school,
• during a writing conference,
• "Your explanation is almost there.
• Let's look at your second sentence.
• What evidence could strengthen it?" In high school,
• "You've made a strong argument,
• but your counterclaim is missing.
• Talk me through what someone might argue against you." The
• key is immediacy.
• Students hear it, process it, and revise it right away.
• Strategy four, use glow and grow with precision.
• Many teachers use glow and grow,
• but it often becomes generic.
• To make it usable, glow.
• Make it specific strength tied to the learning target.
• A grow, one clear improvement step.
• Example for elementary.
• Glow.
• You use capital letters for the beginning of your sentence.
• A grow.
• Next, add punctuation at the end of each sentence.
• For middle school, a glow.
• You use evidence from the text.
• A grow.
• Next, explain how that evidence proves your point.
• For high school, a glow.
• Your introduction clearly sets up your argument.
• A grow.
• Next, refine your body paragraph transitions for clarity.
• Specificity is what makes students act.
• Strategy number five, build a revision culture,
• not a completion culture.
• If students believe assignments are one and done,
• feedback will always feel irrelevant.
• Instead, normalize revisions.
• Build in draft days.
• Require reflection after feedback.
• Allow resubmissions tied to growth.
• Simple classroom shifts.
• Instead of saying, "Turn it in and move on," say,
• "This is draft one.
• Feedback is part of your grade process." Across grade
• levels, elementary, fix-it time stations.
• Middle school, peer review plus revision cycles.
• And high school, portfolio-based revision submissions.
• Feedback becomes part of learning, not the end of it.
• So practical tools you can use tomorrow.
• Here are a few concrete tools.
• Feedback sentence bank.
• Create a reusable stems like, next you will.
• One place to improve is.
• This is strong because.
• Add more explanation about.
• Voice notes.
• If digital tools allow,
• use audio feedback instead of long comments.
• One target rubrics.
• Limit rubrics to three or four criteria aligned to one
• skill focus.
• Revision checklists.
• Give students a checklist based on your feedback.
• Did I add evidence?
• Did I explain my thinking?
• Did I revise my thesis?
• If you take nothing else from today, remember this.
• Feedback is not about how much you write or say.
• It's about whether students know exactly what to do next.
• When feedback is clear, targeted, and timely,
• students don't just improve assignments.
• They build ownership of their learning.
• And especially for new teachers, it's okay to start small.
• You don't need perfect feedback systems on day one.
• Start with one strategy, one assignment,
• and one clear step.
• This is where real growth begins for your students and for
• you.
• Be sure to follow New Teacher Talk on Apple Podcasts,
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• Also,
• find and follow on Instagram and Blue Sky at New Teacher
• Talk.
• To every new teacher listening,
• your feedback matters more than you think.
• The way you respond to student thinking is shaping how they
• see themselves as learners.
• Keep it clear.
• Keep it kind.
• Keep it focused on growth.
• Two things before we close out.
• First,
• a five-star rating helps this show find the teachers who
• need it most.
• And second, send us your questions.
• We'd love to answer them or even build a future episode
• around them.
• Thank you for spending time with us.
• We'll see you next time.