Feedback for Learning

Day 14 Blogging Challenge

What is feedback for learning, and how well do you give it to students?

Meg and Jamie- Feedback for learning is a must.  We think providing effective feedback to our students is the area of our instructional practice where we have grown the most. We have learned how crucial it is to utilize effective formative assessment tools, not only to inform our teaching, but to inform students how well they are meeting the objectives of our lessons.  We utilize classroom conversations, teacher-student conferences, blogging comments, and exit slips on good ol’ fashioned paper. We seek out opportunities to communicate with our students about their progress towards meetings their learning goals.  Can we do better?  Of course.  It is not realistic for us to think we are providing every single student detailed and timely feedback every single day. However we are committed to providing students with multiple opportunities to receive quality feedback prior to ever being summatively assessed.  

For schools looking to improve their formative assessment practice, take a look at Fischer & Frey’s book The Formative Assessment Plan: Practical Steps to More Effective Teaching and Learning (and you can even read the first chapter for free!).