What is feedback and why do we provide feedback to our students?
Feedback can be defined as any comment or reflection (written or oral) provided by others (i.e. teachers, peers) on any kind of student work.
Feedback has many purposes for the students who receive it and for the teacher. Feedback is important to communicate to students how well their knowledge, understanding and skills are developing in relation to the objectives of the teaching learning process. Feedback enables students to recognize their strengths and areas for improvement, and to plan with the teacher the next steps in their learning. In this way they are given opportunities to improve and further develop their knowledge, understanding and skills. Although teachers are most often the ones who provide feedback to students, peers can also be excellent sources of feedback.
Feedback can be given in different forms or ways. It can be in the form of oral, written, or facial expression.
Forms of feedback include:
oral discussion with class, groups or individual students –
written comments –
general comments to the class about aspects of the activity in which –
students excelled and aspects that still need improvement examples of good responses
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peer evaluation and self-evaluation.
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In the next section written feedback provided by teachers is emphasized.
How to provide feedback to students
Providing students with the right kind of written feedback can make a significant difference in their achievement. Some points for providing useful feedback:
Feedback should be specific, clear, to the point and concise –
Students should continue working on a task until it is completed and accurate (until the standard –
is met). This enhances student achievement (Marzano, Pickering & Pollock, 2001).
Effective feedback must be immediate. Delay in providing students with feedback –
diminishes its value for learning (Banger-Drowns, Kulik, Kulik & Morgan, 1991).
Start the feedback with appreciation, regardless of the level of the student’s work. Avoid making –
only negative comments. Offer a word of praise or encouragement wherever you can.
Keep the record of feedback you gave to students and refer to it later.
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Before you comment on a point, make sure that you understand what the student is attempting –
to say. If you think you might know what he means, rewrite the point in clearer terms, introducing it with a phrase such as “I think you mean...” or “Are you saying that...?”
Pose questions which can be an effective form of feedback when the teacher wants the student –
to think in new and deeper ways or point students toward a new concept. Questions can also be used to help students to further see and explain certain concepts that are important.
Feedback should explain, not label student work.
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week
2.
MIND MAP THAT IS BEYOND TEACHER’S ExPECTATIONS
sexual maturity 6–14 years
sexual maturity 6–15 years grows
all life
the 2nd largest land
mammal
grows up to age 25
baby male
female 3000–4000 kgup
big
skin
grass
herbivorous 50 cm long
canine teeth What is its
function?
secretes a red liquid
big head
huge mouth What is the
largest one?
running
How many km?
travel several km on land at night
land
water
several females
herd
offspring
one male
fights marks territory running
What is their speed?
body
food
move
life
Hippos
8 month gestation
isolate before calving
born in rainy season
born underwater
walking on the bottom
teacher’s comment:
Your mind map is rich in information. At the same time, it is transparent and well arranged. The information relates logically and is interconnected. Your chains are diversified and are consistently connected with the others in many cases. I think your mind map incorporates in a meaningful way all important information about hippos.
I appreciate also the questions that you still have and express about the hippos despite the very detailed mind map.
week
2.
MIND MAP THAT FULFILS TEACHER’S ExPECTATIONS
long canine
teeth 4–5 m
huge mouth
big and heavy body
the 2nd largest land
mammal mammals
fast running eat grass
live in water
go from water at night
live in groups eyes, ears
and nostrils on the top
a dominant male
females
take care of baby fights
between males
big head
walking
What is the largest land mammal?
swimming
Hippos
teacher’s comment:
I appreciate the part of your mind map in which you express and describe how the hippos live in groups. Your representation of both male and female roles in the group is adequate.
I also appreciate the chain “big head – huge mouth – long canine” and “big head – eyes, ears and nostrils on the top”. Would it be possible that you connected the ellipse “... nostrils on the top” with ellipse
“live in water”? Do you think these two relate? Can you explain your answer to this question?
I also recognize the connection between “big and heavy body” and “the second largest mammal” and “mammals”.
And the question about the largest land mammal is appropriate as well. (Have you already found out the answer?) I believe that you selected the information that was important for you and that you will be able to use it.
How do you think your mind map could be improved in the future?
week
2.
MIND MAP THAT DOESN’T FULFIL TEACHER’S ExPECTATIONS
dangerous
fights
up to 50 kg
eat grass
brownish gray mark territory
a big animal
live in water eyes, ears and
nostris are on the top of head
huge mouth
sweat blood
long canine teeth
Hippos
teacher’s comment:
I really appreciate the connection you gave in the line: “live in water – eyes, ears, nostrils are on the top of head”.
I also like the chain: “mark territory – fights – dangerous” but reading your map I would like to know how they mark their territory, if marking is done by both males and females and if both males and females fight over the territory.
You have connected “dangerous” and “big animal”. Do you think that these facts must relate?
Because you wrote the map after the reading and discussion in your home groups I have a question: Was it possible for you to use and put down into your mind map much more information from the text? Did you have access to the information? Was everything clear to you during the work of your expert group and later home group? Did you ask questions about the content in case you did not understand?
Do you now have some questions about hippos that have not been answered by the information in the text?
In which way do you think your mind map could be improved?
(Please, look back again into the text and try to seek the information about “hippos sweat blood”.
week
2.