Questioning myself over the purpose of feedback, I surmised my goals were to assist the student motivation to attain higher standards, deeper learning and form objective critiques and relative understanding of concepts, where they may have once held a polarised view. Truly questioning myself I realised that my ability to deliver the above is not necessarily an innate, (super) human quality and most telling, where was my measure of success? This became more thought provoking as I noted one perception of feedback. There it was noted in some cases the provision of feedback has low satisfaction amongst students and sometimes, students don’t even understand when they are receiving feedback and therefore unable to benefit from it. [1]
From that position, it became clearer that I had to pursue some fundamentals on the subject if I am to achieve some consistency in the area. Noting one definition of feedback, “conceptualised as information provided by an agent” (in this case a lecturer) “regarding aspects of one’s performance or understanding”, [2] Hattie and Timperley describe four different types of feedback and their propriety and effectiveness in learning situations.
Feedback about the task
Feedback about processing of the task
Feedback about self-regulation
Feedback about the self as a person
While I could see each type of feedback had a place to a greater or lesser degree, one provided a good starting point. That being, removing ambiguity by giving accurate feedback which corresponded to the task set and the learning goal, rather than the example of platitudes about the student work ethic, seemed elemental to constructive feedback and the pursuit of my goals.
Narrowing that into the context of feedback on student essays, I looked for a method to deliver consistent and auditable task related feedback which suited a variety of learning styles. I discovered the video, which I have posted below. [3] My next question became, if widely used by academic colleagues, could this method offer long term consistency for students as groups and individuals, contemplating their development and performance? And by placing a quality assurance process in place, possibly offer uniformity of approach and measure how good our teaching feedback actually is?
Phil Race (2002) has extensively written about the importance of feedback to help students learn. In a short article first published on the website of the Introduction to Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (ILTHE), Race discusses how feedback can create a ripple effect. Feedback keeps the cycle of wanting and needing, doing and digesting new information going by increasing the intensity and depth of learning each time feedback is given. For feedback to be effective Race suggests that it should be given as soon as possible, it should be individual to each student, it should empower even when critical, and it should be detailed and specific. Feedback should also be manageable, according to Race too much feedback can lead students not be able to distinguish what feedback is routine and what is important. The purpose of giving feedback as a teacher to promote learning might seem obvious but research conducted by Bailey and Garner (2010) identified that many students are uncertain about its purpose and its ability to aid learning. Students who took part in their research commented that for many students feedback highlights negatives about their work that they are not sure on how to improve. In Evan's (2013) paper the need for a dialogue between students and teachers is called for, so that students are able to work though their areas to work on so that they can improve.
As a teacher an open dialogue between myself and students seems key in order to promote their learning, and giving feedback whether positive or critical should also be open. The open dialogue also enables me to develop my teaching as I am able to generate feedback from my students. Being open and approachable to students as a teacher has the ability to foster students to query critical feedback so that they are able to understand areas that they can improve on.
Bailey, R., & Garner, M. (2010). Is the feedback in higher education assessment worth the paper it is written on? Teachers’ reflections on their practices. Teaching in Higher Education, 15, 187–198.
Evans, C. (2013). Making Sense of Assessment Feedback in Higher Education. Review of Educational Research, 83, 70–120.
From that position, it became clearer that I had to pursue some fundamentals on the subject if I am to achieve some consistency in the area. Noting one definition of feedback, “conceptualised as information provided by an agent” (in this case a lecturer) “regarding aspects of one’s performance or understanding”, [2] Hattie and Timperley describe four different types of feedback and their propriety and effectiveness in learning situations.
While I could see each type of feedback had a place to a greater or lesser degree, one provided a good starting point. That being, removing ambiguity by giving accurate feedback which corresponded to the task set and the learning goal, rather than the example of platitudes about the student work ethic, seemed elemental to constructive feedback and the pursuit of my goals.
Narrowing that into the context of feedback on student essays, I looked for a method to deliver consistent and auditable task related feedback which suited a variety of learning styles. I discovered the video, which I have posted below. [3] My next question became, if widely used by academic colleagues, could this method offer long term consistency for students as groups and individuals, contemplating their development and performance? And by placing a quality assurance process in place, possibly offer uniformity of approach and measure how good our teaching feedback actually is?
https://www.techsmith.com/education-video-how-to-feedback.html
[1] Feedback in Higher Education – Interview with John Canning (2013) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOXRY070Vf4 University of Southampton accessed 02/06/2015
[2] : Hattie, J. & Timperley, H. (2007). The Power of Feedback. Review of Educational Research. 77(1), pp. 81-112
[3] TechSmith - Provide personalised video feedback https://www.techsmith.com/education-video-how-to-feedback.html accessed 02/06/2015
The Importance of Giving Students Feedback.
Phil Race (2002) has extensively written about the importance of feedback to help students learn. In a short article first published on the website of the Introduction to Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (ILTHE), Race discusses how feedback can create a ripple effect. Feedback keeps the cycle of wanting and needing, doing and digesting new information going by increasing the intensity and depth of learning each time feedback is given. For feedback to be effective Race suggests that it should be given as soon as possible, it should be individual to each student, it should empower even when critical, and it should be detailed and specific. Feedback should also be manageable, according to Race too much feedback can lead students not be able to distinguish what feedback is routine and what is important. The purpose of giving feedback as a teacher to promote learning might seem obvious but research conducted by Bailey and Garner (2010) identified that many students are uncertain about its purpose and its ability to aid learning. Students who took part in their research commented that for many students feedback highlights negatives about their work that they are not sure on how to improve. In Evan's (2013) paper the need for a dialogue between students and teachers is called for, so that students are able to work though their areas to work on so that they can improve.
As a teacher an open dialogue between myself and students seems key in order to promote their learning, and giving feedback whether positive or critical should also be open. The open dialogue also enables me to develop my teaching as I am able to generate feedback from my students. Being open and approachable to students as a teacher has the ability to foster students to query critical feedback so that they are able to understand areas that they can improve on.
Bailey, R., & Garner, M. (2010). Is the feedback in higher education assessment worth the paper it is written on? Teachers’ reflections on their practices. Teaching in Higher Education, 15, 187–198.
Evans, C. (2013). Making Sense of Assessment Feedback in Higher Education. Review of Educational Research, 83, 70–120.
Race, P. (2002). Using feedback to help students learn. first published on the website of the ILTHE in 2002. Retrieved from http://phil-race.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Using_feedback.pdf