Topic: What is feedback for learning, and how well do you give it to students?
To me when I see feedback I automatically start thinking
about rubrics and information that comes back on all assignments, journal
writes, and verbal feedback in the classroom. Lately my department has been
working on creating rubrics using Google forms and the script autocrat. We have
developed forms for our ease of use when grading essays. All the feedback that
goes to the students have been made in a progressive manner. For example
instead of saying, “Essay lacks clarity.” We are using statements like, “You
need to work on your sentence fragments, sentences that are not full complete
thoughts, they make it hard on the reader.” For an middle school English
teacher, we have to grade a lot of essays. Even if we say, spend only 5 minutes
on each essay, at 150+ students that is over 13 hours worth of grading. So
anything that we can do to provide amble feedback, in a timely manner, that
doesn’t take days and days of grading it helpful.
I do have to admit however; while I am great at grading
most assignments quickly I avoid essays like they are going out of style. I
know this about myself; it is constantly a goal of mine to get better/faster at
grading essays. The feedback given is always great and robust but not always
timely on essays.
I have always given positive feedback to behaviors in the
classroom that I appreciate; yes even middle schoolers like to be told that
they are “rock stars!” We use the PBIS system and we have slips of papers
called Titan Powers to use to reward good behavior. In the past I have not been
good about handing these out, this year I have made an effort to hand them out
and not just the verbal, “you’re awesome!” and/or a candy or something but also
to use the Titan Powers. I think overall my feedback is good, just needs to be
timelier on grading of essays. Instead of two weeks turn around it would be
great if I could do it in one.
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