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Maximizing the Effects of Feedback

Kim St. MartinFebruary, 2013

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Agenda

• Time to complete a “data measures survey”

• Review from the previous session

• Fully maximizing feedback in the classroom

– Levels of feedback

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Outcomes

• Further define “novice learner” to discuss when guided instruction is necessary in the progression of learning

• Deepen knowledge of the types of feedback

• Review some examples of each type of feedback

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Review from the previous session

.74

.73

.64

.69

.59

.58

.56

.34

.41

.33

.31

.21

.23

.15

.12.18

.06

.33

Where does feedback come into the picture?

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“Know Thy Impact”

• Teachers give a lot of feedback but not all feedback is good

• Feedback is a common feature in successful teaching and learning

• There is a lot of variability in the effects of feedback

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“Know Thy Impact”

• Important questions to begin with:– Where is the student going?: Clear

learning outcomes

– How is the student going?: Clear success criteria

– Where to next?: Student understands the feedback and knows what to do as a result

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“Know Thy Impact”

• Types of feedback:– Task – Performance– Self-regulation– Self

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Features of the Book

• Arguments presented in the book are based on the evidence presented in “Visible Learning” (Hattie, 2009)

• An additional 100+ meta-analyses that have been completed since “Visible Learning” was published and are added as Appendix A

– The major messages were unchanged

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Features of the Book

• The book is structured around the big ideas from “Visible Learning”

• It is about the sequence of decisions teachers need to make on a regular basis- preparing, starting, conducting and ending lessons

• Feedback has its own chapter and it is focused around the flow of a lesson

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“Feedback aims to reduce the gap between where the student ‘is’ and where he or she is ‘meant to be’ (Sadler, 1989)

“Novice” learners and “novel”

information…

Definition of “novice”: • A person with

little or no experience esp. in a work situation

Definition of “novel”:• New or unusual

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Revisiting “Novice” Learners

• A common misconception after reading the article, “Putting Students on the Path to Learning” is guided instruction is only beneficial for low-performing and at-risk students

• This couldn’t be farther from the truth!

• All levels of learners are novice learners. The distinction is in determining what information is “novel” information.

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If all grade-level or above-level students already knew everything, then what is the point of school?

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Necessary Conditions for Effective Feedback

• Teachers (and students) have clear learning intentions

• The success criteria is obvious to the teachers and students

• Teachers have a good understanding of where the students are and where they need to be

• Teachers make transparent the student’s present level of performance and where their learning needs to be

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Clear Learning Intentions

• Condense and integrate the CCSS by simplifying the standards while still maintaining their essence

– 7th Grade Writing Example

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Argument 7th Grade CCSS

1. Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence

a. Introduce claim(s), acknowledge and address alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.

b. Support claim(s) or counterarguments with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.

c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), reasons, and evidence.

d. Establish and maintain a formal style.e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

Archer, 2013

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Argument 7th Grade CCSS4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

5. With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.

(Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grade 7 on page 43.)

Archer, 2013

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Argument 7th Grade CCSS

6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and link to and cite sources as well as to interact and collaborate with others, including linking to and citing sources

7. Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation.

Archer, 2013

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Argument 7th Grade CCSS

8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Archer, 2013

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Argument 7th Grade CCSS

10.Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Archer, 2013

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Clear Learning Intentions: 7th Grade CCSS Writing (Argument)

• Tasks:– Routine writing– Extended time: research project

allowing research, reflection, revision– Shorter time– Variety of tasks, audiences and

purposes (Persuade, inform, convey an experience)

Archer, 2013

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Clear Learning Intentions: 7th Grade CCSS Writing (Argument)

Critical Attributes (What):• Introduction:

– Introduces claims– Acknowledges alternative claims/

counterarguments– Organizes reasons

• Body:– Supports claims and counterarguments– With logical reasoning and relevant evidence– Uses transition words, phrases, clauses to create

cohesion

Archer, 2013

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Clear Learning Intentions: 7th Grade CCSS Writing (Argument)

Critical Attributes (What) cont.:• Conclusion

– Contains concluding statement or section – That supports argument

• Overall:– Conveys a reasoned, logical argument– Maintains formal style– Has clear, coherent writing– Avoids plagiarism

• Conventions:– Capitalization, punctuation, spelling– Standard format for citations

Archer, 2013

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Clear Learning Intentions:Foundational Writing Skills

• Outcome: Students will write arguments, informational texts and narratives

• To successfully achieve the outcome, students must have mastered the foundational skills of writing

– Examples: Reading, expressive vocabulary, word usage, fluent handwriting or typing, spelling, grammar, capitalization, punctuation, sentence formation, sentence sense, paragraph formation

Archer, 2013

“The act of teaching requires ‘interventions’ to ensure that there is cognitive change in the student; thus the key ingredients are: being aware of the learning intentions, knowing when a student is successful in attaining those intentions, having sufficient understanding of the student’s prior understanding as he or she comes to a task, and knowing enough about the content to provide meaningful and challenging experiences so there is some sort of progressive development” (Hattie, 2012).

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• How can you work with grade level teachers to assist them in simplifying the CCSS while still maintaining the essence of the standard so they can have clear learning intentions to communicate to students?

• How do you know if the learning intentions are clear and the success criteria is known to both teachers and students?

Activity

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The Four Feedback Levels

Levels Major Questions Three feedback questions

1 Task How well has the task been performed; is it correct or incorrect?

Where am I going? What are my goals?

2 Process What are the strategies needed to perform the task; are there alternative strategies that can be used?

How am I going? What process is being made towards the goal?

3 Self-Regulation

What is the conditional knowledge and understanding needed to know what you are doing? Self-monitoring, directing the processes and tasks

Where to next? What activities need to be undertaken next to make better progress?

4 Self Personal evaluation and affect about the learning

Feedback Levels and Questions

Figure 7.1 “Visible Learning for Teachers” p. 116

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Task Level Feedback

• Most common in classrooms:– Teacher questions, comments on assignments,

nature of feedback given to whole class• More powerful if information focused

(correct or incorrect)• Leads to learning more and different

information• Builds more surface level knowledge• Specific and is not generalizable• Most powerful when the learner is a novice

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Errors…Ouch?

• Feedback thrives on error

• Errors should not be considered a privilege belonging to low-performing students

“Error is the difference between what we know and can do, and what we aim to know and do – and this applies to all (struggling and talented; students and teachers). Knowing this, error is fundamental to moving towards success. This is the purpose of feedback.” (Hattie, 2012, p. 115)

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Task Level (Corrective) Feedback

• Provide immediate corrections so students are not practicing errors

• Provide specific corrections that are informative.

– This requires specific information that is planned and thought out.

• Focus on the correct answer rather than the incorrect answer

• Use an appropriate tone• End every correction with students given the

correct responseArcher & Hughes, 2011

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Task Level Feedback Example

…Your learning goal was to structure your account in such a way that the first thing that you wrote was the first thing that you did. Then, you were to write about the other things that you did in the same order that they happened.

You’ve written the first thing first, but after that it becomes muddled. You need to go through what you’ve written, number the order in which things happened, and rewrite them in that order.

Hattie, 2012, p. 119

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Activity

• Was the task level (corrective) feedback:

Provided? Specific and informative? Did it focus on the correct answer

than the incorrect answer? Delivered with an appropriate tone?

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Leading the Learning of Your Staff

• Remember: there is a lot of variance in feedback-not all feedback aligns with best practice

• Learning about the different levels of feedback and the questions they answer will take multiple exposures, examples and non-examples, opportunities to apply the learning and implementation supports

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Leading Learning Activity

• Read the document entitled, “Application 7.1. Examples and Non-Examples of Corrections” (Task-Level Feedback)

– Remember: The students are novice learners (this is novel information for them)

– Read with your partner the examples and non-examples and engage in the activity

– How could you use this activity and/or a similar activity to lead the learning of your teachers for appropriate uses of task-level feedback?

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Process Level Feedback Examples

…You’re stuck on this word and you’ve looked at me instead of trying to figure it out. Can you work out why you might have gotten it wrong-and can you try a different strategy?

…You’re asked to compare these ideas. For example, you could try to see how they are similar, how they are different…How do they relate together?

Hattie, 2012, p. 119

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Process Level Feedback• Process used to create the product or

engage in the task or activity

• Provides alternate strategies • Reduces cognitive load

• Assists students in developing learning strategies and detecting errors

• Encourages students to recognize how ideas are related and to use task strategies

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Activity

• Was the process level feedback: Provided? Emphasized the process used rather

than the task? Stated in a way to assist students in

developing their strategies and detecting their errors ?

Delivered with an appropriate tone?

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Self-Regulation Level Feedback Examples

…I’m impressed by how you went back to the beginning of the sentence when you became stuck on this word-but, in this case, it didn’t help. What else could you do? When you decide on what it means, I want you to tell me how confident you are and why.

…You checked your answer with the resource book [Self-help] and found that you’d got it wrong. Have you got any ideas why you got it wrong? [Error detection] What strategy did you use? Can you think of another strategy to try and how else might you work out if you’re right?

Hattie, 2012, p. 120

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Self-Regulation Level Feedback

• Self-regulation = Student’s monitoring of their own learning

• Feedback can enhance the student’s self-evaluation skills

• Likely to provide confidence to continue to engage in the task or activity

• Assists the student in seeking out feedback and accepting feedback

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Activity

• Was the self-regulation level feedback:

Provided? Emphasized the process used rather

than the task? Stated in a way to assist students in

developing their strategies and detecting their errors ?

Delivered with an appropriate tone?

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Self-Level Feedback• Feedback directed to the ‘self’ = praise

• Commonly used in the classroom and expected by students

• Directs attention away from the task, process and self-regulation

• Big Idea: provide praise but don’t provide praise in such a way where the power of feedback is diluted

• Keep praise and feedback about learning separate

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Praise (Self-Level Feedback)• Comprehensive meta-analyses conducted to

determine the effects of rewards, like praise (extrinsic motivation) decreases or extinguishes intrinsic motivation

– Found praise enhances intrinsic motivation if the praise is appropriately administered

• Just like corrections, praise can either be helpful or harmful depending on the context and the delivery

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Appropriate Praise (Self-Level Feedback)

• Closely tie praise with attaining performance standards and behavioral criteria

– If praise is randomly given and has no connection to the desired behavior (academic or social) it will have little effect

• Provide specific praise rather than global responses (avoid the “good job syndrome”)

• Provide praise for noteworthy effort or success on tasks that were difficult

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Appropriate Praise(Self-Level Feedback)

• Praise should focus on efforts and achievements– This will help promote a growth mindset versus

a fixed mindset

• Use the student’s personal past performance compared to their current performance to frame praise

– Do not use the accomplishments of peers as the basis for praising the student for his/her personal accomplishments

• Praise should be genuine

• Praise should not interfere with the flow of the lesson

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Leading Learning Activity

• Read the document entitled, “Application 7.2 Examples and Non-Examples of Praise” (Self-level Feedback)

– Read with your partner the examples and non-examples and engage in the activity

– How could you use this activity and/or a similar activity to lead the learning of your teachers for appropriate uses of self-level feedback?

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Thank You!

Kim St. Martinkimstmartin@me.com