Monday, March 8, 2010
Feedback That Fits
I found this article to be extremely eye-opening. I think that many times, in my classroom, I forget what good feedback looks like and how to use feedback to move students forward, rather than judge their work. Being a computer teacher, I find myself having to correct students use of the functionality of software often. I am just finishing up a project where my students created point of view poems and then used the poems to create a MediaBlender presentation. I know throughout this process I have given praise on their creativity and use of the tool, but how do I go about giving them feedback on their grammar/spelling, etc. in a way that will allow them to grow as writers? I think sitting one-on-one may work best, but I have 108 students and this will be extremely time consuming, but beneficial for the students.
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Hi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI feel your frustration with being able to provide meaningful feedback to many students. I find that there is just simply not enough time in the day. And, because my students are adults, I just expect them to know and understand this as the reason that they do not receive much formative and supportive feedback. It's a universal dilemma and if someone figures it out, I would sure like to know!
Thanks! Mary
I also feel frustrated that time doesn't allow me to offer more timely feedback to my students. At the beginning of this school year, I told myself I wouldn't go home until that day's grading had been done, entered into Web-Grader, and returned to the students. That lasted for about a week. I'm lucky if I can get the week's grading done over the weekend. That doesn't allow for timely feedback at all. Major projects are worse - they seem to take forever to get through. I settle for providing immediate oral feedback as I observe the students working at their desks. I try to make specific, non-judgmental comments to each student at least once a day.
ReplyDeleteMeaningful feedback to many students is difficult. At the middle school a teacher will have 100 - 150 students and finding ways to provide that one-on-one feedback is very difficult. A few of the language arts teachers in my building have made it more possible by having a free reading day in the library once a week while students are checking out books and quietly reading or working on assignments, the teacher sets up at one end of the library and conferences with individual students. Since I am in the library also (most of the time) I can help other students and provide any needed crowd control.
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