Making Feedback Meaningful

Have you ever done or said something with the intent to get a message out there for people to hear? You deliver the message and wait for a reaction……CRICKETS…..No one responds. You begin to wonder if the message was ever received or if people just “deleted” it. Are they mad?  What is their reaction? Should I not have sent it? What gives? I need some feedback, people! CHIRP……CHIRP…CHIRP…..

We all need feedback of some sort, any sort. Just this summer my 2 year old niece was learning to eat corn on the cob for the first time. She grabbed the end of the ear and shoved the other end in her mouth like she was eating a Popsicle. She didn’t know, but thank goodness her mother gave her the necessary feedback; because that sure would be embarrassing at family reunions many years down the road (If it was up to me, I wouldn’t have said a thing,  just went along with it, anticipating the day I could witness it). We are constantly offering feedback in our everyday activities, whether it be self-reflected, from a peer, or from someone guiding us. So, how don’t we make it more meaningful in our classrooms?

In education, feedback happens in multiple ways: self-reflection, peer feedback, and teacher feedback. I sense that many teachers are struggling with time to conference with their students, so this might be the opportune time to look at how we can utilize peer feedback more effectively in our classrooms. Imagine how the dynamic would change if we empower all of our students to provide meaningful feedback. Students would no longer need to wait passively to learn but be able to take responsibility for and actively move forward in their own learning process.
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Take a look at this video of  peer-reflection in a classroom

https://www.teachingchannel.org/video/student-to-student-feedback-nea

Every student in our classroom has the potential to be an expert. Our responsibility is to get to know the individual student and identify their strengths. By giving our students the opportunity to share their expertise with one another, we are engaging them in the highest level of learning; allowing them to teach. If we make an effort to properly guide them through the feedback process, their conversations will generate much better results.

In an article I read recently, Seven Keys to Effective Feedback, in Educational Leadership, Grant Wiggins offers insight on what it takes to have meaningful feedback. By using these steps, we can demonstrate to our students how to provide effective feedback to their peers.

  1. Goal-referenced: It is crucial to remind students of the goal they are working on
  2. Tangible and Transparent: It has to be real
  3. Actionable: make sure it’s concrete, specific, and useful (“Good Job” is really not useful, is it?)
  4. User-Friendly: it’s important that classmates understand what their peers are trying to tell them
  5. Timely: Make it immediate
  6. Ongoing: Don’t make feedback a one time thing
  7. Consistent: Use the same parameters for all students

So, you might be asking, what is the correct usage of peer feedback, especially at the elementary level? Is it handing over a checklist for a student to follow when giving feedback to a classmate? Is it having a child write “Good job” on a student’s writing project? Before you hand feedback over to your students it is important to go over your expectations. Following Wiggins’ suggestions can guide you through the process. Give students examples of what you are looking for, and also what you are not looking for. Let them ask questions. Let them practice. Show your students why it is important to the learning process. There are so many different concepts that are effective, but what it boils down to is that the feedback has to be meaningful.

Some quick tips:

Set expectations from the start of the lesson that peer review is not about judging each other’s work, but helping each other out. Also, remind students that it’s important for the peer feedback space to be safe, judgement-free in order for everyone to truly benefit from the feedback.

  • Have students focus on the positive aspects of the work before pointing out areas of improvement.
  • Show students how they can phrase things constructively. Instead of “I don’t understand the point of your introduction,” try this: “Your thesis statement can be stronger. Can you provide examples?”
  • Provide students with categories/areas to focus on when giving feedback, for example: Grammar, structure, sentences, creativity, etc.

Many students will not be so keen on the idea of peer review. After all, who wants their peers to read their work and assess it? However, if their peers can help them see the benefits, and the importance of the process, they will actually enjoy it!

 

The Struggle is Real: Moving Forward in a Profession Where Everything is Important

In education you are constantly bombarded with new initiatives and best practices.  As you engage in conversations with your professional learning network and take part in professional development, it is easy to think that you would love to make changes. You start making a mental list of of strategies and curriculum you want to adopt and become overwhelmed.  The district or school has a core set of ideas that they want you to focus on. You have read about new strategies in math, reading, and social and emotional learning in the classroom and want to incorporate all you have learned. You get to know your students and realize they have very specific needs and wants that will require you to adjust to a new way of instructing, organizing, communicating, etc. to get them to engage.  The struggle is real.

I wish I had the magic solution for you. The problem of too many things to do, and not enough time to do them in is a timeless struggle that I don’t believe any solid solution exists for.  There are always going to be items to add to our lists. As a teacher, our lists can seem never ending. It is easy to say students are our number one priority on our list but “students” encompass a lot of complex tasks and ideas.  How are we meeting our students academic needs? How are we meeting their social and emotional needs? Are we giving them the feedback that they need? Are we creating the environment that is best for them to learn? If we create that environment for one student, does that fulfill the needs of the student next to them?  How can we be everything for everyone? I could continue going in a downward spiral writing these questions and building my anxiety….and then I take a step back.

As teachers we see students become overwhelmed with activities, information, or difficult tasks.  What do you do? Do you ask the student to take some deep breaths? Go ahead and do that yourself.  

Do you ask the student why they are so frustrated or upset?  What is making them act out? Reflect on your own stresses. What is driving your stress or anxiety? Are you feeling overwhelmed?  Do you want to do everything on your list and there just doesn’t seem to be enough time?

What are your next step with this student?  What are your next steps as a teacher feeling the pressure? Here are some things that may help:

  1. Remember you are a professionally trained teacher. You were hired for a specific reason by a school district.  They wanted you! You had (and hopefully still have) a passion for education and training that was appropriate for the job.  You didn’t get the job because you said you said you could change the world overnight. You said in your interview you were going to teach your students.  Go back to those students. You know what they need. You see them every day, you know their stories, their quirks, their strengths. Advocate for them as their teacher.  Have confidence in yourself. Trust your training, and your continued growth as a professional.
  2. Create a focus.  You have had some time to dabble this school year.  Now pick your focus. Don’t try and change everything.  Small changes make big movements in the long run. You can decide to take a few different routes when picking a focus.
    1. You may want to look at where are you going to get the most “bang for your buck.” Is there a management strategy that you want to implement that will help you throughout the entire day? This focus is normally going to take a while to accomplish, but the payoff is well worth the time.
    2. Where can you make a little tweak to get what you want? This focus allows you to have a quick win.  We all need to be able to check something off of our list and sometimes it is best to start with those we can check off easily to gain momentum.   
  3. Set a goal.  Take your focus and write down what will it look and feel like when you accomplish it (think about a SMART goal structure). WRITE IT.  Writing it helps keep you calibrated. You want your goal to make you feel success when you accomplish it. When goals are vague we tend to end with a “good enough” feeling and that is not what you need or want when checking an item off your list.
  4. Make a plan. What are the steps you are going to take to get you to your goal?  Take out your calendar, planner, etc. and put your plan in it. What are your actions going to be?  What results are you expecting at certain points? Thinking and implementing new ideas is messy. Cling on to the fact that the start may look chaotic but if you have a plan you know where you are heading and can deal with the craziness for a little while.  
  5. Keep perspective.  This suggestion is one that I know may be easier said than done but it can be the most powerful tool you have. Try not to compare yourself to everyone around you.  You will see and hear the highlight reel of classrooms on social media but what you miss is the toil and struggle of what it took for the teacher to get there. You don’t see all their failed attempts or planning sessions. You don’t see how they had to make small adjustment by small adjustment over time to get to where they are today.  We talk about personalizing learning for students, but teachers need to give themselves the ability to stand back and realize one teacher’s pace is not always another’s and at the end of the day we are all heading in the same direction. I believe that you are doing your best, because that is why you got into education. You believe in change. You believe in students.  And you need to believe in yourself. You will find a way to accomplish what you want but give yourself the grace to realize change takes time.

As a coach I am continuously blown away by the knowledge and ability of teachers. I have the unique opportunity to see and talk to teachers at a variety of levels and buildings.  I can honestly say I have never walked into a classroom where I didn’t see a strength in a teacher. Start looking for your strengths. Acknowledge them. Own them. And then continue to work, because that is what teachers do. Change is difficult but by creating a personal focus and taking things step by step you will have the ability to move mountains.  Give yourself the understanding that you give your students and we will all reach new heights.

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Reflection Promotes Progress

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

-Albert Einstein

During a morning meeting I attended this past week, teachers had the opportunity to share different approaches to how they have tried to implement the learner profile.  Each person who shared, gave an example of what they had done last year, but then each elaborated on how they will approach it differently this year. As I listened, the thought came to mind that these teachers were sharing reflections, rather than just examples. By listening to what didn’t work, as well as each teachers’ new insights, we all had double the benefit.

“Reflective thinking turns experience into insight.” -John C. Maxwell

Reflection is the backbone to our learner profiles. A common question surrounding the Kaneland Learner Profile is, where do I find the time to teach my students to reflect?  How can I add one more thing to teach in my school day? Other than a targeted lesson on what exactly reflection is, all other opportunities should be naturally embedded into our day. Reflective thinking is an opportunity for our learners to seek self awareness as well as improvement in the process and product of learning. Not only does reflection help our students learn, but when they share reflections with us, we can work more effectively to meet students’ needs.

 

I have spent time with kindergartners this past week who are learning the basics of reflection.  They are using the framework “This time _____________, next time ____________” to think about their STEM projects.  It is just a start, but will absolutely provide that language needed as we dig deeper into the quality of work across the curriculum. As our youngest learners begin learning this valuable skill, we are reminded that we all can find the insight from reflection.

 

 

 

reflection of process

 

 

 

 

reflection on product

 

 

 

In a fifth grade classroom, I witnessed fifth graders reflecting on their first experience using a learning pathway during science.  Their reflections were so valuable in providing feedback to their peers, as well as their teacher, regarding this proficiency based format.

A few key points from an article outlining key components to reflective opportunities for your students:

  • Provide enough wait-time for students to reflect when responding to inquiries.
  • Provide emotionally supportive environments in the classroom encouraging reevaluation of conclusions.
  • Prompt reviews of the learning situation, what is known, what is not yet known, and what has been learned.
  • Provide authentic tasks involving ill-structured data to encourage reflective thinking during learning activities.
  • Prompt students’ reflection by asking questions that seek reasons and evidence.
  • Provide some explanations to guide students’ thought processes during explorations.
  • Provide a less-structured learning environment that prompts students to explore what they think is important.
  • Provide social-learning environments such as those inherent in peer-group works and small group activities to allow students to see other points of view.
  • Provide reflective journal to write down students’ positions, give reasons to support what they think, show awareness of opposing positions and the weaknesses of their own positions.

The act of reflection will look very different in every classroom, considering not only the age difference that exists in our elementary setting, but also simply because reflection is very personal.  However, it is a critical part of being a learner. It is something that requires modeling and practice. It can be used individually, but the the dialogue among students can make reflection a powerful learning experience for all.

Scaffolding Student Reflections Edutopia Article

Questions to prompt reflection before, during, and after learning

Elaboration vs. Craft

As most grade levels have finished up their Writing Norming Professional Development, one question that seem to be a recurring focus was what is elaboration and what is craft.  In simplified terms, we would define Elaboration as it has to do with saying more, putting more down on the page. Craft has to do with saying things better, in a stronger way — understanding the genre in which you the writer are writing.

Now let’s take the time to take a look on how you could approach the teaching of Elaboration.  In the book, The Big Book of Details: 46 Moves for Teaching Writers to Elaborate by Rozlyn Linder, she takes us on a journey through a myriad of strategies that would benefit our writers.

Zoom In is one Elaboration move in her book that is comprehensively laid out. She shows us an example from Andrew Clements book Frindle

“Mrs. Granger kept a full set of thirty dictionaries on a shelf at the back of the room. But her pride and joy was one of those huge dictionaries with every word in a the universe in it, the kind of book it takes two kids to carry. It sat on its own little table at the front of her classroom, sort of like the altar at the front of the church.”

To zoom in is to tell your readers what you should pay attention to, giving the reader a clue as to what the author of the piece feels is important. In this excerpt above from Frindle, we can see that the dictionaries are going to be important. This excerpt was stretched out by being longer and more detailed.

You can practice this with the class by zooming in on an object in the classroom. Have the students describe what they are seeing. Have them stretch it out longer and in more detail, in other words they are being more specific. To further this lesson, have students for homework take a look in their homes and zoom in on an object describing it in more detail — stretching it out.

Craft, the art of saying things in a better, stronger way, is best taught to students using mentor text. In Stacey Shubitz’s book, Craft Moves: Lesson Sets for Teaching Writing with Mentor Texts she advocates for using well written picture books to use for a variety of power craft moves.

In Last Stop on Market Street by LaPena and Robinson, power craft moves that can be gleaned from this picture book  are: dialogue, internal thinking, ending, lead, repetition, punctuation to create voice, character details,show-don’t tell, setting details and the heart of the story.

One example of a power craft move is appealing to the senses in the lead. The author starts the story by describing a specific location, the smell of the location, and what it feels like. Examining the pictures will also help the students be vividly aware of the setting.

Elaboration and Craft is paramount to good writing. If you would like to work with one of the Instructional Coaches on this, please fill out our Coaching Request Form (link) and we will work with you to help your students become better more confident writers.

Works Cited

Clements, Andrew, and Brian Selznick. Frindle. LRS (Library Reproduction Service), 2000.

Linder, Rozlyn. The Big Book of Details: 46 Moves for Teaching Writers to Elaborate. Heinemann, 2016.

Peña Matt De la, and Christian Robinson. Last Stop on Market Street. Puffin, 2017.

Shubitz, Stacey. Craft Moves: Lesson Sets for Teaching Writing with Mentor Texts. Stenhouse Publishers, 2016.

Swivl: A Resource to Capture Your Classroom

How many times have we wished that we had eyes in the back of our head, ears to hear things we’re not around, and time to actually assess, meet, and personalize our students? There may never be a time where we can do this in our classroom, but Swivl gives us the capabilities to do this now!

Swivl is a robotic camera that can be used in our classrooms to capture the many things that we might be missing out on. This simple resource has the ability to assist us in hearing the exciting conversations that are taking place in group stations, showcasing exciting lessons with other classrooms, assessing, self-reflection, and so much more.

The capabilities of video recording with Swivl is unlimited. Imagine that guided reading group or math station that is working on their own. Do we want to understand each group’s effectiveness? Swivl allows a teacher to capture the conversation while that teacher is actually working with their own group of students. It doesn’t stop there. Do we all have that one group in a Science investigation that perfects their experiment? Why not share this teaching moment with others to help them determine what led to their success? Swivl allows us to share our successes, and sometimes even our failures, with other classrooms throughout the district. It’s also a great way to share and demonstrate lessons with one another.

Swivl can also be used as a self-reflection tool for teachers. Swivl has the ability to follow a teacher around the classroom, focusing on your entire lesson. It’s a great way to visually see yourself and your student’s participation levels as though you’re sitting in the room yourself! The ability to go back into your classroom, through video, is an ideal situation for teachers.

Some of the many uses of Swivl:

  • Live Student Observations 
  • Presentations
  • Self-Reflection (teacher and student)
  • Informal Observations
  • KLC Collaboration
  • Video Libraries

 

For more information, here’s a video from the Founder of Swivl:

 

https://techcrunch.com/video/swivl-refocuses-on-teachers-presentations/