Teach to Learn: Issue 1

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Volume 1—February 2013

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Effective feedback achieving that goal, so don’t forget to
use the ones at the back of the student
Feedback is integral to the learning planner.
process and is one of the main benefits
that pupils get from assessment. Actionable
Effective feedback is concrete specific
What is feedback? and useful. It provides actionable
information. What specifically should
Basically, feedback is information about they do next time? Pupils need
how we are doing in our efforts to reach sufficient information so that they know
a goal. With regards to pupils, exactly what to do next time. It is really
comments on work should identify the important to give pupils time to correct
gap between the desired standards and or improve their own work, whether it is
the student's achievement - then offer that assessed piece of work or to think
guidance on how to close the gap in about what they need to do next time.
future. It may be more useful to think of Time to reflect is so important.
this as providing 'feed forward' because
it is the next piece of work which can be User-friendly
improved with effective feedback. Even if feedback is specific and
accurate, it is of not much value if
pupils cannot understand it or feel
What are the keys to effective overwhelmed by it. Too much feedback
feedback? can be counter productive and it is
better to focus on one or two ideas that
Goal Referenced would help the pupil to improve their
Effective feedback requires that the performance. In addition to this we
person has a goal so that they can take need to bear a few things in mind. Does
the student understand the vocabulary
action to achieve the goal. This is why it
that you are using? Can they read your
is vital that our pupils know their end of writing?
year/course Target Grade or Level. Our
pupils need to know if they are on track Timely
or need to change course. In addition In most cases, the sooner the pupil
to this they also need to know what gets the feedback, the better. The
they are aiming for every lesson and trouble with feedback is that we
sometimes give untimely feedback,
the criteria to reach that goal in order to days or weeks after the assessment or
make clear progress. Traffic lights can essay. We really need to think of ways
tell you how close pupils are to to ensure that students get more timely
feedback and opportunities to act
on that feedback while it is still
fresh in their minds. Can you juggle
your marking schedule to do this?
Or peer assessment is another
strategy you could use to manage
the marking workload and provide
lots of timely feedback. Don’t forget
to use those green pens! The
learning tool, two stars and a wish
could be so helpful here.

AfL using traffic lights in student planners

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On-going
Pupils don’t just need effective feedback, Key Stage Min no. of teacher
but they need opportunities to put the assessed pieces
advice into practice. Therefore, the more per half term
feedback that they can receive on their
own performance in real time, the better KS3 Core 3
their work will be. So we don’t just write Subjects
feedback down, we give it to the pupils
constantly throughout a lesson. Mini KS3 Non –core 1
white boards are an effective teaching subjects
tool to help with on-going feedback.
KS4 Full course 3
Which is the correct answer and why?
Consistent KS4 Short 1
To be useful, feedback must be Course
consistent. Clearly students can only  be diagnostic in nature
adjust their work or performance if the  be done using the marking sticker
information fed back to them is accurate. to give feedback
We need to moderate work so that we
are all clear just what these grade
descriptions or level descriptions mean,
so that we are on the same page about
what high quality work is

But there’s not time!
Remember that no time to give and use
feedback actually means “no time to
improve learning.” Research indicates
that less teaching plus more feedback is
the key to achieving greater learning.
Example of our marking stickers
Remember it’s not just from us that
pupils get feedback, they can get it from  include a pupil comment on how to
technology and peers too. improve the work
 be signed and dated
So what do we do at Roding Valley?  adhere to the Whole school
approach to literacy marking
The aim of our marking policy is :  be written in green pen if it is peer
or self-assessment
 To establish a consistent whole
 provide the student with advice on
school approach to the way
where they are against
learner’s work is marked, so that
expectations and with constructive
students feel valued and have a
ways on how they can improve to
clear understanding of how well
ensure they make accelerated
they are doing.
progress.
 It should also inform students of  as a minimum, say whether the
what they need to do to improve student is on , below or above
and this will inform teacher target.
planning and monitoring.  give two strengths of the piece of
Each Faculty has adapted the marking work.
policy so that it best suits their own  be as encouraging and positive as
needs, but there are common features. possible.
 also include one improvement that
Marking should:
could be used to raise attainment.
 be regular, up to date and promptly N. Chambers
returned

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So how are we actually doing it?

Here are some examples of effective
feedback from various Faculties.

Technology

Pupils receive current and
target grades for Food
Technology.
Areas covered are Research,
knowledge and
understanding, planning,
making and practical work &
evaluations.
Pupils receive feedback on
areas covered,
improvements are suggested
and they comment on these
given suggestions. Pupils
also assess each other's
work and suggest suitable
alternatives to outcomes.

P.Goosen
Example of self-assessment from the Technology

Example of teacher assessment from the Technology faculty

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Effective feedback in MFL

Feedback is done in
numerous ways in the
Languages Faculty. We
aim to mark books every 3
to 4 weeks. We don’t
necessarily mark work that
is copied from the board or
quick reading and listening Pupils in MFL reflect on their work to identify improvements
exercises that the pupils
have marked for themselves, instead
targets immediately when they open
we mark language that the pupils have
their exercise books, so that they don’t
created for themselves, giving the
have to search through them to see
what they need to do to improve.

Even if pupils have done an exercise
that can be self or peer corrected we
encourage pupils to reflect on their
performance on that activity.

However, it’s all very well giving pupils
advice on how to improve their work,
but pupils need to actually act on it.
Here is an example of how a pupil has
Example of effective feedback in MFL added in something extra based on
using RVHS marking sticker advice on how to improve the piece of
work. This does mean giving pupils the
pupils feedback on the RVHS marking opportunity to reflect on their work and
sticker. do something constructive with your
Pupils also have a target sheet stuck in comments. This could be either done in
the front of their exercise books on to class or at home.
which they transfer their ‘to improve I
need to’ comments in a more succinct
way. This enables them to see their

Example of pupil in MFL reflecting on their
Example of personalised targets in MFL which feedback and making changes
students should focus on

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It’s not just the teacher that can help a
pupil to improve work. Pupils
themselves can be a critical friend and
are quite astute in the comments that
they make. Two stars and a wish is a
great tool for getting pupils to peer
assess each other.

An example of peer assessment in MFL

One of the big improvements we have their mistakes and hopefully learn from
made in recent years to our marking in them. After all what’s the point of us
MFL, is done by using the simple putting all that effort in if they don’t do
highlighter pen. If we have taught a anything with your marking. This
pupil something, language or a practice is a great way of getting to
grammatical rule and they are still learn form their own mistakes and
making a mistake when applying this, reinforce their learning. It does,
we highlight a pupil’s work, put a code however, mean giving time to this in
in the margin and when they receive lessons, even though we may be
their books back they have to correct pressed for time, but it does pay
dividends.

N. Chambers

Example of students in MFL self-correcting their work based on teacher assessment.

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Art

Examples of marking can even be found
in the corridors at RVHS.

An example of effective feedback used in the Art department.

Close-up showing how the Art department use the Roding Valley marking
stickers

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Business Studies
I have been using Edmodo as a means to manage homework since September with my
year 10 Business Studies class. The following slides show how I provide feedback in an
effective way. O.Hussain

Images show Edmodo being used in Business Studies to provide effective feedback

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Maths

Diagnostic Marking (gaps
analysis) in the Mathematics
faculty
To complement our current
marking the Mathematics
faculty have been using
diagnostic sheets to provide
detailed feedback to student in
Key Stage 4 following
assessment. They are
particularly useful following a
practice/ mock paper.

These diagnostic sheets
provide a gap analysis for the
students to help them focus
their revision. On the
diagnostic sheet every
Example of a self assessment sheet identifying topics
question answered is coloured
either red or green. The students did well on and topics they need to focus on
students and teacher then
focus on the questions

coloured red which indicate
that the student struggled
with context and
understanding. It identifies
the topics and style of
question on which that they
did not achieve full marks. It
is then a valuable tool for
teachers to aid planning,
intervention and support.

The diagnostic sheets also
provided for differentiation
against target grades as the
Mathematics papers are
generally written to move
through the grade
boundaries increasing in
complexity. In a middle
ability class which had sat a
higher paper we would focus
on the questions up to B
Diagnostic sheets are used in Maths to provide students with
an enhanced level of feedback grade. For the top set we
use the full range and try to

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extend knowledge to a level style
questions to deliver the complexity of
knowledge.

S. Jenner

Teacher then prepares diagnostic sheet from the responses the students made in the
assessment.
Green means that the student understood context of question and made a correct response
with standing simple clerical errors, red would indicate that the student struggled with context
and understanding.

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Video Feedback in English it allows you to select an area you wish
to record using a resizable box.
In English we are exploring digital
feedback using Edmodo.com: uploading Once you have spoken over the
marked assignments, uploading audio document you can save the video and
feedback and uploading video upload it as a private video on
feedback. After downloading a pupil’s YouTube.
work from Edmodo, that they have
previously posted, we use a website You can then share the link with the
called screencast-o-matic.com. With pupil on Edmodo and the video
this site you can record whatever
appears on your screen whilst
simultaneously creating a voice-over.

Screencast-o-matic is used to provide video An Example of feedback left for a student
feedback in English published as a private video to YouTube.

The website is free and it works over
anything that would normally appear on feedback is complete.
your screen. Once you choose to record
Benefits of video feedback are as
follows:

· The depth and detail is greater
than an annotated piece of work.

· As everything is online it is all
organised and easily accessible.

· It is less time consuming than it
would be to give this level of help
through annotation.

Section of screen selected for recording using
screencast-o-matic

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· Pupils interact and respond better with the personal video format as opposed
to a piece of annotated work.

· If a pupil has any questions they can reply directly to your post on Edmodo.

Negatives of video feedback are as follows:

· It can be time consuming if you are new to the technology.

· It is difficult if a pupil does not have access to the internet at home.

· You cannot have pupils looking at their feedback in class unless you have
access to an internet enabled device.

C.Bentley

So this is how WE do it at Roding Valley High School.

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Teach to Learn: Issue 1

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