Feedback.
How is it
important in education?
Feedback is
crucial in modern schools; it is a skill that teachers moving forward need to
possess as an essential part of their assessment strategies.
As an
example, I found myself while in Education 3P70 thinking that the first
assignment was not very important, as I could use the feedback written on the
page to improve my next one and therefore obtain the grades which are my goal
and ensure that I am learning the material to the extent and in the manner that
the professor intended. I am using the feedback from that paper as a direct
influence on what and how I learn while enrolled in that course. While working
on that course, every aspect of my involvement, mindset, research and writing
methods is influenced by the feedback that I receive every week.
We as humans
depend on, and give, feedback every day whether at work, school, or even
within social interaction with peers. While in a conversation, factors such as
their tone of voice, body language, diction, and even the use of silence are
all forms of feedback that can be used to determine how well the conversation is
going. Most importantly, while in school, feedback on tests, assignments, and
behaviour are all crucial to ensure that the message being put forward by a
teacher to his or her students is the most constructive one possible, that is
optimized to ensure that the student is always learning.
In an
article by Bob Dignen on his Cambridge blog, he states that feedback is the
most important skill for a person to have because it ensures that people are
listening effectively, motivating each other, developing performance skills,
and responding to the world around us. One of the more interesting points that
he puts forward is that, in giving and receiving effective feedback, we are
always learning. A simple “yes,” “no,” or “good job” is not sufficient to make
a student consider where they can improve in the future; that is where feedback
comes in.
(Five
reasons why feedback may be the most important skill, 2014)
Anna Malik
approaches the idea of positive feedback from another angle on her blog. She argues
that, psychologically, good feedback is essential for students to develop
motivation and confidence. She states that feedback should be relevant,
specific, timely, valuable, and accurate. She also applies the importance of
feedback to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (below), which states that the higher
levels of motivation cannot be accessed unless the lower levels are satisfied. A
lack of good feedback from a model figure could lead to a student losing their
self-confidence and motivation, as well as having a degrading effect on their
creativity and critical thinking skills.
(Why
Positive Feedback is Important!, 2014)
Source: Malik, Why Positive Feedback is Important!
How then, are we as Ontarians treating feedback? The ministry of education’s document “Growing Success” contains a chapter entitled “Reporting Student Achievement” (47-65), which contains a lot of information on how to properly file report cards and the administrative details which must be satisfied before they are submitted and sent out, but does not feature a wealth of information on feedback. In fact, while the idea of placing grades as either numbers or letters depending on the age of the student is well described, the section on feedback is somewhat limited to a subheading containing information on the necessity of writing “anecdotal comments,” and the writers even feel the need to state that copying and pasting comments is not allowed which suggests that this has been an issue in the past. This focus on marks and grades leads students to prioritize their percentage rather than to focus on the feedback they receive. I drew a quick sketch (below) which pictures the unfortunate focus of many students when they receive a graded paper:
the actual paper versus what the student focuses on
How then, are we as Ontarians treating feedback? The ministry of education’s document “Growing Success” contains a chapter entitled “Reporting Student Achievement” (47-65), which contains a lot of information on how to properly file report cards and the administrative details which must be satisfied before they are submitted and sent out, but does not feature a wealth of information on feedback. In fact, while the idea of placing grades as either numbers or letters depending on the age of the student is well described, the section on feedback is somewhat limited to a subheading containing information on the necessity of writing “anecdotal comments,” and the writers even feel the need to state that copying and pasting comments is not allowed which suggests that this has been an issue in the past. This focus on marks and grades leads students to prioritize their percentage rather than to focus on the feedback they receive. I drew a quick sketch (below) which pictures the unfortunate focus of many students when they receive a graded paper:
the actual paper versus what the student focuses on
Source: Evan Arseneau
This is an extremely negative mindset that inhibits eternal learning in our students, a mindset adopted from the administration which ignores the multiple positive influences of good feedback. Students who succeed fail to incorporate the suggestions of the teacher in future work and students who fail see the mark and begin to lose motivation and confidence as described by Anna Malik.
Feedback is essential, we live and breathe feedback every day in our interactions with others, and it is time for the focus in assessment to shift from marks and grades to constructive, well-written feedback; not only for teachers to write it, but for students to be willing to read and learn from it.
REFERENCES:
Anna Malik. (2014,
May 2). Why Positive Feedback is Important!: The Oxford TEFL Blog [Web Log
Comment]. Retrieved from http://www.oxfordtefl.com/2014/05/3-reasons-positive-feedback-important/
Bob Dignen. (2014, March
17). Five reasons why feedback may be the most important skill: Cambridge
Conversations [Web Log Comment]. Retrieved from http://www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/2014/03/five-reasons-feedback-may-important-skill/
Feedback vs Student
Focus [image]. (2015). Created by Evan Arseneau
Maslows Hierarchy
of Needs [image]. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.oxfordtefl.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Maslows-Hierarchy-of-Needs.jpg
Ontario Ministry of
Education. (2010). Growing Success: Assessment,
Evaluation, and reporting in Ontario Schools. (ISBN No. 978-1-4435-2285-4).
Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/growSuccess.pdf
Evan,
ReplyDeleteOverall, this is a very well written post that includes many relevant and insightful perspectives on feedback in today’s schools. The discussion about how students focus on the grade, rather than the feedback made me want to learn more about how as a teacher I can get students to value feedback and use it to improve their work. My question to you is: what is an alternative to our current methods of providing feedback and how can we as future educators effectively communicate feedback to our students? I also thought that it was very interesting that you brought a whole new dynamic into the discussion of feedback when you introduced how it relates to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. It really added to your blog by supporting your argument as to why feedback is important. An area that you could work on for your next blog would be to share more of your own ideas and thoughts. You provide excellent information from articles and from the Ministry of Education documents. However, an option that I suggest as the next step for improvement would be for you to reflect on what you have learned, determine why it is meaningful to you and how this research will inform your future teaching practices.
Evan,
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I like the way that you created your own resources! That was a great and creative way to get involved with what you were talking about. At the beginning of your blog, you mention a class EDUC 3P70. In the future, I would suggest a short description of the course and the assignment that you are talking about, that way all of your readers are informed of the class. Also, perhaps I would add a section on how to give good feedback. The blog is great at explaining how important good feedback is and the benefits of feedback, however a good addition would be a description or a how-to section of what good feedback entails and how to do it. Your blog has an excellent professional look to it. I really enjoyed how you linked feedback with motivation and the effect that it has on the students with your use of the positive feedback pyramid. Overall a great and informative blog. Something that I would suggest for improvement is adding a section on as a student or a teacher why this is important for you, and what you have observed throughout your time in education.
Thank you for sharing!
Evan,
ReplyDeleteI think it's awesome that you created your own resources. This is a great way to show initiative and take your blog to next level. Additionally, I think one of the most important things you mentioned is that humans are always seeking feedback even outside of the classroom. This is a topic that goes beyond schools and it is important that you addressed that. I imagine there were not many appropriate videos for this particular topic, but maybe for next time, try to look for one to embed in your post.
Your first post was a great read and I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with next!