LTGR Ep. #39 - “Feedback”
In this show, Susan and Dan jump into the LT GreenRoom to discuss the feedback we provide to our learners. How often do we give them feedback? What form does it take? How well does it serve them? Listen in, and then share some feedback of your own!
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Show Notes:
Susan and Dan talk about feedback in this episode. That is, feedback as it relates to learning, not specific to online or any age group.
Dan defines feedback as intentional challenge or encouragement from the teacher.
Susan’s definition is useful information that tells a learner whether they are on-track.
When should feedback be given? Depends on task. Think about something that might relate to safety…act quickly! Sooner rather than later seems to be a safe model to follow.
One type of feedback is encouragement (example: encouraging participation).
Challenge: being pushed a little beyond where you are. It could mean being corrected or getting a bad grade.
Formative (keep going and “grow” comments) versus summative (final points and grade) feedback. Summative is usually tied to assessment. Dan thinks formative feedback is more difficult to give because it relates to a learner’s motivation. Susan hates grading, loves formative work.
Teachers need to ask students what’s useful in feedback. Susan gets that sense through the weekly student reflections.
What are ways teachers give feedback? Nonverbals if you’re face to face. Susan is currently using Dragon Naturally Speaking to talk her way through grading papers. It’s saving her time.
She also uses audio feedback, recording with Audacity and sending as email. The best known source on this practice is Jeff Sommers’ site.
Does Susan have a standardized way of giving feedback online? She generally communicates with each learner personally at the end of a unit. She sends back the rubric with specific comments written in – more detailed early in the term and less so as each learner figures out what’s expected.
Dan discusses the importance of giving examples in feedback.
Feel-good grades (A++ Excellent!) don’t really help students learn. However, good feedback about what’s good can be powerful motivators.
Dan and Susan would like to hear from other teachers: how do you give feedback to your students and how do you solicit feedback from them? What’s working?
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January 31st, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Learning is a process, sometimes caotic, random… but always in need for a plan (that’s why moderators are important) that takes in account steps and presences:
A. Steps: from the social perspective (create trust) to discuss meaning, moments of direct instruction and thinking critically as well as the discussion of theories and hypothesis testing;
Question: what tools to what step?
B. Presences: cognitive, social and teaching;
Question: moderators are important, but students learning styles?
C. Online learning have a major advantage because it enlarge time: enables people to reflect about the comments that create and read.
Question: what is the amount of content that we can deliver in a learning object to avoid overload the students?
April 7th, 2008 at 9:47 am
you were concerning more about students’ improvement rather than grading and final assessment. Thats really great and i hope i can do the same with my students because the time they feel that the content or skills or knowledge they are going to study is the important issue here. They will not pay much attention to the grades but they will work hard to learn and i am sure they will got higher grades.