Students should not be “grading” each other. They should be doing formative assessment and giving formative feedback to their peers. As a person emailed me, students do not learn to be formative unless they are taught.
In elementary, language arts learn give valuable feedback telling several good things and then to give constructive feedback wording like “I wonder what would happen if ….” Middle school schools can identify if parts of a science lab reports exist. They can identify if certain essay writing has a thesis statement and topic sentences. They can share their strategies withe their peers. By late middle school, students should be capable of giving detailed feedback based on checklists, rubrics, exemplars, etc. Again, each comment helps the peer t to improve.
We talk about life long learning and one aspect of that is wanting to improve. Peers can offer valuable feedback. Often peers can word things in ways that are very understandable to the other students as opposed to the jargon of some teachers. Peers can provide feedback more frequently than the teacher.
How to help your students to grow in giving formative feedback.
Constructive Criticism = Formative Feedback Bragging Rights
Published April 12, 2008 Achievement , Assess , Assessment , assessment for learning , constructive criticism , Feedback , Formative , Formative assessment , formative feedback , learning , Student Leave a CommentTags: Comment, constructive criticism, Feedback, Formative, formative feedback, Positive, School
As I’ve mentioned, I have tried very hard to use formative assessment in my classes this semester. One student wrote in his end-of-the-semester evaluation the instructor “has mastered constructive criticism and his feedback is always positive.” I have found it a challenge to give short and meaningful feedback that will move the students forward in their learning. Giving them specific enough feedback so that they know how to improve has required me to be precise in my statements to students. Giving them examples has, I think, helped them to feel positive about the feedback; they know the change is do-able.
Every student’s paper has been an opportunity for me to improve in my skill and, in my ability to help them more.
What type feedback do you give?