Teaching Children Well: Feedback Loop

Feedback Post

As you may know, I'm focusing on feedback this year.

I'm trying to provide feedback related to student work via comments and coaching in class, and by reviewing student work and projects regularly at home, daily if possible.

Reviewing student work with side-by-side coaching is best as that leads to a fruitful conversation and guidance, however with large numbers of students, the coaching also has to happen via student work review.

Reviewing students' papers and projects provides a teacher with valuable information with regards to teaching children well.  Teachers wrestle with the time crunch when it comes to meaningful response and work review since most of that happens on a teacher's own time, not time in school.

Ideally, it would be terrific if parents could give student work a once over, but as a parent, I know that's not always possible due to our busy home-work schedules, and students desire to complete work independently.

I like the feedback loop I've instituted so far this year which includes the following:

• daily check of simple homework assignments, folder notes, classroom papers and literacy tickets. 
• Tuesday/Thursday check of students' online practice. Working lunch for those who do not complete that practice.
• a Friday assessment that checks students' understanding and grasp of the week's learning goals.
• Review of the Friday assessment. Feedback provided to the learning team and individual students. 
• Revision of next week's targets and teaching in response to the daily work, weekly assessment and students' learning needs and interests. 

What does your weekly feedback loop look like?  How do you use regular feedback and review to impact your teaching?  How do you share the weekly feedback information with the learning team: students, colleagues, family members and others?  In what ways do you create a realistic schedule for feedback since it has the potential of taking a toll on one's personal schedule outside of school? 

Feedback is critical when it comes to teaching and coaching learners well.  Feedback builds the learning-teaching relationship, and helps learners climb the learning ladders with confidence and focus.  I look forward to your thoughts and insights.

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