Descriptive Feedback to Boost Student Learning - E091

This week, we are chatting about all things descriptive feedback. We're exploring what descriptive feedback is, how you can tailor descriptive feedback to boost student learning, and general tips and strategies to make descriptive feedback easy and manageable to implement in your classroom.

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Featured Content
**For detailed show notes, please visit our website at https://edugals.com/91**

• Descriptive Feedback - What do you notice, where are the gaps, and what specifically can you do to improve
• Not fair to students to give feedback without giving opportunities for putting it into practice
• Feedback is a constant cycle between student and teacher
• Time is a big barrier to providing descriptive feedback - digital tools, peer feedback, self-reflection, audio/video feedback are all ways to help
• Consider including a checklist or success criteria in student-friendly language with task/assignment submissions
• Book: How To Give Effective Feedback to Your Students by Susan M. Brookhart
• Feedback strategies:
  • Timing - throughout skill development, immediate or slightly delayed, put the feedback into practice, short mastery checks are quick to grade!
  • Amount - avoid fixing everything (cognitive load), focus on 1-2 key ideas to give feedback, focus on usable feedback that moves the student learning forward
  • Mode - written, verbal, most effective as a conversation; try audio/video feedback for larger projects
  • Audience - knowing your students, gearing feedback with appropriate language, try group/whole class feedback
• Word choice/language in feedback matters:
  • Mastery-based language (almost there!)
  • Focus on the strengths/weaknesses of the work itself
  • Avoid any type of judgement of the student themselves
  • I notice..., I wonder..., consider...
  • Referencing success criteria and making comparisons
  • Reflective questions 
  • Positive, asset vs deficit-based mindsets
• Digital Tool Recommendations and Ideas:
  • Mote
  • Screencastify
  • Notability or Good Notes (great on an iPad)
  • Explain Everything
  • Dropdown Chips in Google Docs (E090)
  • Save your common feedback notes in Google Docs or Keep or Classroom
  • Consider creating videos for common mistakes
  • EdPuzzle
  • Branched Google Forms
  • Google docs/slides with all levels of feedback with links (can help scaffold peer feedback)
  • Choice boards for peer feedback