), their writing has improved, and I return papers much more quickly—and happily—than ever before. Delayed feedback. I’m sad to say that at my current HE institution, we as faculty do not have control over anything that happens in our classrooms. In English I ask my students to write a lot. Thanks for this post.. We pored over the comments on our papers because that was the only feedback we got. Thank you for sharing. So when it comes time to do the summative- in a perfect world- they can look back at the formative assessment and use this as a “guide” to how their summative should look. Perhaps at some point, if a few people are interested in studying a practice, you could share this post or other research-based articles with admin, just to try to start the beginnings of a conversation. If you email me at [email protected] I can send what I find about CSI and MLA, if you like! I am a bit of concern about the independent work, what do I assign? I have them reflect with some specific questions, but I think I want to make it more of a little writing assignment in itself. And it works! I teach college-level students, and a few years ago I adopted the “give the grade later” method. Finally, I tell them that if they have more to discuss, they can schedule a time to meet with me before/after school or during lunch. And when it comes time to marking the summative, I’ll go ahead and maybe write a short paragraph addressing the overall strengths and weaknesses of the piece and mark the rubric. A student in a writing-intensive seminar said, “I always just flip to the back of the paper to see the grade, and then, if I look at the comments at all, I do so to see if the grade is justified. That sounds silly, right? Only a handful of students come discuss the feedback with her. Some teachers also ask students to grade themselves. I always offer students the opportunity to rewrite their essay. I teach math and also use a delayed grade strategy. Also, I have conferences over the course of several days to give some leeway. Depending on the assignment, these are the usual requirements: And that’s it! It’s hard to pinpoint an exact number of pieces of work that I grade. I want them to grow as writers, and most of them do throughout the year, but so many only seem to care about that number. I then took a picture of each project and placed it in a Google Doc along with my feedback. Another day, their groups were putting events in order and discussion, so I’d meet with a couple, take a lap around the classroom, and then meet with a couple more. I guess they see the importance of feedback during the task but not afterwards. They can really feel/tell the difference it makes, and they appreciate it. Each class is one hour long. Students end-up labeling the mistakes with my help, for example: verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, etc. Isn’t our goal to get students to produce the best quality work they possibly can? Please let me know if I can help! I had some students offer good counterarguments with evidence for my feedback. I did something similar this year BUT put the grade on top. (, Bonus step: Walk around and listen. Looking forward to trying your strategy. Last year, kids had turned in essays on Google Classroom, but rather than pasting a completed rubric into their essay as I usually did, I made hard copies of the rubric and wrote on them. What have you done? So one day I introduced the unit, and then while kids were reading A Rose for Emily, I met with some students. See our User Agreement and Privacy Policy. These meetings don’t have to be more than a couple of minutes per student. Since I’m not usually one to give up, I set out to find a way to get my students to actually read their feedback and care less about the grade. I will tell her about this method. Stacey, I am so glad you enjoyed this and think it will help your 6th graders! Any ideas on how this will work with math. After several years of ‘delaying the grade’ and then several more years of researching student responses etc. When kids get to my table, I start with “What do you want to talk about?” and let them guide the conference. What are your biggest focuses when you grade? Kids pay a lot of attention to these comments. I am absolutely incorporating a reflective paragraph for rewrites next year! It wasn’t unusual for a disgruntled student to send a paper back for a second reading because they felt a bit cheated of feedback. The student must make substantial revisions, not just grammatical edits. I like Docs for commenting along the way. For example, first their annotated sources are due, then a thesis, then their first body paragraph, etc. You can change your ad preferences anytime. Plan accordingly by creating opportunities for students to do independent or group work for a few days when it’s time to return papers to students. There is a wide range of normal language development in toddlers and two-year-olds.Children hit milestones at different times, and many factors can influence how much or … I love this! • Process of Communication I will be teaching Senior English next year and really want my students to learn the value of looking at comments before they head off to college. Like you said, I feel like kids see the value during the process, but less so after the fact. I love the question of what specific things that you’ve learned did you use to make your paper better. and then modified so that I could give math students (a) decoupled feedback, (b) more authority in the feedback/grading process, (c) the chance to develop reflective and self-assessment skills. The changes are due to our school district receiving four new buses and due to the COVID-19 social distancing requirements. Students quickly learn that I’m doing this differently. I struggle with rubrics sometimes as well. Such a good idea for emphasizing the writing process over grades! Love the idea of delaying the grade. In your template, you mention CSI format for writing. It allows students to upload an essay in Google Classroom or via Google Docs and then you can provide oral feedback directly on the essay. Pete * the letters for communication are J (fully justified), P (partially just. After the projects were completed, each student filled out a peer evaluation on their group members. Haven’t done this for final grading yet but could mention the grade in a video in order to encourage students to watch the video in order to get their grade..! Honestly, you probably won’t hear a lot of talking or comparing. So frustrating! I honestly got to a point where I would just wait so long to give things back, the kids would kind of forget, and then so would I. Oops. What questions do you have? Communication - Process & Definition Power Point Presentation, COMMUNICATION PROCESS,TYPES,MODES,BARRIERS, No public clipboards found for this slide. Circle a missed negative, etc.). My undergrad thesis advisor did something similar with us (throughout the process, not for the final product), and it worked really well. Implementing meaningful feedback is one of our school’s top priorities for the coming year. Works much better for me and they try harder. So my recommendation would be to eliminate grades. Perhaps you’ve already gotten help implementing this idea (decoupling feedback from grades) from other sources. Just reread your rubric and was wondering how you arrive at a grade. Sounds familiar? I teach math, and have for over 13 years now been using a system that decouples feedback and grades. You can contact me for my MLA resources, although they’re not very exciting! I love this! My feedback-and-grades-decoupled system also has that effect, and I love how it works well on behalf of the durability of student learning. Students can (as with all my assignments; hey, it’s writing!) They also get grades for the process, so it’s not just a final grade. I would email the class four simple questions that got them to reflect particularly on their writing, their use of sources, and most importantly what they had done differently in this assignment based upon the lessons they had learned from other assignments and from the feedback they had received earlier in the semester. He writes the wordiest sentences I’ve ever read, but he’s gotten to the point where he puts his own comments on his essay as he writes so we can discuss while he’s still in the writing stage. ), I LOVE this! I had more students revise than ever but still not enough. I’d be happy to talk more if you’re interested! I am currently leaving a comment in the gradebook with an incomplete marked. Fort Payne City Schools Bus Enrollment Form 2020-2021. Reply to this and perhaps we can exchange emails . I always complain with fellow professors that students (in college) don’t care about improving their writing if they get a grade right away, even after one-on-one sessions discussing their writing process. . For once, kids are usually happy about their grade because it was higher than they expected, contrary to the old days when they’d say “she gave me C” but they thought they deserved an A. This is the general organizational structure we encourage them to use in essay paragraphs. A Step-by-Step Plan for Teaching Argumentative Writing, 7 Easy Ways to Support Student Writing in Any Content Area, http://www.loudenclearblog.com/2017/06/20/how-csi-helps-students-organize-their-paragraphs/, http://www.teaching-matters-blog.ed.ac.uk/ill-give-you-your-grade-when-you-give-me-feedback-on-my-feedback-building-a-meaningful-feedback-loop-into-assessment-processes/. It’s worked really well with all of them so far! I will “give” them an “incomplete” in the grade book (which calculates as a zero). After collecting student papers, grade them (hard copy or electronic) as you usually would with comments on the written piece, but keep the rubric separate. I definitely want to implement this tactic in my future classroom. This is a great idea! The following example illustrates how delayed feedback results in lost information with safety repercussions. Thank you! We correct a couple of mistakes together and then discuss what is the problem with the sentence. Feedback skills are related both to other communication skills listed in this article and This is exciting because some of their questions make perfect teachable moments! But if not, or if you’d like to engage it again/further, please feel free to email me at [email protected]. I would be interested in your ideas and how you implement them in your class. Recently a colleague sent me the link to your blog. Return the essays during class, allowing time to explain, time for kids to read their essays, and time for them to clarify if needed. Do you have any advice for keeping conferences short? The first class I thought of was my AP Chinese, actually, I could use it in all levels too. The amazing thing is that our grades were all pretty close after the students reflected on their projects. This is great. And the pandemic showed us that you can do a lot of everything remotely – this saves time and can save our health. And from this a whole new system was born: Return papers to students with only feedback. I am a professor at the University of Edinburgh – and I had similar experiences to Kirsty’s. So I try and structure my formative assessments in a way that really force the kids to understand the importance of the feedback I give them, in terms of preparing them for these summative assessments. I think I will reconference with those kids after I conference with the rest. Return the essays during class, allowing time to explain, time for kids to read their essays, and time for them to clarify if needed. This will really give me insight into each student, and the WHY behind not turning in work. Finally, I end by asking students how they graded themselves according to the rubric. The student must turn in the original and the updated draft on time. Do you mind sharing? This is how to make the most of GAFE and get students to actually care about improving their work , Great concept – a little like Phaedrus, but better. Clipping is a handy way to collect important slides you want to go back to later. I think the idea of reflection is SO important–maybe a reflection of all four essays could be their final writing? If the rubric is written well enough – and the kids have a strong understanding of what the key verbs in the rubric entail- then that should be enough for them to self-assess, and figure out where they can improve. It often depended on the writing assignment for me. Would I be able to use this for my Component 4? No more zero grades because they will have to write something while with me one on one in conference. The simple act of delaying the grade meant that students had to think about their writing. I keep a Google doc with links to short YouTube videos (formatting Works Cited in Google Docs, in-text citations, thesis statement). Thanks! I hope this idea works for you, Kelly! Yes, Matt, I use Screencastify to give feedback too! : ). Let me know you’ve read my comments by leaving me some feedback.”. I don’t tell my students that the draft they turn in is a draft, at all. Thanks! Is your business buried under the same fundamental problems? This is simply an excellent way to grade the essays. Or when they get jobs? I love this approach! Thanks for sharing! Best wishes Thesis checks, a paragraph check, having your draft done check, etc. At least half of these are related to wordiness. Thanks! How long are your classes? Next they usually ask questions. (e.g., How might changing this sentence to active voice strengthen it?) On the rubric I actually gave the grades on I think I did have numbers (I don’t have it here in front of me). Sometimes you just have to lay it out there, LOL.). BUT…I do always emphasize that the one thing they SHOULD take away above all else is the decoupling of feedback and grades. I really love this tactic, especially as a creative writing student. I do my conferences on a large whiteboard-painted table; I have found that since moving these from my desk to this table, our conferences are more productive. Slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. I’m sure there’s a way! I felt it was a good experience. Encourage them to go slowly. What kinds of comments do you leave? It’s really frustrating to hear this. Then they have the opportunity to revise if they want. . I either had to get over it or fix it. I feel like my kids would need more direction for the “leaving me some feedback.” I’m sure I’d get a lot of “I read your comments” as feedback! . Can all teachers use this? Admin in HE are getting in the way of quality, evidence-based educational practices. Ask about comments, how to improve things, how to do things differently, etc. She will love it! • Types of Communication For drafts, I have gotten into the habit of recording screencasts as I read through their work. Then they have an option to do a retake (I’m happy to explain some more details later if you’re interested). Students reflect more on their work and also better understand why they earned their grade. What grade do you teach? When team members become used to receiving and providing constructive feedback to each other, their relationships and collaboration may improve. Hi Cory! I teach science, but there’s a load of literacy inherent in the subject, be it research writing or lab reports. If they are talking, it will be to themselves about what they are noticing.). Only the resubmission received a grade. That’s great! • Levels of Communication Do not look for your scores first. Definitely some sound pedagogical advice. haha! I do something similar with my students and it works great. My comments are a bit vague at first–“There are misspelled words in this essay.”–because I want them to struggle a bit, and they don’t have to struggle if I highlight something and give them the “answer.” With each resubmittal and return, my comments get more specific. Bear in mind that the extent and form of feedback will vary with the communication channel. She is a college teacher who uses a method similar to this, so I think, yes, it can work! I am also fascinated by Chris’ methods. So I added a step where they have to respond to questions that I ask them in my feedback. Thanks for sharing your process! Here are some examples from my classroom though: Curious about the returns. Above all else, my goal is to help students become better writers. Hear the difference. Thanks! I don’t grade everything they write, but when it comes to the “big essays”—the graded, polished drafts—what grade they will receive becomes the sole motivator for their writing. I’d love to hear how it goes and how you tweak it to make it work for you!! I modified the rubric to fit our project. I’ve been struggling with many of the same things you mention in this article. I added this note in a private comment in Google Classroom for each student. You can reach me on IG, Twitter or FB @loudenclearblog. I make my own Google doc with common comments that I can copy/paste into their assignment and I add more personal ones when needed. It was inspired by a local friend at a different school (fun punchline: having both transitioned away from our former institutions, we now teach at the same school!) I won’t lie: It made me angry. Now I can help some of my math colleagues. ♦. Is ineffective communication a major part of your business? A majority of my professors did the same thing, giving notes and then having conferences privately through the semester. I too loved the results. Not only did I feel like I had wasted my time, I felt like they just didn’t care. Hearing a song on the radio. An UAP is assigned to bathe a patient who, thus far, has had no evidence of skin breakdown. We are required this year to enter 3 grades a week and it’s going to be very hard for me during the writing process I think. Last term I printed off the feedback (without the marks) and gave it to the students so that we could discuss it. If they are talking, it will be to themselves about what they are noticing.). I mean, young adults do the same, they focus on the grade they got and don’t read the feedback. MLA guidelines are also mentioned-do you have a printout of these? I also have a colleague who does a huge evaluation assignment that she gives very thoughtful feedback on and feels it is a waste of time. As far as grades for the process, I usually give my students completion grades (not my favorite, but it provides some motivation to not wait to the end to write the essay) along the way. What kind of grades do you do for the process? The revisions helped most grades and allowed students to put individual ownership on the project. It’s mostly on low-stakes quizzes (what I call “Knowledge Checks” or KC’s) and they have to do corrections for the ones that they got wrong. There were 8 groups. Thanks for this! I have had students revise and resubmit more than 6 times. I’ve found it’s simpler than the process for Kaizena as I can do it all in Canvas without having to move to other programs. Every year, there are always a few that just won’t do the assignment. Return Papers I just finished my first year teaching 7/8 ELA and I really struggled with essays. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was expected to issue guidance in August on a law that would permit over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the response. But they actually improve as writers because I don’t let them get away with mediocre work. Could you maybe email me so we could talk about your question? It really did encourage students to focus on the feedback. Are you Twitter or Facebook? I gave each student their feedback and had them complete the reflection and self-evaluation. The students were to complete a cell cycle poster as part of a group. I have watched many students grow this year from these conversations. And we used to get pissed off if there weren’t many comments from the professor. I don’t do this process with everything, obviously, but I do it a couple times each semester. I didn’t have my process well defined and it never really drove them to think about their writing. I was intrigued by and pleased to see the similarities and resonances! Throughout the entire process, I was in Docs reading their work and making comments and suggestions… AS THEY WERE WORKING — not after they were already finished. Thanks for posting. I would be thrilled for you to use it! Okay, looking back over what I said, it sounds like a lot, but really it’s very easy for you. I’ve been doing it in my HS math classes for over a decade, and with really good results. Thanks for writing this and for sharing the specifics of your practice within the context of writing. State a claim (topic sentence w/ an argument), support it (with evidence, quotes, etc. The second variation has me giving a grade, and the student can get a better grade. Students make corrections to their problem-solving, explain their errors and resubmit. • Tools of Effective Communication This is so amazing! . And yes, I’ve used every one of those combinations, though naturally, some are more common that others! I appreciate the courage it takes to enlist students to “do the heavy lifting,” but (as you state in your piece) their deeper engagement is an important part of making it stick. In a comment above, you said they also “get grades for the process.” What do you mean? Kids must go to the gradebook portal and check their grades. . This is probably the most vital part of the process, because it will give you time to conference with individual students. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. I could also provide more detailed feedback while speaking rather than just writing my comments. Parents, Many of the bus numbers and routes will change for the 2020-2021 school year. Definitely use the template! I’m teaching a college course on essay writing next semester and I was thinking of ditching the final essay, which never gets a re-write, and instead, I want to focus on 4 essays and their own correction report based on a reflection similar to what you present. I have a question, though. , Yes, Chris! –at the end of the year, my students were working on a Southern Gothic Literature unit. I feel like I’m preparing them for college, but then I don’t really know what they are doing in college anymore! Thanks for sharing it. I do a LOT of conferencing throughout the writing process, so we have a lot of those conversations that you probably have during this process. and sympathetic of how long it takes me to grade—haha! And then the snowball of thoughts would start: How will they survive if they don’t care about feedback? It also had the surprise result of lowering grade complaints and requests for higher marks (a common occurrence at that institution). I love the fact that I can explain what I mean without it taking longer! Brilliant! On bigger assignments, I’d have several “checkpoint” grades throughout the process. In addition what I do is take one of two sentences from every essay, print them on a page and give copies to the students. , Hi LaDonna, I’m a Chemistry teacher and this year I started implementing a system that gets my students to process feedback more deeply. When I was teaching in grad school (UC Berkeley, Political Science), I watched with horror a few times as students picked up their mid-term papers, turned to the back page, read the grade…and then *threw the paper into the trash*. LaDonna: I like the idea of leaving constructive comments and then revision time for student to get a better idea on how to correct their formative work. No resubmission, no grade. This time I printed out the page, but in the future I will just share it to save resources. Thank you!! What’s going to happen in college? When you finish grading the papers, return just the written work to students, not the completed rubric. I can be found on both with @loudenclearblog. Students were asked to review the papers and revise…with the caveat that they were supposed to determine why I had highlighted as many issues as possible. Simply handing them over to students after grading didn’t work out for me as well. Consider this example of skin care and the importance of timely intervention. I always wanted to know how to get better too, but so many of these kiddos are focused on their grades (parents have a LOT to do with that, I’d argue). I mean, you literally just hand the paper to the kid whose name is at the top. I also conference with kids throughout their writing process; however with this post, I was focusing on AFTER the process was over and they turned in what they believed to be their “final” draft. In addition, when they finish the piece, I can give them overall feedback, so they can use these to figure out where they would be in terms of meeting the standards, which are in the rubric. Yes, I’ve been there. One more step in the revision process that I find helpful is to ask students to include a brief one-paragraph reflection about how they made their writing stronger. I wrote in detail about CSI in a post (http://www.loudenclearblog.com/2017/06/20/how-csi-helps-students-organize-their-paragraphs/ ). This past year I gave a partner project where students had to create a problem relating to a topic we were studying, and then offer a solution. It is so cool to hear what they have to say. We have students do professional documentation; but grading and helping them learn to reason through the process is very frustrating. I don’t do a lot of grades, so I don’t have an exact answer–I’m sorry! Your email address will not be published. Sometimes students are interested in working on a particular aspect of their writing, and it might not be what I was thinking needed the most work. It’s lots of work for you and for the students, but over time, the learning/work ratio is much higher than anything else I’ve used or seen. When I return assessments, I identify the mistakes with only limited information (i.e. I’m all for strategies to get students to read and learn from feedback, but about halfway through your post, I started to wonder why you don’t utilize the comment section in Docs and the private comment option in Google Classroom instead.