Feedback that moves them on
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One comment on one piece of work
A comment is worth writing if the learner can do something with it. Here is a six-line answer from a Level 2 Health and Social Care learner, with a three-line comment under it: one thing that works, one thing to fix, and what to do now.
The handout
Why is it important to treat a resident with dignity?
Dignity means treating people with respect.
It is important because residents can feel embarrassed.
Carers should knock before entering a room.
They should also ask what name the resident likes.
This makes the resident feel valued.
So dignity is very important in care.
- What works: you gave two real actions, knocking and asking for a name.
- Next step: say what could go wrong for the resident if the carer does not knock.
- Do it now: add that to line 3, then show me.
Pick an activity. Each takes two or three minutes.
A three-line comment, and five minutes in the lesson to act on it.
Why this works in your room
Feedback only works if the learner does something with it.
For your learners: They know what was good, what to do next, and they are given five minutes in the lesson to do it.
For you: You write three lines and not a paragraph, and you see the same mistake less often next time.
The comment
Three lines on the work
What works: name one thing, exactly.
Next step: one thing, not five.
Do it now: a job for five minutes.
Handing back
Start of the lesson, five minutes
Say: Five minutes. Do your next step, then show me.
While they work
Walk round and look at the line they added, not at the whole page.
Watch out for
A longer comment. Three things to fix is no next step.
Praise for the person, with nothing to repeat.
Next time
Do three pieces of work this way.
Ask what each learner did with it.
Elsewhere in Bradford ThreadWorks
Big 4Rubrics and feedback in Teams.Open Big 4 (opens in a new tab)
WalkThrusFeedback that moves learners on: whole-class feedback, redrafting and success criteria.Open WalkThrus (opens in a new tab)
Prompts to paste into Copilot
Copilot can turn rough marking notes into feedback learners can act on. Leave out names and anything that identifies a learner.
Turn my comments into next steps
Here are comments I often write on [subject] work: [paste comments]. Rewrite each so that it tells the learner exactly what to do next, in under 20 words.
A five-minute redo task
The most common mistake in my class's work on [topic] was [mistake]. Write a five-minute task that makes learners fix that mistake in their own work, with a model answer for me.
The three questions
A review of the research on feedback found it works best when it tells the learner where they are going, how they are doing and what to do next, and worst when it is praise aimed at the person.
Hattie and Timperley, 2007 (opens in a new tab)How much difference
The Education Endowment Foundation rates feedback at about six months of extra progress, for very little cost. Its guidance puts the weight on learners getting the chance to use the feedback.
EEF, Teacher Feedback to Improve Pupil Learning (opens in a new tab)How sure is this?
Moderately. Feedback can make work worse as well as better, so the effects vary a lot. Most studies are in schools. The five-minute response is advice from the guidance, not a tested recipe in FE.
No source claimed