Even for experienced teachers, providing effective feedback is not always easy. It’s an art that you are constantly improving.
You could be a NQT assessing Early Learning Goals in the EYFS or an experienced teacher preparing for Year 6 SATs. No matter who you are or what you are doing, feedback is essential for student progress.
It’s a tricky balance to get right. You must push students further while still maintaining their confidence.
We have all been there: you spend valuable time writing feedback in students’ books, only to find that the same issues crop up again.
Some teachers believe that providing effective feedback requires trial and error. This is definitely true!
Other teachers may already use lots of strategies. But there is still value in adding a bit of varying your routine from time to time.
Fancy learning a few more ideas to add to your toolkit? In this blog, you will find 20 strategies for giving constructive teacher feedback, so you can mix things up and boost student engagement.
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Now see how to provide effective teacher feedback in the following section!
20 Teacher Feedback Strategies to Try
As teachers, we use a variety of feedback methods on a daily basis. But there are lots of new techniques and tricks you can try. Below are 20 ideas for inspiration:
1. Make it immediate
Encourage students while learning is still fresh by giving feedback ASAP.
Here’s a pro tip: keeping a pen in your pocket as you move around the classroom is an easy way to mark on the go. If you have a TA or a confident student, place them in an area where they can interact with other groups and provide encouraging feedback.
2. Involve other pupils
Allowing children to see other people’s work is always a valuable learning experience. You can use the Peer Editing Checklist to help your students identify features in their friends’ work. Showing model examples and work that has been edited and improved encourages children to adopt a growth mindset. Even better, it encourages children to be brave enough to try things, even if they are difficult.
3. Make it actionable
Your feedback should encourage children to review their learning and take action. Instead of referring to a distant future, help students to consider what actions they can take right now.
4. Make it goal-oriented.
Try and relate feedback to a lesson objective or personal learning goal. If children have a goal, they also have a motivator. Referring back to this goal throughout a lesson helps you to connect the dots.
5. Make it positive
Our best piece of advice? Make a sandwich. Not literally, but you could place each point for improvement between at least two positive comments.
6. Make it shareable
Celebrate children’s achievements with the school community by providing shareable feedback. This could be a certificate to display in assembly or sending postcard home to parents and carers.
7. Make it specific
Avoid using feedback phrases such as ‘Good work’ or ‘Good try’. Instead, tell students exactly what part of their learning is beneficial.
One good example is: ‘You can label a diagram and explain your hypothesis.’ Tailored feedback helps learners to feel recognised as individuals and clear about their personal learning objectives.
8. Give pupils ownership
Giving children options for what they can do when they get stuck encourages them to become more independent.
Here are a few ideas: keep a dictionary on hand for writing assignments, or motivate them to consult a friend before approaching a teacher.
9. Make it trackable
You can track it by using different methods like formal assessment data or a simple reward chart. Why keep track of feedback? It means you can observe patterns in progress and use this to inform your teaching. It also allows students to refer to positive feedback, which boosts their confidence.
10. Involve parents
Sharing feedback with parents is beneficial because it enables children to learn outside of the classroom. You could use a learning journal, which also allows parents to record progress.
11. Make it tangible
When used sparingly, tangible feedback, such as a ‘Well done’ sticker, can improve children’s self-esteem. If you’re teaching older children, you can tailor rewards to their interests. Why not use a sticker reward bookmark?
It is something you can transfer to being a whole-class reward too. You could keep a school teddy in your classroom for a week as a reward for positive learning attitudes.
12. Make it ambitious
Teacher feedback can be both realistic and ambitious.
Students can achieve ambitious objectives with scaffolded feedback, which provides clues to guide children to the next step.
13. Use technology
Apps and games can provide interactive and timely feedback to children. Even better, this can be done individually or with the entire class.
4. Make it visible
Make feedback available during and after learning. Rather than removing written feedback after students have read it, make it easily accessible.
15. Make it honest
No child wants to avoid making mistakes. Create an open and honest environment in which students understand that it is ok to make mistakes on occasion.
As a teacher, model self-assessment and share with your class when you find something difficult. Let students know that you will be honest and want to help them improve their learning.
16. Make it one-on-one
Students value having the teacher’s attention. One-on-one conferences also allow you to expand on previous comments.
17. Involve more adults
Ask other teachers, TAs, or SLT to provide feedback on student work. This way, you’ll be able to identify new strategies to adopt (plus, students will be eager to impress).
18. Make it fun!
Make sharing feedback enjoyable! Ask children to use handy self-assessment fans to make evaluating learning easier.
19. Make it regular
Avoid leaving long gaps between providing feedback to students. Consistent and regular feedback helps students stay on track with their learning.
20. Make it unique
Everyone learns differently. Discover what motivates and works best for everyone, and apply that knowledge to your advantage.
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Conclusion
There are almost endless possibilities when it comes to picking feedback techniques. Plus, experimenting with what works for you and your students is part of the fun.
Teacher feedback tips all have one thing in common though: to help you to help the learner progress.
