101. The Transformative Power of AI

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Folks, let’s face it. Our classrooms are going to look a little different this year. AI, specifically ChatGPT, is going to change the way we design learning experiences and assess student mastery. I’ll be honest, when I first explored the ChatGPT platform I was terrified. As I have dug deeper into the technology and its capabilities, I realized that while it does pose significant challenges — it also presents us with some pretty amazing opportunities. In this series, we will explore what AI is capable of, its implications in the classroom, and how it can benefit both teachers and students. Let’s start by examining where we have been, where we are currently, and looking forward to where we are going. Whether this is a trip you wanted to go on or not, the AI train has left the station and it is time for all of us to jump on board. From Card Catalogs to Artificial Intelligence I belong to the micro-generation called Xennial. Xennials are considered to be a “bridge” between Generation X a...
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91: Providing Feedback: What's the Process?

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This is Part 2 in a series about providing meaningful feedback for students in a way that is sustainable for teachers. In this post, we will explore ways to redesign the feedback process to ensure that it is effective, efficient and sustainable. 

I know we all have different grading loads based on our respective classes, but does anyone ever feel truly caught up? I know I don't. Sometimes my desk looks an awful lot like the teacher's desk in this cartoon. In my previous post, I shared how the purpose of an assignment can inform the type of feedback that should be given to students. Is it practice, progress or product? In this post, I will share two strategies that helped me move the feedback process back into the classroom where it can have the greatest impact.

Reframing the Feedback Process
Feedback is a necessary part of the learning process. Students need to be able to identify their progress towards learning goals. For feedback to be most effective, it must be provided regularly, in a timely fashion, and be clear. The question faced by many teachers is HOW can I provide feedback in a way that is both timely and meaningful? Providing feedback takes time and time is a very limited resource. I have found that changing WHEN and HOW I provide feedback helps me provide effective feedback without burning the midnight oil.

Here's the deal. I provide the majority of my feedback to students during our class time together. This allows me to provide feedback that is differentiated for each student. I get the chance to have an actual conversation with them about their work! It also provides me with the time to answer any questions that they have or provide coaching to help them build their knowledge and skill set.

I use four different strategies to move feedback back into the classroom; (1) Side-by-Side grading, (2) Flash Feedback, (3) Delayed Grading, and (4) AV Feedback. You can mix and match these strategies to meet the needs of your class.

Side-by-Side Grading (Catlin Tucker)
This strategy was a game changer for me. For each of my unit tests, I assign my students a Free-Response Question (FRQ). In the past, I would administer the test and then rush home to get all 150 of them graded before class the next day. I provided written feedback for each student about why each answer did or did not score. It not only took a ton of time, but I now realize it wasn't very effective. The students rarely read the feedback. They were most interested in the grade!

As a result of these experiences, I changed HOW and WHEN I provided feedback. 
  • HOW: The very first question I ask myself is "what's the purpose?" If the purpose is to produce something that demonstrates what they have already learned, I do not provide written feedback. This type of assignment is best graded by a clear rubric. If the purpose of the FRQ is to determine their progress towards a learning goal, I provide specific and actionable feedback. 
  • WHEN: Next, I have to determine when I am going to provide feedback. Most of the time my "when" is in class. One of my new favorite ways to provide feedback is through Side-by-Side grading.The Latin root for the word assessment is "assidere" which means "to sit with." Feedback is a process that is most effective when it is done together, not in isolation. 
During Side-by-Side grading, the teacher meets with the student individually and they "grade" the assignment together. Here is an overview of the process.
  • Identify the assignment that you would like to target. Identify the PURPOSE of the assignment.
  • Note: You can use this strategy for progress monitoring or a product assessment. Just remember, how you will be using this time will be different depending on the purpose. If it is a progress assignment, provide descriptive feedback. If it is a product assessment, the student will sit with you as you grade their assignment with a rubric.
  • Develop a short rubric for the assignment focusing on 1-3 key skills. Those are the ONLY skills that you will address in your feedback session. If you are using this time to provide a grade, consider using a single-point rubric to simplify the discussion.
  • Design a lesson that does not require active facilitation that you can assign the rest of the class while you are meeting with students. For example, the students could be working on a choice board, playlist, flipped lesson, or you can even make this a station in a station-rotation!
  • Set a time limit for how long you will meet with each student and use a timer. You might need to spread this over multiple days.
  • Establish clear expectations with your students about the scope of your time together. Explain the purpose, clarify the procedure, introduce the lesson, set the timer and go!
One way to conduct your Side-by-Side feedback grading is to conduct a think-aloud. Share what you noticed, identify areas of development, mark the rubric (if you are using one), and answer questions. If you are using this time to grade a summative product, the purpose of this time is to assess student learning. It is not an instructional session. I recommend you move any re-teaching to a different time.

Why I love this strategy is that it provides meaningful feedback for the students in a way that is sustainable for me. Plus, it gives me the chance to meet with my students individually. I have a better understanding of their progress and it gives me the opportunity to connect directly with each student.

Flash Feedback (Matt Johnson)
I know my grading load seems really heavy at times - but it is nothing compared to our English teachers. How often have you seen them head out the door on a Friday afternoon with a stack of papers three-feet high? The following strategy was developed by an English teacher named Matthew Johnson. He wanted to provide teachers with a way to give differentiated feedback in a way that is mindful of the time constraints facing teachers.

Flash Feedback is feedback that is immediate. It takes mere minutes to provide because it is limited in focus. It can be provided face-to-face (my favorite), as written comments on an assignment, or even using audio feedback (more on that in my next post!). The teacher identifies 1-2 learning objectives to target during each session. The student is asked to review their work using a rubric or by highlighting certain skills in their work. The students should be doing the heavy lifting. The teacher and student then meet for a set period of time and discuss only the designated objectives. A spillover plan for students who need additional support is put into place.

There are a few ways to offer this type of feedback in the classroom; including targeted response and micro-conferencing.

1. Targeted Response: A targeted response focuses on one or two specific skills. For example, you might only be providing feedback on a student's thesis statement. Due to the time constraints, it might be helpful to have a rubric that you can quickly mark or, if you are grading an online assignment, consider using a tool like permanent clipboard which allows you save and insert commonly used comments on Google Docs. That way you don't have to keep retyping the same thing over and over again.

2. Micro-Conferences: These mini-conferences are used to quickly address a specific skill. Again, the students should be doing the heavy lifting before you even meet. For example, if I wanted to provide flash feedback on a FRQ I could ask my students to circle each term, underline the definition, and then put a star next to their application. Another option is to ask the students to engage in metacognition by rating themselves and providing a justification for their rating. You could even use this as a stopping point for a project in which they share an action plan with you.

Flash Feedbacks sessions are a powerful way to disrupt negative student beliefs, mindsets and behaviors. First, it is affirming to the student that you have high expectations for them. One study found that telling students that you do have high expectations for them and that you do believe they are capable has a dramatic effect on student performance. There was a fascinating experiment conducted at a middle school in Massachusetts that found that students who were told "I am giving you these comments because I have very high expectations and I know you can reach them" were twice as likely to complete revision than students who were told "I'm giving you these comments so that you'll have feedback on your paper." High expectations matter!

I hope you found these two strategies to be helpful. Both strategies seek to leverage your time with your students to deliver powerful feedback in a sustainable manner. I will share two additional strategies in my next post in this series. If you are interested in learning more about Flash Feedback, I recommend checking out Johnson's book, Flash Feedback: Responding to Student Writing Better and Faster – Without Burning Out.

Be Well,
Cori

Other Posts in this Series:
#90: Providing Feedback: What's the Purpose?

Resources:

Gonzalez, J. (2021, August 19). Meet the single point rubric. Cult of Pedagogy. Retrieved January 5, 2023, from https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/single-point-rubric/

Gonzalez, J. (2021, November 18). Moving from feedback to Feedforward. Cult of Pedagogy. Retrieved January 5, 2023, from https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/feedforward/

Grading & Feedback. Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning. (2020, January 14). Retrieved January 5, 2023, from https://dcal.dartmouth.edu/resources/evaluating-student-learning/grading-feedback

How do I use mastery paths in course modules? Instructure. (2022, December 17). Retrieved January 5, 2023, from https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Instructor-Guide/How-do-I-use-Mastery-Paths-in-course-modules/ta-p/906

Louden, K. (2021, August 19). Delaying the grade: How to get students to read feedback. Cult of Pedagogy. Retrieved January 5, 2023, from https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/delayed-grade

Stuart , D. (2020, September 4). How (and why) to leave audio feedback on student work this year, whether during in-person or distance learning. Dave Stuart Jr. Retrieved January 5, 2023, from https://davestuartjr.com/how-and-why-to-leave-audio-feedback-on-student-work-distance-learning/

Tucker, Catlin (2022). Side-by-side assessments: Grading with students. Dr Catlin Tucker. Retrieved January 5, 2023, from https://catlintucker.com/2022/05/side-by-side-assessments/

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