Why it works
Research on feedback increasingly emphasizes the receiver: feedback has no effect unless students understand it, value it, and act on it, yet students often ignore comments, focus only on the grade, or do not know how to use feedback. Building feedback literacy, teaching students to read and interpret feedback, appreciate its purpose, and act on it (with time and structure to do so), is what makes feedback improve learning. The best feedback is wasted if students do not use it.
The research: Research on feedback literacy (Carless; Boud).
The run-of-show
Choose your slot. The agenda, timings, and length update to match.
The core activity: build feedback literacy
Teachers leave with a plan to teach students to understand and act on feedback.
- Notice whether students currently use your feedback or ignore it.
- Teach them to read and interpret feedback.
- Give time and structure to act on it (revise, respond).
- Make using feedback a routine, and consider separating it from the grade.
Facilitator notes
- Teach students to read and use feedback.
- Build in time to act on it, and separate from the grade where possible.
- Make it routine.
Adapt it
- <b>Elementary:</b> simple feedback, guided response, revision.
- <b>Secondary:</b> interpreting feedback, revision routines, acting on it.
- <b>All settings:</b> teach to use feedback, time to act.
Participant handout
One page for every teacher. Print it, or save it as a PDF.
Feedback Literacy: students use it
<b>Turn feedback into growth:</b> teach students to read, value, and act on feedback, with time and structure to do so.
- Whether students currently use my feedback:
- How I teach them to read and interpret it:
- The time and structure to act on it:
- How I make using feedback routine:
- Whether I can separate it from the grade:
Make it stick
Students use feedback:
- Teach feedback literacy.
- Build in time to act.
- Bring students acting on feedback to the next PLC.