Good feedback is complex, but it starts with having a clear learning target. You’ll find more about giving students feedback and what is means to give good feedback in Honest Math Chat episode 28 “Giving Students Feedback 4 Tips from my Elementary Math Class”
Have you ever given your students feedback and they got it, gave it a quick glance and put it directly into their folder… the folder with about 50 graded pieces of work that they’ve never looked at since?
Yeah, me too.
Until I learned about how to engage my students in the assessment process. I realized that students are the key stakeholder in understanding. It doesn’t matter what the curriculum, scope & sequence, or my district administration say… I have to engage my students in using the information I was gathering about them. Once I made this shift I unlocked a whole new level of engagement in my elementary classroom.
You can have that too. Not by giving grades or more feedback, but by helping your students understand the feedback you’re giving them through helping them understand the learning target.
What do clear learning targets and good feedback have to do with one another?
As we talked about on the last episode # 28, good feedback is information about behavior and performance. Good feedback can really help our students in many ways…
- Improve their understanding
- Consider something they missed in the assignment & fix their mistakes
- Try a different approach that is more effective or efficient
- Revise
- Add new ideas
- And so much more
However, if feedback is not clear it can be useless. This series is all about helping you improve the effectiveness of giving students feedback and helping your students use that feedback, without adding more time or stress to your plate. So, let’s work together here to find ways to start giving students feedback in effective ways!
Don’t start giving students feedback on everything…. instead get better at giving just some good feedback. Today we are going to talk about getting clear on the learning goal so we can give better quality feedback
So what are learning targets and what does it have to do with good feedback?
A learning goal aka as a learning target or lesson objective is a small, specific, and attainable goal that you have for students.
These are typically based on standards and will guide a series or unit of lessons.
A learning target also has a rubric or criteria for mastering the goal. This is the essential part– the criteria list!
You have to have a clear set of criteria for what it looks like to meet the learning target. This helps both you and the students be very clear on what is expected of the students. Then, students know exactly what they need to do or learn. Leading to you being able to tell them exactly what parts of their thinking or work is missing from the criteria list.
This right here is how you engage your students in assessment.
Imagine this…
My students are working on the learning target: I can use ratio & rate reasoning to solve real world problems. The criteria list is this:
1- solve real world problems that involve ratios, rate, and percent accurately
2- show how you solved with a clear strategy
3- label your answer
4- calculate rate
5- calculate percentage.
Then, while we are solving real world problems and practicing through discussions and problem solving collaboratively we will work on all these elements. At the end of class I’ll give students one problem to solve as an exit ticket. I’ll have this criteria list printed right there on the exit ticket so they know exactly what they have to do. They will solve and turn in.
I’ll then use that criteria list to quickly give them feedback. Checking off the criteria present on their exit ticket and leaving it blank where they did not meet the criteria. Then, I’ll hand back their exit ticket and ask students to reflect on what they notice & set goals for improvement or ask questions.
So, why have a clear learning targets and criteria list before giving good feedback?
There are a few reasons why you need a clear learning target and criteria before giving students feedback.
# 1 Equity
Having clear learning targets makes learning fair. It is equitable when your students know what they are expected to do before they are assessed- formally or informally .
Think about that… What if you were asked to do something with little/no directions and then at the end told what you did wrong or missed even though you didn’t know you were supposed to do such things. Wouldn’t seem fair, right?
#2 Leadership in Their Learning
Knowing the learning target and criteria for meeting helps students take a leadership role in their learning. They are able to identify what is expected of them and check themselves before they turn in their work. Clear learning targets teach students to take pride in their work by checking over the criteria and ensuring they’ve done their best work
#3 It’s easier
Third, criteria and a learning target make things so much easier– for you and students. When you know exactly what to grade students on and the criteria is right there you just have to make some check marks and put the grade (if you wish) on the assignment. You don’t have to write out long comments or circle and mark up the wrong parts. This makes it easy for your students to see the same criteria over time and they start to really understand the expectations.
#4 Goal Setting
Fourth, it helps students set goals and an action plan. When there is a clear criteria students start to see from the feedback what they get and don’t get. Then, they are better able to create an action plan to improve– they know what questions to ask or what parts to focus their practice on.
I honestly could go on and on about why a clear learning goal and criteria are key.
How to give good feedback with learning targets?
- Choose a learning objective or lesson you’re teaching next week. What is the objective? What is the standard? (You can pull this directly from your curriculum or state standards)
- Write the objective in student friendly language
- Think about 3 to 5 things students have to do to show their mastery of that learning target. If you aren’t sure check the unit test or the summative statewide assessment for that standard.
- Create a checklist on an anchor chart or a piece of paper so you can explain it to students and start making the criteria super clear.
- Start giving feedback.
- Beware– this might be very different for some students and they might be uncomfrotabble with getting feedback that is cool or not raving or doesn’t have an A on it. Be sure to spend some time talking about the importance of feedback, what it is and how you will be using feedback in your classroom to set goals and improve. Refer to this math norms article to establish (or re-establish) your math norms as you engage in this work with your class. This Honest Math Chat podcast episode discusses the re-establishing part!
Math Teacher Pep Talk!
You’ve got this friend! You are well on your way to finding ways to help your students take charge of their learning. To understand what is expected of their learning through a clear learning goal and criteria. Then, you’ll be able to give them specific and helpful feedback that can help them improve. Remember it is quality over quantity. Give high quality feedback that students will understand and be able to apply to their work because you’ve helped them understand the goal and the criteria for success.
One Response