Feedback and Marking

Feedback was one of the key elements of formative assessment identified by Black and Wiliam in Inside the Black Box. Research suggests that changes to the way feedback is given can have positive effects on attainment as well as on other aspects of education.

This paper amplifies the advice given in the Toolkit paper on Formative Assessment. It should be read in conjunction with that paper and with others such as those on Targets, Motivation and Praise as well as the various Assessment papers.

Points Arising from Research

Most teachers can benefit from reassessing the way they give feedback to pupils
Giving marks or grades tends to have a negative effect, even when accompanied by helpful comments
Instructive, improvement feedback improves pupil motivation
Prompt and positive feedback, reinforcing pupils’ efforts, has been shown to raise serotonin levels (high levels of serotonin are associated with enhanced neural networking and higher order thinking, leading to an improved predisposition to learn).

Key Elements of Feedback and Marking

Types of feedback

Written comments:
- should emphasise what is positive in the work
- should identify no more than two or three main areas for improvement
- should make suggestions as to how the improvement can be effected
- must be clearly legible and understood by pupils (This may seem obvious, but….)
Marks and/or grades:
- tend to make high achievers complacent and distract from any written advice
- tend to reinforce low achievers’ sense of failure
- are probably best kept for teachers’ mark sheets and for formal reports, rather than being written on pupils’ work
- must be clearly understood by pupils (and parents) when they are used
Feedback from fellow pupils (with some training) has been found to be very effective
Feedback can relate to short-term targets, but pupils should be aware of progress in relation to long-term goals
The nature of the feedback depends on its purpose and its intended audience
An important element of the process is the feedback the teacher gets from pupils
Feedback in real situations is particularly effective (eg using a Modern Language with a native speaker, planning and carrying out a science experiment or using oral skills in a functional phone call).

Principles of effective feedback

It should be related to clearly understood and agreed targets/criteria (which will be appropriate to the individual pupil)
- It should describe how performance will be measured and why.
- It should set exemplary standards, preferably in measurement terms.
- Frequent and unequivocal feedback about each learner’s performance should be provided.
- It should provide information – to help pupils improve performance/close the learning gap
- It should encourage learners to incorporate enquiry and evaluation into their everyday learning experiences and thus into their thinking.
- It should relate various aspects of poor performance to specific improvement actions.
It should be genuine and relate to specifics (instead of being vague/general)
It should promote dialogue and reflective self-assessment, with pupils invited to comment on the feedback
Feedback given whilst the pupil is still engaged on the task is particularly effective; solving complex challenges which requires responding to the feedback (during the learning) is powerful and leads to competence and mastery.
Modelling/scaffolding before and after the task is helpful in establishing the criteria on which feedback is based
There must be purposeful opportunity for the pupil to act upon advice given in feedback (and time is required for this process)
It should focus on what the pupil has done well and then give a limited number of suggestions for improvement (no more than 3 - and possibly just one)
Try “two stars and a wish” - two positive comments on what has been achieved and one target for improvement
Next steps in the learning process should clearly connect with and be influenced by feedback on a task
Appropriate feedback for all pupils is an important element of the inclusion process
Verbalising ideas (by both teacher and pupil) during the feedback process is very beneficial
Comparisons between pupils should be avoided since this can be demotivating (hence avoiding grades which provide such comparators).

Other issues affecting feedback

Feedback should be part of a positive culture of achievement in the classroom
The emphasis should be on valuing what the pupil has achieved and providing encouragement which is instructive, to maximise self-directed learning
- Descriptive feedback should be educative and against SPECIFIC criteria
- Pupils should understand what successful performance looks like and how it can be achieved in light of given feedback, therefore there should be CLARITY (understanding) about goals/success criteria
Feedback is unlikely to be effective unless the purpose and value of the task are clearly understood and accepted by the pupil
Paperwork should be kept to a minimum
Planning at whole-school, department and classroom level should build in systematic assessments appropriately timed so that the value of feedback can be maximised

Some issues relating to marking

More assessment is not necessarily better; more feedback is not necessarily better
Time spent on marking should be proportionate and should not dominate the teacher’s workload
Coordinated planning and timing of assessments can ease workload
More time spent on the preparatory stages of a task can reduce the need for remedial work
Pupils should understand that they will eventually be judged on work completed without teacher assistance
When it is possible to work with a pupil in class and give verbal feedback this can ease workload as well as being particularly effective
It is not necessary to mark all errors - this can be demotivating (Remember purposeful marking should link specifically to previously stated Learning Outcomes)
Marking of selected errors (perhaps in just part of a piece of work) should be used in encouragement of a culture of self-correction and self-evaluation
Marking of errors should be limited to what is relevant/necessary to the purpose
Pupils should not come to see formally marked work as the overwhelming priority in coursework
Whole school policies on marking should be understood by pupils and parents (who can be involved in their establishment and monitorin
Marking codes should be used to ease workload - but these should be clearly understood by pupils (and parents)
Pupils often don’t like teachers writing on their work, but are happy to take advice in other ways - post-it notes have been used to effect (can be collected by pupil or teacher)
General criteria can be established for all work (need to be established and reinforced early in the year), with specific ones for individual tasks

Reflection and Discussion

Does your practice make use of the principles described above?

Are there aspects of feedback which you feel you could reconsider?

What is the best way to deal with a situation when a pupil seems not to be acting upon advice given in feedback?

Some activities relating to the issue of Feedback and Marking

Key element	Objective	Action
Some examples and suggestions
Types of feedback	Marks and/or grades	Many teachers have reported unease at the idea of ceasing to put grades/marks on pupils’ work. However, the evidence suggests that it is worth not giving this sort of feedback unless it is required for a specific purpose such as formal reports. Try this strategy, and stick with it for a while, even if there is resistance. Parents should be informed of what you intend to do and why.
Principles of effective feedback	It should promote dialogue and reflective self-assessment, with pupils invited to comment on the feedback	Do you give pupils opportunity to comment on the feedback they have been given? Try setting up sessions in which this is required in some form - perhaps peers commenting to each other on the feedback they have received.
Other issues affecting feedback	Feedback should be part of a culture of achievement in the classroom	Reflect on how individuals may be perceiving your valuation of their work. What sort of words do you use? Can you reduce the amount of negative comment? Go out of your way to highlight success and give the impression that pupils are achieving well.
Some issues relating to marking	Marking of selected errors (perhaps in just part of a piece of work) should be used in encouragement of a culture of self-correction	Pupils may work to correct errors marked by the teacher, but then make the same errors in the next piece of work. Try limited “spot” marking, pressurising pupils to look for similar mistakes in the rest of a piece of work. Take time with pupils to promote a self-correction culture.