Assignment #8: Complete the 4 part assignment format as you read, reflect, and respond to Chapter 8: Setting Objectives & Providing Feedback.
Remember: Although your course packet asks you to post to blog for parts A, B, C, and D…we are asking that you only post part C and D. We’re trying to make the blog easier to read and more user- friendly. Thanks!
A. Self Assessment of Current Beliefs and Practices: This component asks you to reflect on how and why you currently use the instructional strategy of Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback in your classroom. The intent of this is to activate your prior knowledge of your strategy use so that you can make comparisons as you read the chapter. Below are the questions to help you complete your self-assessment.
• What is your purpose when you set objectives and/or feedback in your classroom?
• How do you set objectives in your current classroom instruction?
• When and how do you communicate classroom objectives to your students?
• What kind of feedback do you provide for your students?
B. Read & Reflect “Research & Theory”: This portion of the assignment asks you to read chapter 8 and reflect briefly on your thinking after reading the “Research and Theory” section for Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback.
C. Practice: Choose one of the specific “classroom practice” strategies or techniques shared in this chapter to try out with your students (If you are not currently teaching, you may share how you would use this strategy in your classroom). Please post a brief reflection of how this went to the posting labeled Week Eight: Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback. Click on the “comment” link below.
D. Final Strategy Reflection: Use the following sequence of questions/prompts to reflect on what you’ve learned about both the strategies presented in the chapter and what you’ve learned about yourself as both a teacher and a learner. Please post your brief reflection to the posting labeled Week Eight: Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback by clicking on the “comment” link below.
How has the information you read in this chapter on Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback effected your thinking about teaching and learning? What have you learned about yourself as a teacher and learner? Use the following questions to assist you in writing a brief strategy reflection:
• The generalizations related to setting objectives explain that goals should be clear and specific, but also flexible enough for students to personalize the goals. Consider the objectives you are expected to use, that is, those provided by your school, district, or state. To what extent do you feel they meet the criteria of clarity, specificity, and flexibility?
• How does the information in Figure 8.3 about "Corrective Feedback" shed light on your own experiences with giving and receiving feedback? For example, does it surprise you that research indicates that simply telling students whether an answer is right or wrong can have a negative effect on their achievement?
• How might you change how you communicate objectives to students and parents?
• How will you monitor how well students are meeting their learning objectives?
• How will you engage students in the feedback process (consider use of rubrics)?
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6 comments:
Marisa H.
Part C. Practice
I have been using a literacy structure in my classroom called The Daily Five. This is a very flexible reading program that sets goals for students, supports students to become an independent reader, helps students to learn reading strategies to support early reading skills, and also provides students with choice when it comes to choosing the books read during literacy block. I love this program and will continue to use it in my classroom for years to come. The reasons I like this program so much are clearly defined in chapter 8 of “Classroom Instruction that Works”. With The Daily Five, students are setting goals based on their literacy skills. They are getting timely feedback and support when practicing and achieving these goals. Students are also working toward being independent learners, identifying their own reading goals and recognizing when they have achieved their goal. Yes… I can do all of this with Kindergartners! At the beginning of the year, I asses my students to see where their reading abilities lie. Next, I teach the Daily Five model and after a couple of weeks began to individually conference with students. We set goals by first going over a student’s strengths and weaknesses (based on assessments and their own perceptions). For example, a student may say they are really good at knowing their alphabet and sounds, but struggle with blending the sounds together when reading. I would next talk about specific goals with that student and then together we would write down the goal of “blending sounds” when reading. That student would then practice that important reading strategy by reading on their own during “Read to Self”, or by participating in small groups of children who have the same goal, or also by choosing “Word Work” as a Daily Five choice and blending sounds together when using flash cards or by playing some kind of literacy game. I would check in with that student a couple of times a week during Daily Five choice time and check mark on my conference sheet when that student is achieving the previously set goal. I would provide feedback to that student and we would create another literacy goal together when that student has achieved the first goal of “blending sounds”. This process is clearly defined in chapter 8 and fits in perfectly with my literacy program!
Part D. Reflection
I think this is an important chapter to remember because like the examples in the book, teachers may get busy and not provide feedback to students until it’s too late and both the teacher and the student may have moved on from the test or assignment. I like providing feedback to my students, especially when it comes to reading and literacy skills. The importance of the Daily Five program is that it’s flexible and allows students to choose their own goals with teacher support, and it also gives time for the teacher and the student to meet consistently so that the teacher can provide individual feedback while reviewing student goals. I will continue to provide feedback to my students after an assignment or test, and remind myself daily how important feedback can be to a student. Looking back on my own education, I clearly identified with the section regarding providing feedback. I am much more likely to learn if someone tells me why my answer is wrong, rather than just tell me that my answer is wrong. This is an important thing to remember as an educator. I will also keep in mind that parents need specific feed back as well regarding their student’s progress and academic growth.
C. Practice
Everyone in my District has been trained in SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol). The main idea of SIOP is setting and sharing Lesson and Behavior Objectives for each unit with the students. I always understood the need for our students to see what they will be learning, but that is just the half of it. I loved the technique of having the students keep a goal journal. In it, they write the teacher goal/objective, but they also write their own goals/objectives for the unit. What a great idea!! I am going to try this with my upcoming Revolutionary War Unit.
D. Final Strategy Reflection:
• The objectives we are expected to use in our state are mostly nice and general, however they are not flexible. I don’t really feel like I have the wiggle room I need to be creative and accommodating.
• I loved reading the section on Corrective Feedback. I always struggle with this in my classroom. I am half time and see 90 students twice a week for Social Studies. Who has the time to give appropriate feedback to each and every student on a regular basis?? However, it is very important! I need to find the time to fit it in. When I do, I see a huge difference in the students buy in, as well as their response to me and my teaching. When I taught Math and I was grading a test, I would only mark whether an answer was right or wrong. I did this because I then had my students correct their tests. They had to include an explanation along with their work so I knew they understood what to do. Then, when I graded the redone work, I would add more feedback. I think the students and parents appreciated the chance to redo or relearn material. I always say, “It doesn’t matter to me when you learn it, but I do care that you learn it.”
C. Practice
If I had a classroom, I’d like to try this feedback idea in math: After a math assessment, check papers and create a tally sheet indicating which problems are incorrect, making note of those missed with the most frequency and the errors that lead to the miscalculations. Also look for student papers that followed the process being taught and obtained the correct answer. Students that did correct work would be asked to demonstrate and explain their work to a group of students that missed the question. These student-teachers would be coached on presenting a problem, explaining process, writing so that fellow students can follow along, etc. Student groups would be formed, everyone would have their assessment in hand, and student-teachers would present. I would float the room, adding coaching as needed. All-class discussion to follow, providing feedback to the activity. How did it work? Did issues get clarified? Check for understanding. Then, have a new set of problems similar to those missed ready for a re-teach lesson. Completed individually, answers posted, partner reviewed, then those with correct work (and myself) rove the classroom to help peers. I think this could be an interesting approach and combination of feedback techniques.
D. Reflection
I’m all for student-led feedback and it, like all other classroom processes, must be taught and practiced. Teach students how to give constructive feedback and constructive criticism, and then how to personally process and use the feedback/criticism given. A senior at the high school gave her Senior Project Presentation the other day and she did not meet standard in several areas. She was not a happy camper. When told why she didn’t pass she became very upset and didn’t take in the constructive criticism given, which included to-the-point information as to how to modify the presentation. I talked with her later in the day about how to take in and use the feedback given without taking offense. Ultimately, I think she was able to absorb some of the pointers, but it was tough going.
Formulating and documenting goals is a very empowering process. Teach students the purpose of setting goals and specific vocabulary for writing goals. Be sure students know what “measurable” and “concrete” evidence of learning would look like, sound like, consist of. High school students fill in goal sheets and goal review sheets throughout the year. I feel that if time is spent filling these sheets out, teachers need to help students see the worth and purpose of doing it. What I saw happening the other day: Student receives C in Math at 6-week grade check. Their goal is to get Bs in all classes. The question on the goal sheet states “What can be done to increase at least one letter grade?” Student writes in “Study more.” That was it. The sheet was turned in. End of process. Now tell me… was that worth the student’s time, worth the class instruction time, or worth the paper the sheet was printed on?
Communicating objectives: At one school I worked at, teachers were to write the standards covered in class that day on the board. These were read at the beginning as the day’s schedule was reviewed. I’ve used “focus” questions and “exit” questions in an attempt to assess student learning and connection to class material for the day. I was not consistent and I felt bogged down withal of it, but in reading this chapter I was probably being “too specific” and too “narrow.”
Monitor meeting objectives: Maybe create a Tasks & Objectives Checklist that’s periodically reviewed during a unit. Have students respond to “Could you define/explain ___? Give it a try now and then share with a buddy.”
After receiving a corrected chapter test, allow students to fix it and turn it in again. Learn from mistakes. Did they fix it solo, with a peer, or with an adult? This correcting period could be part of their “morning work.” Then they’d have teacher and peer support.
Rubrics can be wordy and intimidating. Read them aloud, making clear distinction and explanation between the scale ratings.
C. This past week I was out for a training, so I was not able to try out a technique on my class. One thing I do currently involves rubrics for writing assignments. I'm able to target specific skills, and I go over the whole rubric with the class before they start to write. They know their goals, and what I'm looking for. I also leave a copy of the rubric up on the board as they write, and find that many refer to it before handing in their work. This not only helps the students, but it helps me when it comes to grading. I have felt so lost and overwhelmed when grading writing in the past. With rubrics, I'm better able to evaluate each student's piece of writing.
D. My goals according to the district seem very clear to me. The state goals seem more broad, because of the state test. I'm never sure if I'm teaching too deeply and leaving out other things I should be touching on, or if I'm teaching many things in a very shallow way, leaving the students to know a small amount about a lot of things.
The information on corrective feedback surprised me quite a bit. The biggest hurdle I need to overcome is being timely with my feedback. I generally go over a quiz or test with the class, but it is usually not the next day because I may not have the tests graded and entered. I also use written feedback in a more relationship-building way rather than a corrective way.
Reading this chapter gave me and idea for next year. I'd like to communicate goals and objectives to students and parents by having the students create goals for each unit and share them as a homework assignment with their families. Monitoring the objectives and goals would involve pulling them out often for quick conferences with students, along with work samples, which could tie in to corrective feedback. I will also continue to use rubrics and expand them as I'm teaching the new units I just had training on.
C: Practice
Every morning my students write about a topic I have chosen. The following morning they get into editing groups and help each other edit their paragraphs for conventions and possible another writing trait. Then the students go back to their seats and rewrite their paragraphs with the corrections from their peers.
After reading the chapter on Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback, I decided to take this writing one steps further. Once they finished writing their paragraphs, I showed them a paragraph that would receive a proficient score and asks them to then reflect on their own paragraph. I asked them to give it the score they thought they deserved and give a brief reason as to why they think they deserved that score. What happened was amazing, I saw students really reflect on their writing and if they felt their paragraphs were not up to scale they went back and adding to them to make them better. This week’s paragraphs were some of the best paragraphs I have received all school year.
D: Reflection
From this chapter, I definitely could relate to the part about providing feedback and the need for it to be timely and corrective in nature. I think as teachers we feel that we need to grade everything we assign and that can very time consuming. So the major assignments that require more time to grade often get set aside until time allows. The example of Mr. Cordova and his students talking in the hallway was very powerful for me. Even though I only teach sixth grade, I am sure my students feel the same way sometimes when they get their papers back and there is no feedback or comments written on them. Also, that the assignment was from long ago. This is something I am going to work on improving after looking over the percentile gains.
Hi Everyone,
Marisa, Jackie and I are huge fans of The Sisters. I love your examples of The Daily Five and how it incorporates goal setting! And I really appreciate your comment about parents needing specific, timely feedback about their children. A great point we should all keep in mind! (Having just come from my son's pre-school conference today. :-))
We have found this chapter about goal setting very informative and powerful. It is great to involve students, of all ages, in goal setting.
Kim, the HS student who turned in the goal sheet with "study more," what did the teacher do? Did the student have to re-do the form with more specific, measurable steps or was the goal sheet filed? Perhaps in the circular file? Why are the students filling these out if there really isn't any criteria for completion? Is this an administrative directive or a mis-guided teacher trying to involve goal setting? Guess I'm just baffled. :)
Christy- what a great idea to leave the rubric up while students are writing so they can refer to it and make their revisions and edits.
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