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)?
14 comments:
C.
In an earlier blog I wrote about setting goals with my students, both academic and personal. I believe goals are an important tool to evaluate what you have done and help improve one’s self for the future (near or far). After reading this chapter, I realize that it is important for me to set classroom and/or unit goals and make them known to my students. It clarifies what I want my students to know within my curriculum. I also understand how it is important to keep the goals very general so students can set their own sub-goals within my unit goals. I am a little leery to allow middle school students too much freedom to “contract for a grade,” as mentioned on page 95. I will further ponder that strategy, and consider it in the future.
In a recent classroom assignment, I posted (with the instructions) the state social studies standard we were working toward. I wanted the students to see the goal and purpose behind the assignment. Some were curious about the state standards, others wanted to hear about other standards, and, of course, some didn’t care at all. I will continue to post the standards as goals in my lesson planning in the future because it communicates to the students and parents what I want them to know and it keeps me focused on what I am supposed to teach.
D.
As mentioned in part C about state standards, our school district has been working very diligently on setting district Power Standards within departments. We, the social studies department, are meeting and looking through Oregon State Standards and are required to come up with the standards each level should cover within our units and curriculum. At first, I did not want to be limited in what I taught out of my very broad textbook, but I like it now because it gives me a clear goal on what I need to teach out of my textbook. As a learner and a teacher, it really makes sense to set goals. By sticking to the Power Standards, I can clearly communicate what my social studies curriculum goals are to students and parents.
As a teacher and learner, I believe providing timely and meaningful feedback is a must and I am getting better at it. I think rubrics can provide clarity for students about how they perform on the specific targets of knowledge being assessed (assignments and tests). Obviously from the data in chart 8.3 on page 98, students need an explanation of right and wrong answers. If they know how they answered incorrectly, they can learn the correct answer and gain the missing knowledge. One way I encourage the students to gain knowledge after the fact would be when I let them fix missed questions on scored tests. To fix an incorrect answer and gain half credit back, they need to research in their notes and/or textbook and rewrite the answer correctly and then give me the specific page number they found the correct answer.
I know I need to improve in the area of designing specific unit or assignment rubrics. It is my goal to come up with more unit rubrics to better communicate scores to both students and parents. Unfortunately, most teachers are increasingly challenged with time and the busy nature of schools. My professional goal will be to design rubrics to better communicate how students can be successful within units and projects in my class.
Chapter8: C. This chapter was perfect for my current teaching position (K-5 intervention/enrichment teacher). I always post the learning goal for each class. We usually read it, discuss it briefly and circle/discuss any key words that I really want them to remember. Usually, I go back to it at the end of the period and connect our activity with the goal. After reading this chapter, I realize that I really needed to concentrate on the corrective feedback portion. Most of my groups are on the smaller size and although I only have them for 30-40 minutes per class there could be time built in for timely, corrective feedback. I discussed this chapter with our 2nd grade team and we all had experiences with playing sports and coaches giving us immediate corrective feedback. How natural it is for the coach to instantly stop the incorrect behavior and model the correct with positive feedback that encourages you to keep trying! I built in time for my fourth graders last week to provide individual and specific feedback for our math activities. I picked this class to start with as our unit is multiplying double digit by one digit numbers. Some of them are catching on quickly and others not so much. After modeling, practicing, discussing etc... I had each one solve a problem and talk through it step by step. At the end of the problem I gave immediate feedback on what they were doing, how to correct it or just positive reinforcement if they were doing it correctly. We looked at our unit rubric for this standard and gave them a score together. Next time I will have students give each other feedback and score each other as well. This will only be done after I have modeled positive feedback as well as corrective feedback and the importance of both when critiquing someone else’s work. Fortunately the students are familiar with this as they give each other feedback in writing and speeches throughout the year.
D. This chapter helped me understand the effectiveness of timely (immediate) feedback that is not just corrective in nature but allows for more practice and continued feedback. The percentile gain (pg. 98) showed quite a difference between just corrective and corrective with explanation and time to practice. Referring to the rubric (each student has a copy they keep for the unit with all of the standards/goals listed) throughout the unit is helping with the communication with students. The rubric will also go home to parents at the end of the unit. Our team is considering sending it home weekly (in their planner) so that parents can see weekly feedback. We just want to make sure that they understand the difference between formative assessments each week (that students are recording) and the summative at the end of the unit. Student progress is monitored weekly through our common formative assessments; most are generated and taken on the computer so the students also see their score instantly. Along with the above daily feedback in the classroom (that I mentioned in part C), I want to begin to discuss their weekly scores on their formative assessments in more depth with them. Right now it determines my lessons and the amount of time I spend reviewing, adjusting etc… I have not yet planned in time for this but I will be working on that as a goal next.
C. Setting objectives and providing feedback is an important strategy that can help students to better see their strengths and weaknesses and show them the path they should follow to reach the assigned “target.” In the area of goal setting, I liked the concept of setting specific but flexible goals. Currently in our teaching of math, we (the teachers) write a goal for each lesson. We word it in the form of an “I can” statement. We read this statement together and I draw a sketch under any words that can be shown to them. This is great for students to see and hear, but taking it one step further and having students make it meaningful to them personally may give them more buy-in to the topic. I like the idea of using a sentence frame here as well (“I want to know…”). Our “I can” statements are very specific to the lesson, so I backed up to the standards for fractions as a whole (the “target” we are trying to reach) and had students write 3 “I want to know” statements. I had them write them in their math journals. At the end of each day I give them five minutes to look over their statements and write if they learned any more about their statement and share with a buddy. This is a hard task for some of the students as they know so little about the topic that they don’t know where to start. By giving them the frame, they are able to then pick out words and fill it in.
Providing feedback in a timely manner is another area where I would like to improve. There are so many papers to correct and tests to grade. It’s overwhelming at times to keep up with it all and make sure it guides student learning. Our school is heavily into the PLC process: looking at data, creating common formative assessments, and creating rubrics. I think feedback fits into all this nicely. Rubrics are a great way to show students where they are at and where they need to be. If used correctly, students can use the rubrics to see where they are in the process and what they need to do to get to their target. At the conference our district attended this year, one of the speakers suggested building in time to provide feedback to students. This week I tried taking a day after a reading test to first allow students to look over their work and make any changes they thought they needed to. Then we went through the whole test and found where the answers were in the book and discussed each one further. I am hoping that by taking the time to do this, students will start to take the test more seriously, put more effort into it, and learn different strategies for taking a test as well. It was difficult for me to do this with so much that we have to teach each year, but if I see it as a learning opportunity for the kids and not a day missed on teaching something else, then it will become meaningful to me as well. How does that saying go: It takes twenty times to change a habit?
D. After reading this chapter, I see that I need to slow down and take the time to go over student work with students. Perhaps testing Thursday instead of Friday and then taking Friday to go over the material together. Goal setting by the students is something I would like to continue. As I said, we do set a goal for each lesson, but I’d like the students to set goals as well. Hopefully this will help with their buy in to the standards and help to guide them in their learning. I also am going to continue to provide time for students to have the time to go back and correct their work or try it again. My job as a teacher isn’t to catch them being wrong, but to help them get it right. If they don’t get it right the first time, then I should give them the opportunity to try again. This could then play into the effort rubric we are using. If students are taking the time to go back and try again, then they are putting in the effort and the results of their academic achievement should be higher. Some of my students will no doubt need to be talked into this a little more than others, but hopefully they will start to see the importance of it all.
Assignment #8: Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback
C. I am fortunate to work with small groups all day, which makes it easier to set individual goals and provide immediate feedback for students. My students are either working on fluency, comprehension, or both. Fluency feedback is ongoing daily when they get to do reading practice, but this chapter reminded me that it’s important to verify the students are indeed aware of their goal, and why it is important. I will get students that think because they want to be an athlete and are good at that particular sport, they don’t need to be good readers. We then have a conversation about needing to get good grades in high school in order to participate in sports, and the desire to play for college teams, etc, and how an education is a huge part of that. Making a personal connection to each student, and how it pertains to them, is huge. I also notice the anxiety levels dropping when I tell students up front what we’re going to do and why, and what we aim to accomplish when we are finished. Feedback for my students needs to be very specific in order to make a difference. What might be getting in the way of their fluency, or specific steps they can take when they don’t understand what a word is, what they have read, or how to find the answer to a question—are all very specific things that they can add to their toolbox to help them the next time they encounter text.
D. The main “aha” I pulled from this chapter is the importance of helping students to become personally involved in their learning. The more of a connection you can make for the student, the more excited they’re going to be about what they are learning. Christi mentioned the “coaching” example from our meeting with our second grade team—which was very true: when you practice a sport the coach corrects you in the moment to keep you from practicing your technique wrong. The connection I made to the same coaching example was that when a student is involved in a sport they are usually there by choice, and want to become better at it. They already have a personal investment in what they are learning. If we can get students invested in their academic learning as well it would have a much greater impact, and foster a stronger desire for them to learn more. Renee also mention the “I want to know” and “I can” statement starters from the book. I loved the idea of using these with students at the beginning of a new unit to create a “buy in” for them. If this dialogue takes place enough students will begin to internalize the same thinking when presented with a new topic on their own. It is also a great way to possibly provide a connection from one student that could create a connection for another student that they might not think of otherwise.
Hi all! We're posting this for Kelsey. She's had some problems getting her post to show in this assignment. Please let us know if you are or have also experienced any issues with the Assignment Eight Post. Thanks. Mary and Jackie
C:
I think the classroom practice that I would like to begin incorporating more is using specific but flexible goals. I find that while I set goals or objectives for each lesson and communicate those to my students I don’t often ask them to think about and write down what they want to get out of the lesson. I think for my older students this could be very valuable. Many of my fifth grade students have been in the ELD program since kindergarten and seem bored or tired of having to work on their English. Perhaps if they were drawn more into the lesson by telling me what they want to learn or work on within the framework I’ve provided they would take more ownership of their learning and their limited time with me. (I am sorry this isn’t more specific. I’ve been ELPA testing for the past two weeks and have one more week to go still).
D:
This chapter made me think about the types of goals I set for my students and how I communicate those goals to my students. The state expects that each ELL student will make at least one years worth of growth on the ELPA test. I know this going into each year but I rarely communicate it to the students until we get closer to testing. I wonder if my students and I discussed this goal at the beginning of the year, and periodically touched upon it using other measures to try and predict how each student is doing, if more students would meet that goal when the time came. I have also learned that I want to be better at drawing the students into the goal setting process and helping them make their own specific goals for what they want to get out of what we are learning. I think I would do this more with my third, fourth and fifth graders but would so some form of it with my kindergarteners, first and second graders as well. It was very interesting to read about the data in figure 8.3 about corrective feedback. I remember a time when I was in high school and one of my papers had all these red marks all over my paper and a comment saying I was using commas incorrectly. However, when I went to ask the teacher why they were wrong his response was, “It would take to much time to explain this. They are just wrong.” This has stuck with me all these years and has always made me think about the need to take the time and explain why something is wrong instead of just saying it is. Therefore the information doesn’t surprise me but it does help to be reminded every now and then about the need to explain why something is correct or incorrect and how to fix it.
Finally, I noted in my post about effort that I am using a rubric to have students rate their own effort and achievement each day and we periodically talk about how their perspective compares to mine. I think this type of activity would be easy to transition to providing feedback to and getting it from students.
I would like to try having students and myself fill out a rubric about how the student(s) did on the assignment and in their understanding of the information and then compare and discuss why the student and I chose the particular score. I think having both sets of data would be very helpful in communicating what I expect out of the student and what they expect out of themselves and of me as a teacher.
Hi Therese,
Posting the standards makes sense to communicate to the students and parents what the purpose of the assignment is and also, as you said, to keep the teacher on track! Excellent points.
I love your policy of allowing students to earn back “half credit.” Our math department has had some training this year… I need to check the person’s name… and are currently working in CWGs (Curriculum Work Groups- a type of Professional Learning Community.) Their focus has been on formative assessment and allowing students as many times need to master a concept. They have presented to the staff twice, and it was very interesting. I will look into it tomorrow and share the trainer’s name that they are modeling.
Another teacher (science) shared her a-ha with our staff with her realization that she needed to have her students create their rubrics for the assignment. She did this with two classes and was thrilled with the results. One class had high achieving, not necessarily motivated students and the other was a lower-ability group. (I’m guessing 10th grade maybe, I don’t remember.) Anyway, both classes created much stricter requirements then she would have and there was no arguing because it was what the class came up with. They were working in the library on research for the assignment after they created the rubrics so I was able to see the results myself. I know your students are younger, but you may want to try creating the rubric with the students.
Hi Christi,
Yes, going back to the goals at the end of the period for a “closure” is excellent teaching.
Great example comparing corrective feedback to sports; I think many of us can relate to the example of a coach immediately correcting us and also being kind and supportive. It is definitely a good idea to discuss and model positive and corrective feedback with the students. Luckily your students sound like they’ve had a lot of practice in this area, but a refresher can’t hurt. (Sometimes that transfer is missing for students from one subject to another.)
Hello Renee,
Having the students personalize the learning goals is a great place to use sentence frames. And again, I love that you are returning to the goal at the end of the day to reflect if they learned any more about their statements. I know I mentioned our math department above, and one thing that they did to make their new system possible was decrease the number of problems on the assessments. Instead of having 10 problems on a concept, they would have two. If the students didn’t pass, they could retake the assessment as many times as they needed. Is it possible for you and your team to look at your tests and quizzes and see where you can cut back or decrease so that you are not spending all your time correcting? I like your idea to test on Thursday and then review the test on Friday. Great quote, “ My job as a teacher isn’t to catch them being wrong, but to help them get it right.” Love it!
Hello Molly,
Personal connections to learning and buy in can’t be underestimated. As you pointed out having students become involved in their learning increases their excitement and investment in the subject or topic and has a stronger impact on their results.
Kelsey,
Great idea to try to motivate your older students. I think asking them about what they want to learn will def. be beneficial. How terrible your teacher said it would take too much time to tell you… duh…isn’t that what teachers are there for? Sorry you had that experience, but it sounds like you are able to turn it into a positive by being aware that you need to communicate with the students why something is right or wrong. Comparing rubrics with the students is an informative activity for both you and the students. I’m sure that you will have some engaging conversations with the students when discussing the similarities and differences of the scoring.
C. Last year I attended a really great training about teaching to the standards. While I went to the training expecting information on teaching to the test, what it ultimately taught me is how to design my curriculum and assessment to mesh with the state standards, and present those to students and parents in language that makes sense. I have since then adapted my seven grade health curriculum (it is only 9 weeks long, so was the easiest first step) to be completely standard based. This enables me to tell the students daily what standard we are discussing, and every assignment clearly states what concept or skill they need to show mastery of to ‘pass’. The students responded very well to the simplified rubric I provide for each assignment, telling me since they know exactly what standard they are focused on and exactly what a ‘meet’ or ‘exceed’ assignment must include, it is much easier to complete the assignment. I have been working this year on adapting my 8th grade curriculum the same way. It has improved greatly what the students are able to accomplish.
D.
• The standards adopted by the state in my area are clear and specific. I do feel that there is enough flexibility for students to adapt the standards to personalize them, and often the first thing we do when we address a standard is put it into ‘kidspeak’…for example the standard HE.08.AT.01 Describe the benefits of a tobacco and drug-free environment often prompts kids to say ‘so we need to know why we shouldn’t use drugs’…this ability to put the standard into their own language and conceptual frame makes it much easier for them to internalize that information for use over the lesson or unit.
• The information in figure 8.3 didn’t shock me per se, but I feel that it fails to give a complete picture. I think that when you simply give students a number score, they rarely bother to really go back and look at the ones they missed, or if they do it is in hopes of catching a teacher error in their favor. When you give students the correct answers, if they merely glance at it and move on I doubt you would see the impact shown in the graph? Overall, I think that students should always have a chance to correct mistakes, in my class any assignment or test that does not meet the standard and continue to be retried until it does. This gives the students the ability to identify where they failed the standard and correct that, earning points and also mastering the skill or concept being addressed.
• The changes I described previously of moving towards a standards based curriculum has greatly improved my communication with the parents and students about what specifically my objectives are. I feel it has taken out the ‘I don’t know what she wants from me’ mentality and replaced it with the information students/parents need to clarify their goals and the focus of the lesson or assignment.
• My students’ movement toward the learning objectives are monitored formally through assignments and assessments, and informally through class discussion and participation.
• I currently use a “exceed”, “meet”, “retry” approach to grading in my class. Meeting the standard means you have completed the basics, which demonstrate a basic understanding of the skill or concept. Exceed mean they have personalized or adapted the skill or concept to be a part of their greater understanding of the subject. Retry means they have missed key components of the assignment and should clarify those misconceptions before re-trying the standard. These do translate into letter grades for the grade book, but every student knows that they are working for an E, ok with an M, and need to see me if they get an R.
A little late, but I did find out the name of the trainer from our Math Department. His name is Dan Meyer and he has a blog at blog.mrmeyer.com. I checked it out but found that it has a lot of information on it and not just on the topic of concept-based testing.
From our Math Department's powerpoint, they explained Concept Based Grading as: Breaking curriculum into small grain size "concepts", giving students repeated opportunities to earn mastery of the given piece of curriculum, and helping students and teachers better understand areas of strength and difficulties individually and as a class.
I don't know a whole lot about this but if you are interested in learning more, just email me and I'll share how it works at our school. :)
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