Distance learning has made teaching tough, and closing the feedback loop has become even more complex. When it comes to making sure their students have understood, every teacher relies on the “over the shoulder glance” method.
In a virtual classroom, how do we accomplish this? This input isn’t descriptive enough to enable for assessment for learning but rather an assessment of learning, thus we can’t rely solely on adaptive technology programmes. So how might this appear in our new reality of education and learning?
Set up procedures.
Continue to exercise caution and be aware of the entrance points to these applications and platforms as tools to assist you in teaching as you continue to be bombarded with technological resources. To put it another way, you should start by thinking about the systems you need to effectively deliver information and interact with students, and then look for the technology that best supports that process. Blended Learning is a useful method of teaching in the context of distance education.
- Self-paced “workshops” with a wide range of topics are known as asynchronous learning modules (PPT slides, videos, reading, etc.)
- In the same way that you may have given lectures or mini-workshops to students, you may now be able to conduct live workshops in front of them. This type of class can also be recorded for future use by students or for others who are unable to join the live session.
- As a college student, you’re probably familiar with office hours. These are simply blocks of time that you are available to support students who need extra help. However, if you want to, you might aggressively urge some kids to participate in these activities even though they are not required.
- Students can be divided into groups and given certain times to meet in order to work on a project together or to give each other feedback on their work. A tutor should be present throughout these brief meetings (15-30 minutes) to verify that students are staying on target.
During Feedback Friday, teachers spend time meeting with each student and delivering detailed feedback about their progress and achievements.
Take turns bearing the burden
Our students and specialists can help us handle this burden, so we don’t have to do it alone. To be able to “catch” each kid before they travel too far down the incorrect path in their education would be ideal in a perfect world. There are a few methods students can acquire feedback without relying on their teachers, but this isn’t an option for most teachers in the current system.
For students, the self-check list is a fantastic “safety net” to ensure that they have everything they need to complete a specific task.
Using Flipgrid, Google Doc comments, or group breakout rooms, students can provide each other with peer feedback. Provide scaffolding for kids the first time they go through this process, and have them use sentence frames to help them along the way.
Require pupils to seek out input from three different people (this could be parents, older siblings, family friends, etc.)
Provide students with a template for an email to send to a professional asking for their thoughts on their work.
Bring everything full circle.
“Feedback Friday” is included in my sample science timetable, which you can see in the image above. Not only does this allow teachers to “catch up” on assessment and feedback, but it also allows students to self-reflect on their own learning, which is a vital element of the process of assessment for learning rather than evaluation itself. These are more in-depth opportunities for students to think about themselves as a learner than daily reflections.
As we continue to navigate these exceptional circumstances, topics such as assessment and feedback are expected to get increasingly complex. Establishing procedures and processes now will assist guide you and your students down a path toward teaching and learning that is more comfortable for everyone.
