Touchstone 7: Use feedback to encourage effort

One of the most important roles of the teacher in the classroom is that of “coach.” Teachers must provide feedback strategically in order to guide students towards understanding, value effort, and encourage a growth mindset in students. I seek to provide students with the opportunity to self-assess as much as possible. I do this through the use of the rubrics that I mentioned in my post on Touchstone 3. Students must understand that their goal is not to receive a good grade, but to learn the material. Feedback is the best tool to illustrate this truth to students when it is non-controlling, non-evaluative, and encourages students to take the proper next steps (Goodwin and Hubbell 2013). The best tool I have found that both allows students to self-assess, but also to understand their learning as a non-evaluated process towards full mastery is the Algebra Sandwich model of Jackson (2014). In my class homework is treated as a process and not simply and exercise in sprinting and competing for correct answers. Students are always provided with the answers to every homework problem. They are graded on the ability to complete problems, even if it takes them multiple tries to find the correct answer. This allows them the immediate feedback of finding which problems they understand and which problems the require teacher support with. At the end of the day, however, students require feedback directly from the teacher as a content expert. When I provide feedback students it is always in the context of improving. When I grade homework quizzes and tests, students are aware that they can re-submit their work after correcting their mistakes. My evaluation is not the end of learning, it is an extension of the student’s process towards mastery.

References:

Andrade, H. (2008). Self-assessment through rubrics. Educational leadership, 65(4), 60-63.

Goodwin, B., & Hubbell, E. (2013). The 12 touchstones of good teaching: A checklist for staying focused every day. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.

Jackson, D. B. (2014). Algebra Homework: A Sandwich! The Mathematics Teacher, 107(7), 528. doi:10.5951/mathteacher.107.7.0528