Feedback could be considered the basis to all learning in whatever capacity. Consider a golf swing – you gain immediate feedback when that tiny ball doesn’t quite get into that tiny tiny hole. Or perhaps it’s the cake that doesn’t quite poof up as shown in the picture of that recipe especially when they say it’s foolproof. Or trying to locate that pesky leak in the roof – you think you’ve done it until the rainstorm appears and it’s drip, drip, drip. Your reaction? Perhaps an emotional sigh and then your brain is plotting out plan B. These are all examples of the power of immediate feedback all purposefully driven with options for next steps. Feedback when immediate, can be a powerful opportunity to steer a process in a positive direction.
Whether you are face-to-face or some form of online, consider the following environments where you can push action:
- 365 Word: Use the COMMENT feature to give specific responses based on targeted standards and steer into “Next Steps” action (not a long grocery list, just one to reach for)
- Teams Assignment: Add comments in the RUBRIC (if you used one) OR directly on the document (using the highlighter) OR in the Comment Box.
- Digital portfolio (any of our supported platforms will do this): use the Comment Box to give a focused boost and suggest a plan. Use Reply if you’re replying to previous comment. This is all about a threaded discussion – be specific and targeted.
- Teams Channel: Be aware this is a public space and the conversation is more an opportunity to guide a guided discussion. You can also set up a private “Office Hours by Invitation” to do one-to-one (deleting the thread before inviting another individual)
- Audio or video can facilitate feedback in certain situations
- OneNote: annotate and add in audio/video feedback in the one-to-one Notebooks
- Need quick individual assessments when you’re online? Consider Whiteboard fi (https://whiteboard.fi/). This site creates individual whiteboards for every student. Only the teacher can see the whole class and results can be exported in pdf. Perhaps consider this when needing quick vocabulary or numeracy assessment, or individualized brainstorms or scribbled ideas as a precursor to discussion.
I’m trying to organize some ideas around three areas. To keep things simple, these categories are:
Stuff You Might Want
- check out https://whiteboard.fi/
- check out the Social Emotional badges in OneNote. You may find this connects well with Core Competencies, and who doesn’t like a badge?
Stuff You Might Need
- explore our site for detailed instructions, tips and tricks or even some inspirational learning
Stuff to Make
- try the app > Draw and Tell by Duck Duck Moose (https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/draw-and-tell/id504750621). Draw or sketch or import a photo; record your story or unpack the idea concept; add annotations, upload results to OneDrive or digital portfolio. It just screams “honouring student voice and choice”.
- try the tool > Wakelet.com (https://wakelet.com/) Create a teacher account and invite the students to curate, collaborate and discuss the curations. Add it to Teams for an integrated approach. No student login required. Another opportunity to connect voice and critical thinking.
As always wondering your thoughts on any of these – drop us a line. Email or snail mail 🙂