Unlocking Student Potential: The Power of Evidence-Based Feedback in Education (Full Transcript)

Speaker 1: Feedback is a powerful way to achieve improvement in teaching and learning. It is an integral part of every teacher's practice and, when used effectively, can improve student learning by as much as eight months. As teachers and school leaders, it's essential to understand what evidence-based feedback is if we're to unlock the greatest possible benefits for our students. So, what does the research tell us about feedback in teaching? Feedback is an ongoing process of goal-setting, gathering evidence about student learning and providing instruction that makes clear the next actions to improve performance. Feedback can be given by the teacher, peers or the student themselves. Two evidence-based models for feedback have been developed by Hattie and Timperley and Black and William. Both models propose three important questions for both the student and teacher to consider. Where is the learner going? Students and teachers need to be clear about the learning goals and what success looks like. Goals need to be appropriately challenging so the students can succeed and grow. Where is the learner right now? Evidence is gathered about the student's knowledge, skills and performance relative to the learning goals and tasks. How does the learner get there? This involves clarifying the steps the student needs to take to achieve the learning goals. If needed, the teacher adapts or changes the teaching and learning activities to meet the student's needs. Feedback can be directly related to the learning task, which is useful. However, feedback about the processes underlying the task or about how students self-regulate their learning is more powerful. So, what are the benefits of effective feedback? Research indicates that effective feedback can increase student effort and outcomes, lead to more effective learning strategies and improve student self-regulation. The benefits for teachers are also significant. Effective feedback practices provide evidence about student learning related to learning goals and the curriculum. This helps teachers understand the impact of their teaching and, if needed, where to adapt strategies to better meet the needs of their students. To improve and sustain good feedback practices, it is vital that educators work collaboratively. School leaders can support teachers by prioritising feedback and implementing a whole school approach, providing access to resources and opportunities for professional learning and collaboration. Teachers can develop their feedback practices by communicating clear learning goals, trialling activities that provide evidence of student learning, planning for task, process and self-regulated feedback, checking that students understand and act on the feedback provided, and working with colleagues to develop and refine feedback practices. Feedback is evidence-based and inexpensive to implement. It offers a powerful approach to enriching teacher practice and significantly enhancing student growth. For resources that will help you improve your feedback practices, visit aitsl.edu.au