When your feedback to learners is: now it's your turn to take control of your own learning
When it comes to giving feedback on exam performance, whether a learner has mastered a topic or any day to day feedback activity, we practise techniques all the time. In the PGCE course, it is one of the central areas of study within learning theories.
Feedback for Learning
Pritchard (2017), Gould (2013) and Kolb (1984) all suggested that periods of reflection would aid learning acquisition. Providing timely and appropriate feedback can stimulate and support such reflection, so teachers interact in all sorts of ways to help this; during lessons, before and after lessons, and before and after formal and informal examinations.
Feedback for learning can take the form of a simple piece of body language such as a smile, nod or thumbs up after a question is answered, or a written or verbal note to an individual learner or group.
Crunch Time
The moment when feedback gets to the next level - in my mind at least - has come this week. I need my learners to take the reins and own their own revision for their upcoming GCSE Maths exams. My feedback is "That's it folks - now you need to focus on your personal revision and fill your personal knowledge gaps. You will need to move towards self-directed study and learning, with me as your guide and support".
Why Century for Revision?
The method for revision, as devised by the Activate Learning maths team, is to use the EdTech app Century, with its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.
It is a powerful way for a learner to revise. But the learner must be motivated. First to do a diagnostic set of tests, to "teach" Century what they know and don't know of the subjects being tested. The AI then uses this information to populate a personalised "pathway" for that learner. So then, the learner has to focus on this pathway of micro lessons and tests, until all the topics are mastered.
Feedback is immediate during the nugget pathway phase - learners get to see the correct answer straight away and every nugget is on a topic with which they need help.
If you can get your learners to take responsibility for this, it is an extremely efficient method for revising. Every learner has a different set of strengths and weaknesses; the Century pathway they are provided with is tailored to their own.
It eliminates any unnecessary revising, and thus
reduces the time required for revision. It focuses and maximises the benefit of any time spent.
Handing over Control
So how does it feel for a teacher to hand over control to their learners? How does it feel to move from teacher to supporter / coach?
My personal style is one of mixing EdTech, presentation, overarching themes, projects and other constructivist style activities, so my lessons have energy and movement. Once the learners are in their Century pathway, especially the diagnostic tests - they just really sit at laptops or their phones to do the online micro lessons and tests, known as nuggets.
This bothers me a bit - I miss the energy in the room.
How do we motivate learners to focus on thie EdTech tool - when some may not be keen?
Understanding why a learner is not keen on using an EdTech tool is enlightening. Some just don't know how to access the tool, or interact with it, because the missed the lesson which covered this information.
For me - this week - it meant going from learner to learner and checking they could actually work out how to access and interact with Century via the laptop in class AND via their phone. I helped a number of them who had never tried using their phone and the smiles said it all.
Modifying the Lesson format and bringing back the relevance
So I know all of my learners are able to access and interact with the EdTech tool, know what they are expected to do, and why it is important. Not only that, but they know it is focused on their weaker areas, so will make the most of the time they have left before the exam to "up their grade".
To add that little bit of variety, interest and energy, my plan is to chunk the lessons up; start the lesson with a little quiz, and end with a confidence building non-maths quiz aimed at building exam technique and confidence.
I'm also going to add back in the relevance (which Century does not provide), by producing an interactive, collaboration - based Wakelet. This will have specific maths videos and examples for each of the Vocational areas studied by the learners. Bringing back this relevance should ensure learners feel the maths is still rooted in their chosen field and not just "teaching to Exam". I have built a Microsoft SWAY for Landscaping Maths here:
I will also be pilfering the BBC vocational resources on Bitesize here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zjd8jty
Time is of the Essence
But the GCSE exams are so close, now, the crucial thing is to motivate and support them in their own self-directed journey on their Century path.
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