Its been a while since my last blog and thought it was a good time to blog about my continuing PE adventure.
My previous blog looked at how students gave feedback to each other and how they used it to move their learning forward (feedforward).
During the last month, students in my opinion, have shown good progress and gained confidence in critiquing their own and others work/performances. Its not just been in my GCSE PE group but in KS3 & 4 lessons as well. Students have responded positively to the critique culture of be kind, be specific and be helpful with the feedback in order to improve students learning.
Within GCSE PE, students are constantly writing at the end of their own and others pieces of work 'what went well' (www) and 'even better if' (ebi). This lead to student discussions about what has been written with students then writing a learning target(s).
Similar results have been shown by KS3 & KS4 students using the 'be kind, be specific and be helpful.' Previously students quality of feedback to each other was poor, and as a department, we wanted this to improve dramatically. Often students rushed their feedback to others, making very brief comments that weren't specific or helpful to the performer. By introducing these three simple terms, students started to realise the importance of quality feedback will enable them to improve their work (feedforward).
A simple way I demonstrated this to students was to draw a football on a whiteboard, however my football was square and I was proud of my football, really proud. 'Sir, its square that's not a football, its rubbish.' I was devastated by this harsh criticism. So I asked for any positive comments, someone to be kind about my football no matter how rubbish it looked. 'It has nice straight lines for a square sir.' A smile appeared on my face. Students identified that you must be kind first to make people feel confident and positive.
'A football is round sir, you need to draw a circle.' So I did, the smallest circle I could. 'No sir, that's too small, it needs to be bigger.' You can probably guess what I did next! The biggest circle I could on the whiteboard. 'Sir, now your being silly.' But my point was proved, feedback needs to be specific.
Once I had finally drawn a normal sized circle, 'it needs a pattern sir.' I drew lots of wiggly lines from top to bottom. 'Thats not right sir, the pattern on the ball needs to be lots of hexagon.' Brilliant, the penny dropped. From then on, students can tell others that feedback needs to start positively, be kind and then you have to be specific with feedback so it is helpful for students to improve.
I also used this example recently at my school's first T&L forum which made staff smile and laugh but made them understand that a simple example can have a very powerful message to students.
The next stage of this feedback and feedfoward adventure will be to focus on the 'how' part of how to improve.
Hopefully it won't take me a month or so to blog again! Let the feedback - feedforward adventure continue!
Tuesday 27 November 2012
Thursday 11 October 2012
The Feedback Adventure
Since reading @davidfawcett27 blogs on feedback and Chris Harte's #feedforwrd blog, it made me think and reflect about how students were peer & self assessing within my year 10 GCSE PE lessons.
With a group of 29 students, I needed to explore methods that would develop students ability to give appropriate and constructive feedback (www - what went well) and feed-forward (EBI - even better if..).
I decided one method to use was to allow students to peer and self assess their work was through a extended 6 mark GCSE PE question. During the first couple of weeks of the course, students learning focused on reasons for and benefits of taking part in physical activity. As part of the exam, students have to write an extended answer worth 6 marks. To expose students to this type of question, I asked them to answer a 6 mark question after 3 lessons of learning.
I gave students about 15 minutes to write their answer. Literally they were thrown in at the deep end. The rational behind my madness was to see if they had read and understood what the question was asking them to do and to assess their current level of learning.
Once students had finished, they had to self assess their work by writing WWW and EBI before swapping their answers with their partner who had to assess the answers against the mark scheme & levels (success criteria). They too had to write WWW and EBI comments before both student had a discussion about each others feedback and feedforward comments.
While this was happening, I moved around the room reading students feedback/feedforward comments expecting them to be very simple and not very helpful. They didn't disappoint. See examples below.
As a group we discussed the importance of constructive feedback, I asked students to write some constructive comments which they then shared with the rest of the class. Students evaluated these comments and made some suggestions on how they could be improved. They then had to re-assess their work and write new WWW and EBI's. The final task was to write how were they going to use the feedback/feedforward to improve their work. This proved a bit tricky for some who wrote very brief comments.
Between this question and the next, students focused their learning on Influences on taking part in physical activity. I used post-it notes as a form of feedback. A brief summary of the two lessons are listed below:
With improvement shown by students, I gave them another extended 6 mark question to answer. Before they started they all had to look and read the EBI from the previous question to remind them of what they had to do when answering this particular question.
This time, students felt more confident to peer and self assess answers using the mark scheme to support them. I also used @davidfewcett27 'critical buddy' method and put certain students together so low attaining students were able to assess examples of well answered questions, discuss their own work and receive constructive feedback/feed-forward. Examples below
I am pleased with how students are steadily progressing and developing their use of constructive feedback. They are buying into this 'culture' of feedback and seeing whats in it for them. I will definately continue to use 'critical buddies' within my lessons. Let the feedback adventure continue!!
With a group of 29 students, I needed to explore methods that would develop students ability to give appropriate and constructive feedback (www - what went well) and feed-forward (EBI - even better if..).
I decided one method to use was to allow students to peer and self assess their work was through a extended 6 mark GCSE PE question. During the first couple of weeks of the course, students learning focused on reasons for and benefits of taking part in physical activity. As part of the exam, students have to write an extended answer worth 6 marks. To expose students to this type of question, I asked them to answer a 6 mark question after 3 lessons of learning.
I gave students about 15 minutes to write their answer. Literally they were thrown in at the deep end. The rational behind my madness was to see if they had read and understood what the question was asking them to do and to assess their current level of learning.
Once students had finished, they had to self assess their work by writing WWW and EBI before swapping their answers with their partner who had to assess the answers against the mark scheme & levels (success criteria). They too had to write WWW and EBI comments before both student had a discussion about each others feedback and feedforward comments.
While this was happening, I moved around the room reading students feedback/feedforward comments expecting them to be very simple and not very helpful. They didn't disappoint. See examples below.
As a group we discussed the importance of constructive feedback, I asked students to write some constructive comments which they then shared with the rest of the class. Students evaluated these comments and made some suggestions on how they could be improved. They then had to re-assess their work and write new WWW and EBI's. The final task was to write how were they going to use the feedback/feedforward to improve their work. This proved a bit tricky for some who wrote very brief comments.
Between this question and the next, students focused their learning on Influences on taking part in physical activity. I used post-it notes as a form of feedback. A brief summary of the two lessons are listed below:
- students were grouped into 6 teams by using triptico - no arguments about who they working with, they just moved.
- Each group had a sub-topic area to research in preparation for the 'market place'.
- students either had to 'sell' or 'buy' in the market place. The seller presented their research to buyers who visited the stall. AT the end, buyers returned to the original stall to share their 'goods' with their group.
- The group had to produce a mind-map of the 6 influences.
- All students then took a post-it note with their name on and moved around the stall to assess the mind-maps. They had to put their post-it note next to their favourite mind-map and return to their group.
- I selected students who had placed their post-it by that particular piece of work to give feedback (www) and feed-forward (ebi) to the group.
- This proved to be a lot better than their first experience of giving FB and FF.
With improvement shown by students, I gave them another extended 6 mark question to answer. Before they started they all had to look and read the EBI from the previous question to remind them of what they had to do when answering this particular question.
This time, students felt more confident to peer and self assess answers using the mark scheme to support them. I also used @davidfewcett27 'critical buddy' method and put certain students together so low attaining students were able to assess examples of well answered questions, discuss their own work and receive constructive feedback/feed-forward. Examples below
I am pleased with how students are steadily progressing and developing their use of constructive feedback. They are buying into this 'culture' of feedback and seeing whats in it for them. I will definately continue to use 'critical buddies' within my lessons. Let the feedback adventure continue!!
Monday 24 September 2012
ipad adventure continues
Three weeks in and the ipad adventure is going well. Staff and students are enjoying having an ipad in lessons and exploring how it can help develop their teaching and learning.
Predominately I have been using the ipad as an assessment tool, filming performances and then students watching the clip to get a better understanding of their strengths and areas to improve. Nothing new but very effective and motivating for students development as learners. Mainly I use the ipad's camera to record performances and discussions, but I have also used Coach's Eye app which allows students to analyse performance in greater detail by slowing down clips, drawing lines to highlight key areas to improve and students are able to use the microphone capability to comment on performances as they watch the reply.
The other app that I have used is Team Shake app. An excellent app to sorting students into various teams without the fuss of students arguing with each other and me! All you have to do is put your group list into the app and press Shake'em up. To make teams fair so not all the strongest students are on the same team, you can tag each student as either, strongest, strong, normal, weak and weakest. If student are away, you can tag them as absent. Its brilliant and so simple.
As a department we are meeting during the first week of October during a free period 5 on a Friday afternoon. Before, this time has been wasted as I/we have either been taken for duty manger, cover, isolation cover or catching up on admin (tidying the desk)! This year the aim is to utilise this time for developing T&L instead of just using our department meetings, brief chats in the office or on the coach to off-site lessons. There is never enough time (I don't think my department head off before 3 Mr Wilshaw & Gove)!
I have also noticed students have become more engaged in watching and listening to feedback from others whether the ipad is present or not. However, the ipad is only a tool and needs to be manged correctly in lessons so students are able to progress their learning. How are students using this feedback to improve performance(s). This is another adventure, the feedback & feedforward adventure!!!
Predominately I have been using the ipad as an assessment tool, filming performances and then students watching the clip to get a better understanding of their strengths and areas to improve. Nothing new but very effective and motivating for students development as learners. Mainly I use the ipad's camera to record performances and discussions, but I have also used Coach's Eye app which allows students to analyse performance in greater detail by slowing down clips, drawing lines to highlight key areas to improve and students are able to use the microphone capability to comment on performances as they watch the reply.
The other app that I have used is Team Shake app. An excellent app to sorting students into various teams without the fuss of students arguing with each other and me! All you have to do is put your group list into the app and press Shake'em up. To make teams fair so not all the strongest students are on the same team, you can tag each student as either, strongest, strong, normal, weak and weakest. If student are away, you can tag them as absent. Its brilliant and so simple.
As a department we are meeting during the first week of October during a free period 5 on a Friday afternoon. Before, this time has been wasted as I/we have either been taken for duty manger, cover, isolation cover or catching up on admin (tidying the desk)! This year the aim is to utilise this time for developing T&L instead of just using our department meetings, brief chats in the office or on the coach to off-site lessons. There is never enough time (I don't think my department head off before 3 Mr Wilshaw & Gove)!
I have also noticed students have become more engaged in watching and listening to feedback from others whether the ipad is present or not. However, the ipad is only a tool and needs to be manged correctly in lessons so students are able to progress their learning. How are students using this feedback to improve performance(s). This is another adventure, the feedback & feedforward adventure!!!
Tuesday 4 September 2012
The Ipad adventure starts here!
It has been two days into a new term and the ipad adventure has only just begun. The department have got the ipad bug, playing with them over the Olympic summer before introducing them to their lessons.
There are a number of reasons for having ipads in the department. Thanks to Andy Baynton @theandyb10 for putting the proposal together which is summarised below.
1. To further improve learning & teaching by focusing on developing students ability to peer and self assess.
2. To monitor, review and evaluate student progress by developing 'student profiles/portfolios'.
3. To further students experience of the 'real world' and developing their ICT skills.
The first day of term started with the usual staff gathering in the main hall which over ran. Finally department time, but a bit shorter than planned. It begins with T&L and action plan for the ipads in PE. Staff share what the have discovered over the summer while playing with their new toys!
I advised staff to take things steadily, not to rush introducing ipads in to lessons but make sure they planned when, how and why they are going to use them. One step at a time and slowly slowly does it but I'm sure Andy will go flying in!
Let the ipad adventure begin!
There are a number of reasons for having ipads in the department. Thanks to Andy Baynton @theandyb10 for putting the proposal together which is summarised below.
1. To further improve learning & teaching by focusing on developing students ability to peer and self assess.
2. To monitor, review and evaluate student progress by developing 'student profiles/portfolios'.
3. To further students experience of the 'real world' and developing their ICT skills.
The first day of term started with the usual staff gathering in the main hall which over ran. Finally department time, but a bit shorter than planned. It begins with T&L and action plan for the ipads in PE. Staff share what the have discovered over the summer while playing with their new toys!
I advised staff to take things steadily, not to rush introducing ipads in to lessons but make sure they planned when, how and why they are going to use them. One step at a time and slowly slowly does it but I'm sure Andy will go flying in!
Let the ipad adventure begin!
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