1. Feedback and learning Professor Steve Higgins,
School of Education, Durham University
@profstig

2. Overview Why feedback? What is feedback? Some challenges
Evidence from the Sutton Trust/EEF Toolkit
Applying evidence from research
What is feedback?
A simple model
Some practical strategies
A more complex model
Some challenges

3. EEF Project
Best bets (on average)

4. Good bets (on average)

5. High risk (on average)

6. Summaries What is it? How effective is it? How secure is the evidence?
What are the costs?
What should I consider?
Downloads
Printable summary
Technical appendix
Printable summary
Technical Appendix
Further reading
Case studies/ video
Related EEF projects

8. Overview of value for money
1.0
Promising
Feedback
Meta-cognition
Could be worth it
EY intervention
Effect Size (potential months gain)
Peer tutoring
Homework (Secondary)
1-1 tutoring
Summer schools
Digital technology
Phonics
Smaller classes
Parental involvement
After school
Individualised learning
Needs careful thought
Teaching assistants
Performance pay £0
Ability grouping
£1000
Cost per pupil

9. The Bananarama Principle
It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it…

10. So what is feedback?

11. ‘Feedback’: a simple feedback loop

12. Feedback follows performance…
Feedback is information
given to the learner and/or
the teacher about the
learner’s performance
relative to the learning goals
which can then redirect the
teacher’s and the learner’s
actions to achieve the goal.
The ‘Learning Loop’
Set/ agree learning goals
Assess where pupils are (including self or peer assessmeent
Adapt teaching to meet goals
Learner adapts strategy
It is about teachers seeking feedback from pupils to adapt teaching. Specific, accessible learning intentions. Feedback that has real impact for future learning. Fundamental everyday change. Hattie model Teachers as learners, learners as teachers. It is about changing teacher’s actions. Wiliam’s formative assessment. Not AfL.
… to close the ‘gap’

13. Feedback is reactive
Feedback is powerful when it addresses faulty interpretations but not total lack of understanding -- clearly feedback is one part of the teaching process
Feedback happens second – after the pupil has responded to initial instruction – when information is provided regarding some aspect(s) of the student’s task performance.

14. Purposes of feedback
provide alternative strategies to understand material
increase effort, motivation or engagement
confirm that the responses are correct or incorrect
indicate that more information is available or needed
point to directions that could be pursued
to restructure understandings

15. Summary of effect-sizes relating to feedback effects
No. of No. of No. of
Variable meta-analyses studies effects Effect-size
Cues
Feedback (overall)
Reinforcement
Video/audio feedback
CAI feedback
Goals & feedback
Student evaluation feedback
Corrective feedback
Delayed vs. immediate
Reward
Immediate vs. delayed
Punishment
Praise
Programmed Instruction

16. Summary of effects by types of feedback (adapted from Kluger & DeNisi, 1996)
Moderator No ES
Correct feedback It is correct
It is incorrect
F/bk about changes from Yes
previous trials No
F/bk designed to discourage Yes
the student No
F/bk with praise Yes No
F/bk frequency Lots
Little

17. Summary of effects by types of feedback (adapted from Kluger & DeNisi, 1996)
Moderator No ES
Task complexity Very complex
Not complex
Goal setting Difficult goals
Easy goals

18. Optimal feedback Provide feedback about correct (and incorrect)…
…previous attempts
…for tasks not too complex…
…but which relate to more challenging goals …
…and does not discourage the pupil…
…or threaten their self-efficacy

19. Two helpful models Outward bound schemes (Hattie)
Challenging and specific goals
Learners seek instant feedback
Instructors reassess and redirect learner’s strategies
Sports programmes
(Wiliam)
Develop and
produce talent
Challenging and specific goals
Specific feedback to move learning on
Split into manageable steps for action
It is about teachers seeking feedback from pupils to adapt teaching. Specific, accessible learning intentions. Feedback that has real impact for future learning. Fundamental everyday change. Hattie model Teachers as learners, learners as teachers. Wiliam’s formative assessment. Not AfL.

20. Hattie’s four feedback levels

21. Feedback features Form – what? Source – who? Timing – when?
Oral, spoken, audio
Written
Pictoral/ iconic
Timing – when?
Prospective – what next?
‘Live’
Retrospective – what did you learn?
Source – who?
Teacher/ TA / other professional
Peer
Self
Book/Computer

22. From feedback to feed-forward
Feedback given or feedback received?
What does the pupil hear/see?
What do they think this means?
What do they think they should do about it?
Feedback for task success or feedback for learning?

23. Problems with traditional marking
Tended to focus on four elements:
presentation
surface features (punctuation, grammar and especially spelling)
quantity of work
effort involved
Time consuming
Easy to overload
Often not actionable: “but what am I supposed to do?”

24. Some challenges (1: recap)
Getting the task difficulty right
Too difficult – overload – too much feedback needed
Too easy – no need for feedback
Getting the level of feedback right
Too complex/ too many points – overload
Too simple – doesn’t help
A “Goldilocks” problem – you have to get it just right

25. Some challenges (2) Time What to focus on? Time to diagnose
Time to ‘judge the nudge’ so that it feeds forward
Time to embed/ habituate
What to focus on?
Diagnosing key needs
‘Thorny’ problems
Correcting/ re-learning

26. Some challenges (3): teacher/pupil talk
Teacher/ pupil talk is like a genre on writing
Questions can:
Appear as imperatives
“Why are you doing that?” = “Stop doing that!”
Imply a correct answer the teacher already knows
Not require an answer (rhetorical)
Hard to ensure authentic dialogue

27. Suggested exploration
Choose one area to explore with a colleague you currently work with
What feedback is given and what is received?
Is it for task success or for learning?
Is it spoken/ written
Can less be more?

28. Final thoughts…
Develop mini-feedback strategies (cues, prompts, reminders)
Make is as challenging as the learner can accept
Give sparingly (needs to be meaningful)
Don’t overload (key points, break into stages etc)
Specific and received (relating to learning goals)
Give positive feedback too (you got it right, because you…)
Needs to be timely – (before/ during/ after)
Focus on task and process (avoid self level 'clever boy’, good girl etc)
Fade the feedback (from the teacher, from peers to self-regulation)
Develop a culture of peer and self-assessment
Try to avoid comparisons between pupils – self – and focus on how has improved in relation to previous personal bests – practical tips for this

29. Remember the Bananarama principle…
“It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it… that’s what gets results”
High challenge, high support
Authentic feedback
Understood and actionable by the pupil?
How do you create feedback loops which amplify learning?