Feedback, Feedback, Feedback!!

Feedback, Feedback, Feedback!! Feedback in Early Years Classrooms

What is Feedback? Why is it valuable?

What should I consider? How can I implement it?

Feedback is an essential part of Early Years Education as it provides young learners with valuable thoughts and suggestions that directly relate to their learning. This particular strategic learning approach enhances student learning through communicative techniques that engage, encourage and guide students towards achieving their learning goals.

Key Considerations To ensure students take on the advice and feedback given to them, it is important to keep in mind a number of factors. -

Know when to make corrections- give feedback at appropriate times. It is not feasible to humiliate a student with feedback in front of their peers.

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Stay Positive- remember, you want the student to learn from your words, not feel disheartened.

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Know your students- feedback should be delivered differently depending on the individual. Some may take the corrections to heart, and others may not take notice to your response. Understand what works best for different students.

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Don’t use feedback as punishment- Remember the reason why giving feedback is necessary. As a teacher, it is essential to understand that what you are saying is in the best interest of the child, and providing them with a positive experience.

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Provide examples- when giving constructive feedback, provide students with examples of what you are expecting. This clarifies your expectation and enhances their understanding.

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If adjustments are necessary, correct the work, not the child- relay to the student that it is their work that needs to be corrected, and not them. Always provide praise along with constructive feedback in order to ensure their self esteem is not effected.

Ways to promote positive feedback in the Classroom 1. Positive Feedback Tree For Early Years students it is important to provide visually appealing stimulus around the classroom to promote particular areas of learning. This motivates students to take an interest in the environment around them, and essentially, the information being taught. In order to provide a positive working environment, a feedback tree may be constructed with students in Grade 2-3 where positive comments may be written on cards throughout the week of something they saw from their peers in the classroom. These responses are then stuck on the tree and read at the end of the week. This particular activity not only creates a positive classroom environment by building relationships, but also introduces students to giving and receiving feedback from their peers. 2. Reporting on student work When providing feedback to students, teachers should deliver feedback through strategies like the Compliment Sandwich or the 1 to 4 Strategy. These two different approaches to distributing response to student work allow for both positive and constructive feedback to be given. This ensures that areas of improvement are highlighted, as well as areas of achievement to make sure the response does not damage the students self esteem. 3. Constantly look for ways to improve your practice It is important to always be looking to enhance your practice, and constantly improving ways of delivering feedback is no exception. As show in Figure 1, feedback can be improved by a number of different ways, including involving students in feedback, identifying new ways of giving feedback and interacting with students. 4. Always remember why you’re giving feedback It is essential to keep in mind why you are responding to the students’ work or performance. Teachers aim to improve and enhance student learning by providing them with important responses to The student should always come first and opinions based on the content itself, and not the child. Always keep

work. are in mind:

There is no such thing as failure, only Feedback!!