Marking and Feedback CPD Student approach to marking

Expectations and ground rules • • Respect the views of others Give everyone space to make a contribution All questions are valid Actively listen Take part Confidentiality – Chatham House Rules Challenge the idea and not the person Do you have any of your own you would like to add?

Aims and outcomes of the session To explore how students approach the marking and feedback they receive in your classrooms. • To highlight some key strategies to use. • To plan how to apply the ideas to your classroom setting. •

Where are we: Our school • What do well with in terms of our marking and feedback? • What have we already done to improve our marking and feedback? • What do we still need to improve? • What do we want to improve upon next?

Where are we: You • What areas of your marking and feedback do you feel confident about? • What have you already done to improve your marking and feedback? • What do you still need to improve? • What do you want to improve upon next?

The marking and feedback cycle PREPARATION PLANNING FOLLOW UP DOING STUDENT APPROACH

Stage 3: Student approach to marking The manner in which students approach the marking and feedback in your lessons can be very telling. It takes time, effort and lots of practice to implement a culture of excellence and pride in the work that students produce and an open mind to advice and guidance given in response to it. You create the culture in your classroom when it comes to marking and feedback and how it is received. Even the most challenging class can be trained to appreciate the feedback they get and really begin to progress as a result: it just takes perseverance. The mistake a lot of teachers make is lack of repetition of the teaching of the skills necessary to approach and respond to feedback given. This needs to be repeated and demonstrated multiple times even with classes who initially respond well to the process in order for it to be continually effective. Don’t become complacent with an apparent ‘good class’ that appear to pick it up quickly; keep pushing them.

Theory Hattie talks of the importance of student expectation or student self reported grades. He notes, in Visible Learning, the importance of students being able to become aware of their own expectations on themselves and then encouraged to exceed these to ensure motivation and subsequent progression. - John Hattie Think: Think about the statement for 30 seconds. Pair: Pair up with someone in your group and discuss your thoughts. Share: Be ready to share your ideas.

Theory Dweck says that ‘For students of a growth mindset, it doesn’t make sense to stop trying. For them, adolescence is a time of opportunity: a time to learn new subjects, a time to find out what they want to become in the future. ’ She advocates the importance and impact cultivating growth mindsets can have. – Carol Dweck Think: Think about the statement for 30 seconds. Pair: Pair up with someone in your group and discuss your thoughts. Share: Be ready to share your ideas.

Show and tell Student approach How do your students presently respond to marking and feedback when they receive it? You could consider having some sessions and discussions around the point of marking and how best to approach it. Train them up to take marking and feedback as they should - a developmental process and not merely criticism. Do students have high expectations of themselves and know how to achieve and exceed these expectations? If not, make sure you provide them with the tools to do this in your classroom.

The students? This is all about making sure the experience for our students, in our classrooms, is the best experience we are able to give them. So why are we trying to improve our students’ approach to marking and feedback? To ensure that our students leave us ready to take advice and make improvements.

Experiential The Mindset Switch • • As a group of four go around the circle and tell the group about some thing you cannot do. As a group again go around the circle and tell the group about this thing that you cannot do but add yet at the end of the sentence and say it three times slowly with increasing enthusiasm. You will need to motivate students to believe they can do what they think they cannot do. Language can be very powerful. Think about how you want to use it I your classroom.

Practice • Pair up in your groups and choose one person to talk for one minute about a problem they are having in relation to today’s marking and feedback topic. • The other person should listen carefully to them. • Talk to your partner and give them as much detail as possible.

Coaching • Once they have finished telling you about their problem, take them through the GROW process of coaching to try and see a way forward. Ask them questions to help but do not offer any answers yourself! • Once you have finished repeat the whole process in opposite roles. Goal What do they want to achieve? Why do they want to achieve it? Reality Where are they now? What have they already tried? Options What are things that they could try? What have others tried? Will do / Way forward What are they going to do now to move forward?

Practice • What was the result of the discussion in your paired coaching activity? • Consider how the conversation might help you with your issue as you go forward in your practice.

Reflect and review Aims • To explore how students approach the marking and feedback they receive in your classrooms. • To highlight some key strategies to use. • To plan how to apply the ideas to your classroom setting. Individual reflection • Take a minute to reflect on how you have found this session and what it has made you think about.

Follow-up Commitment to action • To consider how your student approach your marking at present and commit to trialing some new techniques so improve their approach. Next session • Explore how to best design effective and impactful follow up tasks once marking has been handed back.