Feedback is everywhere. Teachers offer it in the lab, on the playing field, in the music and art room, at the table, and in just about every teaching and learning space in our schools. We know from decades of research that feedback is a significant driver for
“We need to ‘decomplexify’ things for educators.” A senior official in the U.S. Department of Education shared this with me as we prepared for a meeting with educators. I pause and then asked, “Do you mean ‘simplify’?” The fact that a federal bureaucrat had complicated the word
Over the years in preservice and in-service settings, we’ve asked, “What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you see or hear the word feedback?” And here’s what some of the sticky notes written by teachers reveal about many peoples’ initial thinking. Timely Noisy
If teachers are pursuing the goal of 100% engagement, then every student is contributing. In our new book, Confronting the Crisis of Engagement, Nancy Frey, Doug Fisher, and I explore why engagement is an essential ingredient for learning. A significant body of evidence, including the work
Spring has sprung! Teachers and students alike are looking forward to the last few months of school. On the horizon for students, there is testing, final projects, and a host of review activities. For teachers, there is still more lesson planning to do. By the
The pandemic’s impact on teaching and learning environments has made us rethink our best teaching practices and adapt our traditional approaches to new digital-age learning options. As we enter the new year, I’d like to invite all educators to take a closer look at an
Oxford High School (OHS) has an enrollment of 1223 students grades 9-12. OHS students are 60% white, 27% Black, 12% Hispanic, 1% Asian. Half of the students qualify for free and reduced lunch. In Fall 2019, OHS teachers began a district-wide learning journey focused on classroom questioning. Using Walsh and Sattes’ Quality Questioning, 2nd Edition, as a guide, we
Short post description: If we want students to become visible learners and to truly be their own teachers, we need to teach them how to use self-questioning to guide their learning. From the series: Developing Students’ Ownership of Learning—from a Distance, too! Post #1 Post #2
From the series: Developing Students’ Ownership of Learning—from a Distance, too! Post #1 Post #2 Post #3 Post #4 Teaching Students How to Solicit Feedback Let’s continue our journey to developing assessment-capable, visible learners. At this point, students know what they are supposed to be learning, what success looks
Schools around the world are currently making the unprecedented and overwhelming shift from traditional classrooms to online teaching and learning. They have been addressing student equity, accessibility, safety, and wellness, and teachers’ and leaders’ personal and family needs as top priorities. Teachers have found themselves