Feedback and evaluation
in language teaching
In-class feedback and end-of-class/course evaluation BLCC Academy Toolkit June 2024
Overview
Click on an image to go to the relevant section.
In-class feedback
What is feedback
End-of-class/course evalution
Fun quiz
What is feedback?
Feedback in language learning
- Feedback is 'one of the most powerful influences on learning' (1)
- Focus in this toolkit is on formative feedback - information provided to help the learner improve
Purpose of feedback
- Feedback has these three fundamental purposes:
- to improve fluency, accuracy and complexity of learners' speaking and writing
- to motivate learners
- to develop learner autonomy
The most common type of feedback = error correction (aka corrective feedback).
Credit (1): Hattie & Timperley, 2007, The Power of Feedback.
Feedback in class: error correction
- Corrective feedback is only effective if it suits the learner's level of language development.
- Personalisation of feedback, based on learner's level of language development, is necessary.
- Judging a learner's readiness for a type of feedback remains an art, not a science!
Categories of errors:
- Global errors: these interfere with comprehension and affect intelligibility.
- Frequent errors made by the learner.
- Stigmatising errors: these might offend.
- Errors specific to a type a spoken interaction (e.g. level of formality).
- Errors that can be self-corrected by student.
- Errors relating to areas of language recently covered in class.
Feedback in class: types of error correction
There are two main types of error correction: 1: on-the-spot error correction is ...
- immediate
- great for accuracy-focused activities
- useful for recurrent mistakes
- best used in moderation and with purpose
2: delayed error correction is ...
- when you note down student errors and don't correct immediately
- great for fluency-oriented activities and practice
- useful at the end of class or to make an activity from
Top tips for error correction
1. Think before you correct: what is the purpose of your activity? Correct only errors that serve that purpose. For example, if you're working on past tenses, don't jump on correcting prepositions. Or if practising fluency, don't correct on the spot. 2. Use your hands! Gestures and body language can be great for not interrupting a student's flow. 3. Mirror, mirror ... Repeat your student's error as a question, so they can self-correct. 4. What do you think? Ask the rest of the class for suggestions. This is a form of peer-to-peer correction. 5. Plagiarise! Use your students' errors: note down common mistakes, put them in sentences and give to students to correct as homework/end-of-class activity. Pick three of those and start the following week's class with a quick revision activity.
Feedback in-class: self and peer evaluation
Feedback ≠ error correction by trainer! Other methods include: self evaluation and peer-to-peer feedback. Both are more effective when integrated into classroom practice as a normal and regular activity not as a one-off. Both of them foster engagement and help de-centralise your classes! Added bonus: it can reduce your workload 😊
Self evaluation
Self evaluation = trainee's evaluation of their own progress. Self evaluation (or assessment of progress) creates autonomy, which:
- leads to more involvement in the learning process and
- higher engagement.
Trainees do need clear criteria, tools and your support in managing their self evaluation.
Self reflection questions
Examples of questions for your trainess to use at the end of a class to help with self evaluation:
- What did I learn today?
- How did it help me work towards my long-term language goals?
- What language skills did I practise?
- What methods or techniques worked well for me today?
- In what situations did I struggle to express myself effectively?
- What did I find difficult or challenging?
Credit: Lisa Jay Newood
Peer feedback
Some good reasons for peer feedback:
- It benefits both the receiver and giver of the feedback.
- It requires the giver of feedback to listen attentively and may provide opportunities for improvement.
- It facilites a move away from a teacher-centred classroom.
- Many learners are very receptive to peer feedback.
- It reduces your workload and talking time!
Top tips for peer evaluation
1. Use peer-to-peer feedback as a way to engage ALL participants in class 2. Set some rules/criteria: what are students looking or listening out for? Creat a quick active listening checklist with 3 questions, or have passive participants check off key sentences from a list. 3. Moderate Make sure feedback is given constructively: feedback should be positive as well as relevant. One useful method to use is the sandwich method. 4. Provide a framework You can write a few sentences on your (virtual) whiteboard for students to complete. This is especially useful for lower levels and a good way to drill key sentences about giving feedback. For example: The structure of the presentation was ... Two highlights of the presentation were ...
End of class: giving feedback
Giving feedback at the end of class helps your students maintain a sense of achievement. We are all too self-critical and could use to hear what we did well! It's also a great learning opportunity. Evaluate progress:
- What did your students do well?
- What can they still work on?
Go back to the beginning:
- What were the goals/objectives you set?
- Have you achieved them?
End of class: asking for feedback
As a teacher, how would you ask for feedback from your student(s)?
Asking for feedback on how you did is a great way to check in with your learners at the end of a session. It helps them feel involved and gives you a clear sense on what you can improve on. Don't forget that you can do a quick anonymous poll on Zoom, Teams, or using Mentimeter so that students don't feel shy to share what they really think. On the next slide, you'll find some useful questions to ask to get feedback from your learners.
Useful Qs to ask at the end of class
Here is a set of good questions to ask at the end the class to get feedback from your students: 1. Share one thing you liked and one thing you didn't like about today's class. 2. On a scale of 1 to 5:
- how useful was today's lesson?
- how interesting/relevant was today's topic?
3. What would you change about today's class? Think about my approach, the topic or type of activity. 4. What were you favourite and your least favourite activities today? 5. What was most difficult and what was the easiest? 6. Was there a question you didn't get to ask?
Feedback: further reading/viewing
Are you interested in finding out more about feedback in language learning? Watch this video or read the full papers below. Both articles are a rich resource on the best ways to provide feedback in general and on spoken interactions in particular. Giving feedback to language learners Philip Kerr, CUP, March 2020
+ Read full paper
Giving feedback on speaking Philip Kerr, CUP, December 2017
+ Read full paper
End-of-course feedback
BLCC end-of-course feedback = Efficy evaluationWhy do we need them?Evaluations are very important for all parties: trainees, trainers, BLCC and our clients! For trainees, their evaluation:
- reflects on their progress
- encourages them to remain engaged in their learning
For you and BLCC:
- end evaluations are directly linked to reporting;
- our clients expect evaluations;
- ultimately, they are also tied to payments by clients.
Efficy evaluations
Top tips for Efficy evaluations
Top tips
- When assessing final levels, keep it real and don't be too ambitious. Unsure what level to pick? Click here.
- Double-check spelling and punctuation and use full sentences, not just bullet points. Imagine you're adressing your student or their manager.
- Remember: all Efficy evaluations are shared with our clients and they represent you and BLCC!
- Please complete evaluations within one week of finishing a project.
Remember to include:
- Progress: how has the trainee progressed since the start of the course?
- Points of improvement: what can the trainee keep working on to improve further?
- Further training & recommendations: how could the trainee improve further and how can BLCC facilitate that learning?
For further help on Efficy evaluations, please contact support@blcc.be.
Ready for a quick quiz?
Let's go!
Start
Question 1/3
Question 2/3
Question 3/3
Bonus question
You did it!
Well done! You are quite the feedback expert!
Finish
Any questions?
Would you like more information? Don't hesitate to contact us!
Feedback & evaluation toolkit
BLCC
Created on June 4, 2024
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Transcript
Feedback and evaluation
in language teaching
In-class feedback and end-of-class/course evaluation BLCC Academy Toolkit June 2024
Overview
Click on an image to go to the relevant section.
In-class feedback
What is feedback
End-of-class/course evalution
Fun quiz
What is feedback?
Feedback in language learning
- Feedback is 'one of the most powerful influences on learning' (1)
- Focus in this toolkit is on formative feedback - information provided to help the learner improve
Purpose of feedback- Feedback has these three fundamental purposes:
- to improve fluency, accuracy and complexity of learners' speaking and writing
- to motivate learners
- to develop learner autonomy
The most common type of feedback = error correction (aka corrective feedback).Credit (1): Hattie & Timperley, 2007, The Power of Feedback.
Feedback in class: error correction
Categories of errors:
Feedback in class: types of error correction
There are two main types of error correction: 1: on-the-spot error correction is ...
- immediate
- great for accuracy-focused activities
- useful for recurrent mistakes
- best used in moderation and with purpose
2: delayed error correction is ...Top tips for error correction
1. Think before you correct: what is the purpose of your activity? Correct only errors that serve that purpose. For example, if you're working on past tenses, don't jump on correcting prepositions. Or if practising fluency, don't correct on the spot. 2. Use your hands! Gestures and body language can be great for not interrupting a student's flow. 3. Mirror, mirror ... Repeat your student's error as a question, so they can self-correct. 4. What do you think? Ask the rest of the class for suggestions. This is a form of peer-to-peer correction. 5. Plagiarise! Use your students' errors: note down common mistakes, put them in sentences and give to students to correct as homework/end-of-class activity. Pick three of those and start the following week's class with a quick revision activity.
Feedback in-class: self and peer evaluation
Feedback ≠ error correction by trainer! Other methods include: self evaluation and peer-to-peer feedback. Both are more effective when integrated into classroom practice as a normal and regular activity not as a one-off. Both of them foster engagement and help de-centralise your classes! Added bonus: it can reduce your workload 😊
Self evaluation
Self evaluation = trainee's evaluation of their own progress. Self evaluation (or assessment of progress) creates autonomy, which:
- leads to more involvement in the learning process and
- higher engagement.
Trainees do need clear criteria, tools and your support in managing their self evaluation.Self reflection questions
Examples of questions for your trainess to use at the end of a class to help with self evaluation:
Credit: Lisa Jay Newood
Peer feedback
Some good reasons for peer feedback:
Top tips for peer evaluation
1. Use peer-to-peer feedback as a way to engage ALL participants in class 2. Set some rules/criteria: what are students looking or listening out for? Creat a quick active listening checklist with 3 questions, or have passive participants check off key sentences from a list. 3. Moderate Make sure feedback is given constructively: feedback should be positive as well as relevant. One useful method to use is the sandwich method. 4. Provide a framework You can write a few sentences on your (virtual) whiteboard for students to complete. This is especially useful for lower levels and a good way to drill key sentences about giving feedback. For example: The structure of the presentation was ... Two highlights of the presentation were ...
End of class: giving feedback
Giving feedback at the end of class helps your students maintain a sense of achievement. We are all too self-critical and could use to hear what we did well! It's also a great learning opportunity. Evaluate progress:
- What did your students do well?
- What can they still work on?
Go back to the beginning:End of class: asking for feedback
As a teacher, how would you ask for feedback from your student(s)?
Asking for feedback on how you did is a great way to check in with your learners at the end of a session. It helps them feel involved and gives you a clear sense on what you can improve on. Don't forget that you can do a quick anonymous poll on Zoom, Teams, or using Mentimeter so that students don't feel shy to share what they really think. On the next slide, you'll find some useful questions to ask to get feedback from your learners.
Useful Qs to ask at the end of class
Here is a set of good questions to ask at the end the class to get feedback from your students: 1. Share one thing you liked and one thing you didn't like about today's class. 2. On a scale of 1 to 5:
- how useful was today's lesson?
- how interesting/relevant was today's topic?
3. What would you change about today's class? Think about my approach, the topic or type of activity. 4. What were you favourite and your least favourite activities today? 5. What was most difficult and what was the easiest? 6. Was there a question you didn't get to ask?Feedback: further reading/viewing
Are you interested in finding out more about feedback in language learning? Watch this video or read the full papers below. Both articles are a rich resource on the best ways to provide feedback in general and on spoken interactions in particular. Giving feedback to language learners Philip Kerr, CUP, March 2020
+ Read full paper
Giving feedback on speaking Philip Kerr, CUP, December 2017
+ Read full paper
End-of-course feedback
BLCC end-of-course feedback = Efficy evaluationWhy do we need them?Evaluations are very important for all parties: trainees, trainers, BLCC and our clients! For trainees, their evaluation:
- reflects on their progress
- encourages them to remain engaged in their learning
For you and BLCC:Efficy evaluations
Top tips for Efficy evaluations
Top tips
- When assessing final levels, keep it real and don't be too ambitious. Unsure what level to pick? Click here.
- Double-check spelling and punctuation and use full sentences, not just bullet points. Imagine you're adressing your student or their manager.
- Remember: all Efficy evaluations are shared with our clients and they represent you and BLCC!
- Please complete evaluations within one week of finishing a project.
Remember to include:- Progress: how has the trainee progressed since the start of the course?
- Points of improvement: what can the trainee keep working on to improve further?
- Further training & recommendations: how could the trainee improve further and how can BLCC facilitate that learning?
For further help on Efficy evaluations, please contact support@blcc.be.Ready for a quick quiz?
Let's go!
Start
Question 1/3
Question 2/3
Question 3/3
Bonus question
You did it!
Well done! You are quite the feedback expert!
Finish
Any questions?
Would you like more information? Don't hesitate to contact us!