Mike’s Blog
Strategies, Ideas and Insights for Teachers and Leaders
Category: Feedback and Marking
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Save time, increase learner independence, and speed up progress with this simple technique that puts mistakes front and centre
Mistakes are a key part of learning. They give access to information we can use to change future efforts. Trial and error is built on the premise that we learn…
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How to use whole-class feedback lists to save time, make your life easier, yet still give meaningful feedback to every learner you teach
Whole-class feedback lists can save you a lot of time while also providing personalised feedback to all the learners in your class. Having marked a set of books, instead of…
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Why planning for implementation is almost guaranteed to increase the impact of your written feedback in any lesson, with any class
Learners need time in which to implement their targets. Without this the targets may disappear into the ether, never to be used in the way you intended. While some conscientious…
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When giving learners written feedback, what is the point of your targets?
What do you want your targets to do? Answering this question means gaining a better understanding of why you are setting targets and how you expect learners to use them,…
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Changing the focus of written feedback for learners by highlighting specific areas
You can use this technique to help learners focus their efforts on a specific aspect of their work. The idea is to maximise the return the learner sees on their…
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Stop diluting the power of your written feedback and start using these strategies to squeeze out the maximum from the effort you put in
When delivering verbal feedback, learners normally respond in the moment, directly after we have spoken to them. This might be with questions or comments of their own. Or it might…
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The question every teacher needs to answer before they put pen to paper and start writing even a word of written feedback
What do you want learners to do with your feedback? Asking yourself this question means clarifying and refining the purpose of your marking. If you have a clear sense of…
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Five oven-ready strategies any teacher can use to create a culture of improvement through their written feedback
Your written feedback will play a bigger role in learning if you can create a culture of improvement in your classroom. By this, I mean a culture in which learners…
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Using written feedback to normalise challenge in the minds of your learners
If we find ourselves challenged then the likelihood is that we are learning or, at least, in a position from which to learn. This is because something is a challenge…
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Why does written feedback work and what do expert teachers do when they deliver it?
Written feedback predominantly comprises information that can be divided into one of two categories: strengths and targets. Strengths are the things the learner has done well. The target is the…