Feedback and Grading Sheryl Holt University of Minnesota

1. Feedback and GradingSheryl HoltUniversity of Minnesota .

2. Purpose of Feedback? Encourage and guide students in how to improve their next drafts Justify the grade? Justify your frustration with their lack of effort? Facilitate editing?

3. What do students want? • Get positive feedback (reward) • Improve their next draft • Editing – “correct all my grammar” • Clear direction - “Tell me exactly what to do”

4. No MAGIC solutions or quick fixes For students OR For instructors No ONE way to give feedback on papers!

5. Self Reflection: What do you focus on? When you assess or comment on student papers, what do you look at? Is there a difference at various stages of writing? Do you mostly concentrate on • the logic and development of the ideas • the creativity with which they are presented • the structure of the writing (paragraphing…) • the grammar, vocabulary, or punctuation (mechanics) • everything How do your methods compare to your peers’ feedback?

6. What do students want? From student interviews: • Most students wanted longer and specific comments on both form and content.Most students indicated that their English teachers did not give enough specıfıc suggestions and comments on their compositions and stressed that they needed it very much. • Many students also indicated that the comments and suggestions were very general, short, and lacked substance. Students’ and Teachers’ Responses Towards TeacherWritten Feedback on Students’ Writing: How helpful is it? The World Association of Lesson Studies International Conference 2007 LIP Paul Chi Hong; CariitasInstiitute for Further & Adult Education--Kowloon

7. Teachers’ comment on feedback From teacher interviews: • They could not fulfill the students’ demand to give detailed comments on both form and grammar due to time constraints and marking pressure. Most of the teachers were overwhelmed with marking numerous compositions they had to mark. • Some teachers emphasized that their biggest hurdle was the pressure of marking.

8. What’s effective feedback? • Is given when and where it counts. • Involves mostly questions and reactions, ... • ..but also includes specific, direct suggestions rather than corrections, judgments, and rules. • Is limited- provides students with a limited numberof specific responses and suggestions for revision. • Is student centered– gives more responsibility to the students

9. Is given where it counts In the margins, • "Wow, this really surprised me…" • “This is a great example.” • “Why do you think this?" • “What do you mean here?“ NOT ALL ERRORS NEED TO BE COMMENTED ON • Add a one-paragraph final global comment OR • Add comments on the rubric

10. Is given where it counts For final drafts - Usethe response rubric without writing on the papers Consider voicing one positive comment • "This is a strong draft with nice critical thinking…" • "I was interested to read…“ AND ONLY • one or two primary concerns • one or two specific suggestions Encourage them to visit your office with specific concerns and reasons Other possıble strategies for drafts • Mark only the presence of a grammar problem with an X or underline, leaving it up to the student to locate and correct it. • Hold one-on-one conferences to respond verbally (don’t mark the papers)

11. Involves mostly questions and reactions Try to focus on global comments first: in your reading, in your comments, in your conversations with students, and in your grading • does the paper respond to the assignment? • does it contain a clear main argument/thesis? • is it effectively organized? • does it reflect critical thinking?

12. Gives specific, direct comments “You have too many ideas in this paragraph” “Give us proof of this idea” “Give a reference” “An example would help”

13. Islimited • Maybe choose fewer codes • Read without a pencil before you comment. • Not all papers need extensive commenting • Write-to-learn papers: journals, reactions, prelımınary drafts • Perfection is not the goal for most papers Have you ever overcorrected so students don’t know what to focus on ? Have you felt that you have to respond to every writing piece? (guilt)

14. Is student centered Make students more responsible for their own learning and feedback • Have students respond to your comments by completing reflective memos or cover letters on which they reflect on one or more of the following: • the final draft's strengths and weaknesses • what they focused on for changes • what they'd change ıf they were to rewrite it, and/or • require answers to specific questions or reflections on the process they used to write it. • Have students fill out the rubric and justify their reasons

15. In-class activitiesreduce your feedback efforts Review grammar forms in class and ask students to find their own mistakes on that form? Mark only these errors. Peer review: Ask specific questions such as Underline the thesis statement and three key arguments).What is the author’s most interestıng point? Give one suggestion to make the argument stronger.Train them to give effective peer feedback!! Self-review: Save 10 min. (or longer) in class before handing in a draft to let them read, ask questions, correct problem areas. Have them read their writing aloud to others in conference groups or to the class. Show samples or models of thesis-driven texts that they analyze. Evaluate student samples (not theirs?) as a class and have students discuss good and bad, mark grammar codes, etc.

16. Make feedback a group activity Showing common errors in class: • Helps students understand the marking codes. • Persuades weaker students to pay attention to their common errors. • Helps students, especially the weaker ones, participate in class so everyone can learn from each other. • Prepares them for their own revisions.

17. Jing.com Instead of writing, record comments on audiotape/computer, course website or Jing.com Example of the Jing correction method: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27OEMNEV_AA

18. Have them give you feedback • Make them respond in some way to your feedback: memos, cover letters, short paragraph: What was helpful?What dıd you focus on in correctıons?What confused you about my comments? • Have them give anonymous evaluations/feedback mid-term responding to TWO questions: • What type of feedback is most helpful? – for grammar and for content • What do you usually pay most attention to in my comments?

19. Final Word: Enjoy the rewards Commenting isn’t always fun and it’s time consuming, BUT there are great rewards With many students.

20. Areas to comment on withfeedback strategıes . To read on your own if you wish

21. Problem - Logical Development • Difficulty with thesis/topic narrowing • Lack of clear, direct thesis statement • Inadequate proving or supporting the thesis • Placement of main ideas in the middle or at the end of paragraphs/sections instead of first (topic sentences) • Lack of signal phrases and transitions “Therefore, the purpose of this…”

22. Feedback Strategies for Logic • Pre-approve thesis statements and “plans” or outlines • When commenting, be specific - ask students to “add an example here” instead of “develop further.” • Meet individually with the student • Have students peer conference in class – or outsıde of class wıth a worksheet to fill in

23. Problem - Support for Ideas • Lack of support for ideas (inadequate evidence) • Gaps between ideas (few connections) • Lack of integration of student’s ideas and the sources • Inadequate sources or research • Have “written everything I can think of” instead of a unified theme

24. Feedback Strategies for Support for Ideas Determine if it is lack of experience with research skills, lack of English writing standards, or stream of consciousness writing? • Comment on research skills/resources • Comment on the connections: • “You could use a connection here…” • How does this agree or disagree with the source? • How are these ideas connected? • What do you mean here? Explain it further.

25. Problem - Audience Experience • Lack of knowledge of academic readers (formal/informal language, what academic readers want to know…) • Lack of “academic voice” or use of the wrong type of vocabulary (stuff). • Lack of samples/examples/models of “academic writing.”

26. Feedback Strategies for Audience • Spend time talking in class about the expectations of the audience; become a “cultural and academic informant.” • Clearly describe the audience on the assignment sheet • Gather sample papers of thesis-driven essays for students to view (have a file in the department or class website?)

27. Problem – Lack of Critical Thinking • Little appreciation of need for “critical thinking” – especially freshmen • Lack of experience writing critically • “Story-telling” or reporting facts ınstead of giving analysis • Writing what “pleases” the professor.

28. Problem – Lack of Critical Thinking • Not narrowing the topic sufficiently (usually too broad) • Difficulty stating a unique point of view – their analysis seems shallow (lack of research, lack of deep reading skills, lack of effort?) • Overuse of outside sources or information or too lıttle incorporating research into the paper

29. Feedback Strategies for Critical Thinking • Give “permission” or requirement to add their own perspectives • Ask a lot of “why” questions in class • Point out examples of critical thinking in samples – be explicit about what language shows critical thinking

30. Problem - Plagiarism • Lack of experience and knowledge of norms • “How can I say it better than the author?” – Lack of language for paraphrasing • Pressure to succeed

31. Feedback Strategies for Plagiarism • Provide clear guidelines on assignment sheets • Explicitly teach standards: not just the mechanics but the concepts