Feedback is King

Standing in a classroom with 41 children, monsoon conditions visible through the cracked windows, comically rickety bench tables and the only teaching aid being a blackboard (no chalk) - I feel ridiculous as I say in over-pronounced English, “So, you can use the data on LBQ to see who you need to support in class.”

My inner thoughts shout, “Dan, shut up!”

It is true though. The feedback the teacher gets is a game changer. By looking at the data overview, the teacher can see exactly who is ‘getting it’, who isn’t, what the common misconceptions in class are and whether you just need to stop the session, cry inside and then model on the chalk-less blackboard. 

It has been this kind of  conversation though that has brought so much joy, discussion and progress to the classrooms. The peeling painted walls, the exposed wiring and risk-assessment nightmares I am having nightly do not get in the way of this tech. It works here just like it does in the UK. 

The first few children I approach and bring together for an ‘intervention’, look half terrified, half confused. “I can see you’re all struggling on question 4, shall we look at it together and practice on a slightly different question?” I must admit, I momentarily enjoy their confusion. This hasn’t happened to them before. I show them my screen and point out that I can see their responses. We huddle around my iPad as I clumsily try to model on my screen.  The terror subsides and is replaced with a chorus of smiles. They get it. This is really rather clever.

A few moments of the children showing me their two 3-digit addition workings out and the diagnosis is clear. They are all starting by totalling the hundreds column and then working to the left. Bingo. 

I love how the cornerstones of great teaching don’t necessarily shift dependent on context - feedback is king. As the other teachers observe and begin to follow suit, pulling children for extra input, I almost get ahead of myself. ‘If you go on the EEF, feedback is high impa…’

‘Dan, shut up.’

We’re now seeing feedback as a key component in a couple of our focus schools. Looking at the whole class data for common misconceptions has become a bit of a favourite. With a big grin, Jop remotely pauses all of the tablets and stops the class.

‘Class, stop. Question 6. We are finding difficult right? Look at the board.’

I smile.

Jop then proceeds to take a box of chalk out of his right pocket.

You. Are. Kidding. Me.