Critique (Making feedback a more powerful tool in the classroom)

Why I looked at it:

• I wanted students to develop actual pride in the quality of their work

• I wanted to develop the use of feedback in my classroom (and for it to become a culture/norm)

• I wanted to have feedback acted upon instantly so every student made progress (specific feedback is surely one of the best forms of differentiation?)

ProcessDedicate whole lessons to this

• Model a piece of work you are asking students to create (pull out key vocabulary)

• Create a success criteria with students

• Draft 1

• Formal class critique

• Draft 2 (redraft)

• Student critique….

Critique Rules: • Be kind: All feedback is there to help. No

personal comments. No sarcasm.

• Be specific: No comments like ‘It’s good’ or ‘I like it’. These just waste our time. Ban them. Use vocab pulled out from model.

• Be helpful: Aim is to help an individual or the whole class with their learning. Comments should focus on this. Anything else wastes time.

• Hard on content, soft on people

In-Depth Critique

Gallery CritiquePlease click this link to see the work that High Tech High in San Diego does

on critique and promoting excellent work:http://www.jamieportman.com/blog/teaching-learning/reflections-on-hightechhigh-visit-exhibiting-learning

/

Why? Impact?• Standard of work went through the roof• Feedback given was more specific and became like

a set of instructions (vocab improved)• The progress that students made was extremely

high• Content was learnt and reinforced over and over

again through process of critique• Underlying development of literacy skills and other

key processes used in the project• Students looking for work to be critiqued without

my direction• Students skilled enough to critique their own work

with rigor• Culture of creating work to be proud of was

achieved in the project (due to critique)

Essential resources

‘An Ethic of Excellence’ by Ron Berger

Excellent ‘must read’ for allteachers.http://www.amazon.co.uk/An-Ethic-Excellence-Building-Craftsmanship/dp/0325005966

Essential resourcesRon Berger basic explanation of critiquePart 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1znB1ox0_EIPart 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2K75WO7a70Austin’s Butterfly - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFHf7jAfJlg

Tait Coles Critique presentation from TMClevedonPart 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_qdNNs3m6gPart 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-yXX1En3fc

High Tech High guide - P27 of the book explaining critiquehttp://www.innovationunit.org/sites/default/files/Teacher's%20Guide%20to%20Project-based%20Learning.pdf

Darren Mead blog posts on critiquehttp://pedagogicalpurposes.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/critiques

Tait Coles blog posts on critiquehttp://taitcoles.wordpress.com/2012/06/07/public-critique/

David Didau (Learning Spy)http://learningspy.co.uk/2013/01/26/work-scrutiny-whats-the-point-of-marking-books/