Brief description:

A card with small challenges on the one side and good feedback princilples on the other side. Challenges that a teacher can give to students while talking about the principles of good feedback. Challenges help integrate good feedback in a daily routine of the class.

Goals:

• show that feedback is a reliable development tool
• let students practice the principles of good feedback
• teach students to interact using good feedback

Learning results:

• students ask for feedback themselves
• students make use of feedback principles while interacting with others
• students share their opinions
• students' opinions become more clearly stated
• students express themselves in a more structured way
• students attempt to learn through challenges
• students reflect on their mistakes and look for ways to improve

What do participants do?

Students take on challenges, reflect on results in groups with their peers or with the teacher, which creates a resource for them to take the next step/option.

When to use Bingo?

• The game can be used with students of different ages. It is important to modify the tasks depending on students' age and their current ability to use feedback.
• If students show no interest in the offered challenges, they can come up with their own challenges dedicated to feedback, work on them together or in pairs. Students having this experience is what is key.
• Bingo can be used as a class or extra-curricular activity for easier adaptation of new students, as well as a tool for practicing good feedback.
• It is best to use Bingo once feedback principles are cemented during other exercises, so that the challenges are accompanied by respective feedback concepts.

Contribution to GM development:

The method uses feedback given to others, as well as principles of self-regulation and self-evaluation (self-feedback).

Brief description:

Participants give each other feedback in a specific order (for example, one after another in small groups) with a pre-determined time limit. Feedback is provided based on either a student's recent performance or their knowledge of the subject.

Goals:

• show that feedback is a reliable development tool
• let students practice the principles of good feedback
• teach students to interact with each other using good feedback
• teach students to see the difference between a person and the work they do

Learning results:

• students provide each other with good well-structured feedback
• students analyse the work of others and identify their points of growth
• students evaluate their work and the work of others based on development of skills, rather than grades
• students are able to accept feedback and identify what can be improved

Contribution to GM development:
Students practice good feedback, learn how to articulate it, offer it and receive it.

What do participants do?

Option 1

Students receive the same tasks with pre-defined assessment criteria and discuss each other's performance.

Option 2

While receiving feedback from their peers, students gather their strengths in a particular discipline and organise them in an artistic way (as a map or as a tree of strong points> whatever the students prefer).

When to use Merry-go-round?

When working with teenage students, including those demonstrating destructive behaviour; when faced with barriers to learning and demotivation; when faced with a toxic classroom or instances of bullying.

The method can be used for tasks which include multiple criteria or answers, so that students can provide a complex analysis of their peers' performance.

Tasks with only one correct answer or solution should be avoided, because they make it harder to provide constructive feedback to students.

Brief description:

Drawings that show a particular situation. Bubbles contain speech of two characters, one bubble is filled, the task is to fill the second bubble with feedback.

Goals:

• show that feedback is a reliable development tool
• let students practice the principles of good feedback
• teach students to interact with each other using good feedback
• expand students' feedback vocabulary

Learning results:

• students apply principles of feedback
• students present well-structured assessments of others' performance
• students offer opinions quickly and formulate them succinctly, rather than spontaneously and vaguely

What do participants do?

Fill in the bubbles with phrases applying the rules of constructive feedback.

When to use Comics?

When teaching how to offer feedback, i.e. put together phrases and use them with empathy and thoughtfulness in mind.

Works for students of any age: familiar characters or situations can be included in the drawings.

Can be used as cards offered in the end of the class or as an assignment aimed at learning through mistakes, so that students can reflect and project the dialogues onto themselves and their results.

The method has to be accompanied by a manual, so that students understand the principles of filling in the bubbles pursuant to the rules of feedback.

Contribution to growth mindset development:

The drawings are based on the principles of Case Study and role modelling. If there is a problem, participants come up with solutions.

Brief description:

It is a structured procedure that has certain rules and includes a sequence of actions to facilitate peer review.

Goals:

• show that feedback is a reliable development tool
• let students practice the principles of good feedback
• teach students to interact with each other using good feedback
• create a safe space for exchange of opinions

Learning results:

• students ask for feedback themselves
• students follow the rules of good feedback when communicating with others
• students are not afraid to express their opinions
• students present well-structured assessments of others' performance
• students offer opinions quickly and formulate them succinctly, rather than spontaneously and vaguely

What does the teacher do?

Keeps track of time and observes the way rules of good feedback are followed.

What do participants do?

Step 0. Preparation. The teacher reminds students of the rules of good feedback.

Step 1. The student who wishes to discuss their work or project talks to the group about it for 5 minutes. While the work is being presented, other students are taking notes.

Step 2. The group asks the presenter comprehension questions (5 min). Question-answer mode.

Step 3. The presenter puts down their ideas, the group members take 5 minutes to formulate their feedback in writing (5 min).

Step 4. The group members read feedback out loud one after another (15 min). Participants speak, the presenter takes notes (does not respond verbally).

Step 5. Reflection. The presenter talks about their impressions / conclusions / ideas / what they learned.

Brief description:

The exercise is based on "battleship" game : each "shot" is a feedback assignment.

Goals:

• teach students to assess situations that require feedback
• show that feedback is a reliable development tool
• teach students to practice the principles of good feedback
• teach students to interact with each other using good feedback

Learning results:

• students are able to provide feedback upon request
• students use the rules of good feedback when communicating with others
• students are not afraid to express their opinions
• students present well-structured assessments of others' performance
• students offer opinions quickly and formulate them succinctly, rather than spontaneously and vaguely

What do participants do?

Students are divided into two teams. There is a board that has a field of 8 * 8 squares on it. The squares are covered with cards. Each team takes a shot and chooses which sector to open. If a shot falls on a square with the ship, participants have to solve a case. The task is to apply the rules of good feedback to the suggested case. If everything is done correctly, the shot is added to the score.

When to use?

• when teaching the rules of articulating constructive feedback
• when developing teamwork skills

Contribution to growth mindset development:
Students learn to use good feedback vocabulary and to follow the rules of good feedback.

Case examples:

1. Imagine that your classmate made several mistakes when rehearsing a speech for their project presentation. Offer corrections and don't forget about the rules of good feedback.
2. Replace the value judgement statement "Great job! You are very smart!" with constructive feedback (for example, "Great job! You clearly worked hard to achieve this result!").
3. Replace the value judgement statement "You are cool!" with constructive feedback (for example, "I see how hard you worked to achieve this impressive result").

Brief description:

Classroom activity which involves students sharing what mistakes they made and what difficulties they face, while their classmates offer constructive feedback which helps to find solutions or avoid similar mistakes in the future.

Goals:

• teach students to provide feedback in cases of failure
• develop an understanding that mistakes are essential to learning
• teach students to look for solutions together
• show that feedback is a reliable development tool
• teach students to apply the principles of good feedback
• teach students to interact with each other using good feedback practices

Learning results:

• students do not perceive mistakes as threats anymore, but see them as opportunities
• students apply feedback rules when communicating with others
• students are not afraid to express their opinions
• students present well-structured assessments of others' performance
• students offer opinions quickly and formulate them succinctly, rather than spontaneously and vaguely

When to use?

The practice can be used as a regular exercise to boost motivation and facilitate group interaction in class.

What do participants do?

Students write down the descriptions of their mistakes on stickers, then put them on the board together with stickers containing advice for their peers on what they need to change to avoid similar mistakes.

Contribution to growth mindset development:

Students share their mistakes and offer each other comments, thus shifting the focus from the assessment result to the development process.

Brief description:

Feedback form with questions formulated by the teacher.

Generally, students receive a lot of feedback (albeit different) during the education process, while teachers are often deprived of it. The method helps to restore the balance.

Goals:

• show that feedback is a reliable development tool
• teach students to apply feedback rules
• teach students to interact with teachers using feedback practices
• help teachers to collect necessary data from students to build individual educational routes
• help teachers to make education more personalized

Learning results:

• teachers ask for feedback when they need it
• teachers perceive criticism as criticism of their work, not personality
• students apply the rules of constructive feedback when communicating with others
• students are not afraid to express their opinions
• students present well-structured assessments of others' performance
• students offer opinions quickly and formulate them succinctly, rather than spontaneously and vaguely

Contribution to growth mindset development:

• students learn to separate the teacher's personality from their work
• teachers learn to use students' feedback as a tool to improve their performance

What do participants do?

When a teacher needs feedback from students, they are asked to fill a feedback form.
Students fill a feedback form, which also lists the core principles of constructive feedback.

Question example:

1. How can I do better, so that studying feels more comfortable/interesting/pleasant for you?

When to use?

When teachers lack feedback from their students.
When we want teachers and students to trust each other and create a culture of feedback.
When we want students to feel that they have impact on how the school interacts with them.

* the method cannot be used as a tool for teachers' assessment.

Brief description:

Teachers come together to resolve a work-related dilemma. The meeting follows a set of rules and participants have to follow a specific sequence of steps.

Goals:

• show that feedback is a reliable development tool
• teach teachers to apply rules of feedback
• let teachers practice feedback rules when interacting with each other

Learning results:

• Teachers are not afraid to ask colleagues for help with complicated issues
• Teachers perceive criticism as criticism of their work, not personality
• Teachers apply constructive feedback rules when interacting with each other

Contribution to growth mindset development:
Teachers learn to separate themselves from their work, accept criticism, and ask colleagues for support.

What do participants do?
Medium-sized group of up to 10 people, which includes the presenter and the facilitator.

Step 1. The group chooses a facilitator. The facilitator keeps track of time and makes sure that the rules are followed.

Step 2. A teacher presents a dilemma to the group. It is important that the dilemma comes from their own experience, actions, behavior, attitudes, assumptions, etc., NOT from SOMEONE ELSE. The presenter formulates the dilemma in writing, focusing on the following points:

• Brief description of the issue
• Why is the issue complicated/important?
• What I have already done to solve it.

Example of a dilemma: "My 6th grade students really enjoy learning words through a ball game, but every time we play they get too excited and later it becomes difficult for them to focus on quieter activities (reading, learning theory, etc. ). The question is important to me, because I do not want to sacrifice the activity they like, but I also don't know how to keep using it without ruining the rest of my lesson. I tried to replace the "ball game" with "bingo", but I see that they are having much less fun and that they miss the before times. How can we keep the fun part without losing concentration?

Step 3. The presenter gives colleagues three minutes to read the dilemma.

Step 4. The group members ask the presenter clarifying questions (5-10 minutes). Question-answer mode.

Step 5. The presenter writes down their ideas, while the group members take 5 minutes to formulate in writing their feedback or suggested solutions.

Step 6. The group members provide feedback to the presenter (15 min). Participants speak, the presenter takes notes (does not respond verbally).

Step 7. Reflection. The presenter talks about their impressions / conclusions / ideas.

When to use?
When we want to develop a culture of feedback and encourage teachers to support each other more.

* Do not use it in case the dilemma touches upon the behavior of a different person rather than the presenter.

Brief description:

Putting together a phrase book with examples of poor and constructive feedback.

Goal:

Draw teachers' attention to the wording of their feedback.

What do participants do?

Participants collect examples of good and poor feedback.

When to use the phrasebook?

When the teacher provides written or spoken feedback (essay, creativity assignments, reading project documentation, addressing the class, working in groups etc.).

Contribution to growth mindset development:

The activity helps teachers to select words for their feedback more carefully and reflect on "What I'm saying/When it is best to say nothing."

Brief description:

A set of cards, posters and reminders about what feedback is and how to offer it.

Goals:

• show that feedback is a reliable development tool
• teach educators to apply feedback rules
• teach educators to interact using feedback practices
• expand the vocabulary of teachers and students with appropriate phrases

Contribution to growth mindset development:

The form to be filled by teachers and students is based on the principles of constructive feedback. When filling out the form, participants are prompted to reflect.

What do participants do?

Participants fill in the cards.

When to use?

When teacher need to collect feedback after an assignment or a class; when teachers grade creativity assignments (a card can be attached to the student's paper).

Examples of sets

The matrix can be used to observe and evaluate whether the actions of students or teachers are in line with a growth mindset.

How to use: during specially designed events that allow characteristics to come to the fore.

The matrix can be used to observe and evaluate whether teacher's feedback corresponds to the principles of constructive feedback.

How to use: during specially designed events that allow characteristics to come to the fore.

An interview is used to see whether students' perception of capabilities changed.

When to use: end of school year.

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