Can feedback be delivered more effectively in Singapore schools?

In our schools, feedback comes through graded assessment papers, twice-a-year report cards and annual parent-teacher sessions. It provides a snapshot of how our students are doing academically and socially, but little about how they can improve. Is this impactful to student achievement, and is there a better way?

Based on the evidence, successful feedback should be timely, specific and process focused.

I will like to share how a US school provides feedback using these three measures:

\Timely

As a common practice, schools use tests & assignments to gauge how well students are learning. The result feeds into teachers' daily lesson plans to adjust for learning gaps.

In the US school that my children are attending, there are low stakes assessments throughout the year. It is not uncommon to see 10-15 graded work each carrying 5-10 marks. These are marked and uploaded immediately, with short explanations on good work and deductions.

The combination of ongoing testing for learning gaps and access to real-time reports provides students and parents with a robust and objective system of knowing what improvement actions are needed. Does the student need content help, or simply working on submitting timely work?

\Specific

In addition to prompt continuous tests feedback, an interim report is given in the middle of the school trimester. (This will be equivalent to post-Term 1 and Term 3 in Singapore).

The interim report contains a detailed analysis of the student's performance for each subject. It shares what the student has done well, what improvements are needed, and specific actionable strategies for the student to end the trimester to reach his grade potential.

Unlike in Singapore where report cards are for parents, the interim report is explained and given the student. The parent has access to it, but it is clear that the student owns it.

\Process focus

British Emeritus Professor Dylan Wiliam explains that feedback should be "process focus" rather than "ego involving". The latter focus on a person's position in class, for example, "You handed in the best work in class". Research shows that this rarely useful and in fact yields lower achievement.

Instead, when schools provide feedback on what students need to do to improve, it focuses on the task, and how to go about it. This "process focus" feedback is exemplified in the practice of the US school, producing a significant impact on student achievement.

In Summary,

1. Access to the real-time online school system creates a collaborative platform for the teacher, student and parent.

Responsibility for the work rest solely on the student, and both teacher and parents have the data to support the student.

2. The most important part of this process is the message it sends to the student; His abilities are incremental, and not fixed.

By giving clear strategies to an achievable goal in the middle of the trimester, students have the opportunity to act on such feedback soon after getting it. It motivates and strengthens their belief in themselves to work hard for a good finish.

Can we do feedback better in our schools?

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 21, 2019, with the headline 'Can S'pore schools deliver feedback more effectively?'. The online version can be found here.