Resource Spotlight: Students as Partners in the Feedback Cycle

Once they get comfortable with you, high school students can talk… a lot. And the strong opinions they share about school or the conversations with friends about their teachers and classwork tell you a lot. I gained so much insight into my students’ perspectives on learning, on grades, and on their understanding of how education “works” just by hearing them complain about a test or other assignment.

“I have no idea what we are doing in math right now. Just let me fail the test, so we can finally go to the next unit.”

“Oh my gosh, she just updated the grades. Someone look at it for me – I can’t! I literally have zero idea if she passed me or not!”

“He said the presentation had to be seven minutes, so I am going to add in a movie clip for fun. Do you think that’s enough for him to give me a B?”

If learning were a soccer game, these kids would be unequivocally benched. They very often had no idea where the goal was (or that they should even be looking for a goal), and they certainly had no idea whether or not they were winning.They were on the sidelines of their own education.

Learning was something that was done to them. Grades were a verdict, an event that happened to them. And I cannot blame them. I know firsthand how easy it is to have clear goals in mind for the activities I plan for my class, with clear expectations for the work students should be doing… but only in my own head. Planning lessons and activities is the first step; bringing students into the process and sharing your thinking behind your lesson plan needs to be the second.

The feedback cycle is a great way to get students involved in the process, but it requires a frameshift: for us and for students. Students need to learn that part of their job is to jump into the game, know where the goal is, and figure out whether they are working towards that goal or not. We need to give them the opportunities to do that. And we need to teach them how to do it.

When students are part of the feedback process, grades and comments are more effective and meaningful to them, and help ensure they are working towards the right goals. Students are more likely to absorb and learn from feedback when they have a role in it, such as owning their learning goals, self-assessing their progress, and identifying the steps they need to take to move forward.

Feedback loops are an essential part of this process, and include setting goals, interpreting information, and determining the next step. Getting students to buy into this cycle means including them at each point of the process.

Image adapted from Jones, Nelson, & Gerzon (2021)

To help your team bring students into the feedback loop process, try our Students as Partners in the Feedback Cycle professional learning resource. Customize the materials to fit the needs of your team and develop strategies that work for you. Start small by incorporating those strategies into a feedback cycle for one or two important lessons or activities. As you get more comfortable, make it a regular part of your routine.

While your students are still going to complain to their friends in the hallway, partnering with them on feedback will reduce their feelings of having no control over their grades. And it will get them off the sidelines and back in the game when it comes to their learning.