Building Writers and

Functional Feedback

Jennifer LudgateEnglish Teacher

@MissJLud

‘Closing the gap between

where students are and what

success looks like is the most

powerful way we can fast

forward learning.’Visible Learning for Teachers, John Hattie

What do we mean by gap?

How do we and our students know what success looks like?

Why is ‘closing the gap’

powerful?

What does it mean to ‘fast

forward learning’?

Can we develop the

knowledge and skills

necessary to successfully

complete the learning

without wasting time or

moving too quickly?

Building Writers at KS3

Can we develop the knowledge and skills necessary

to successfully complete the learning without

wasting time or moving too quickly?

S

We can build writers and close the gap in their work through:

Can we develop the knowledge and skills

necessary to successfully complete the

learning without wasting time or moving too

The story

teller

The blogger

The speech writer

The poet

?

?

What would writers

have to say?

Modelling the process, not just the

finished article

• Write in front of students!

• Talk about our problems as writers

• Model re-reading and writing as part of the process –avoid spiralling out of control!

• Recognise just how hard the task may be – and how long it will take!

• Reflect on our own writing so that we can figure out our own answers to the difficult issues of teaching writing.

Share the process with your students• Do you ever talk aloud as you write?

• Are you aware of talking in your head as you write?

• Do you stop mid-sentence and work out what you are going to say next?

• So…do you share these experiences with the writers in your class?

Reviewing

Creating

Planning

Resource

bank: Long

term

memory

The

reasons

for

writing:

Context

Talking:

No writing allowed

Talk like a book

Speak aloud your first line

Correct mistakes easily

Speaking vsWriting Voice

Pupil Autonomy“I choose what I write”

For the duration of the project pupils were called

‘writers’. They sat in their writing groups and shared

ideas.

Further lessons included:

research lessons, self

assessment, no pens allowed

and public critique.

Develop – through the use of modelling, talk and pupil autonomy

both knowledge and skills were developed.

Successfully - confidence levels increased, pupils shared ideas

with each other with ease over the two week period, they still talk

about that piece of work now plus their levels increased.

Wasting time/moving too quickly – Time wasn’t wasted it was

used wisely. A two week project (7-8 hours) ensured the gaps

were filled slowly. Students were able to see that moving quickly

does not necessarily equal success.

So can we develop the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully

complete the learning without wasting time or moving too quickly?

What opportunities do we build

into our lessons and schemes of

work for pupils to choose what

they write? What topics/schemes/subjects/

circumstances would allow pupils to

improve their writing through talk?

Teach

Share

Collaborate

How can pupil

autonomy be used in

my subject/class?

Add your post it notes to the

relevant sheet.

Can any of the ‘building

writers’ ideas be used with a

class/topic you teach?

Building on FeedbackA range of techniques I have used to

engage and encourage feedback in

lessons with KS3 and KS4 pupils.

Feedback FindingsProviding effective feedback is challenging.

Research suggests that it should:

• be specific, accurate and clear

• compare what a learner is doing right now with what they have done

wrong before

• encourage and support further effort (getting a balance between support

and challenge) and be given sparingly so that it is meaningful (as too much

feedback can stop learners working out what they need to do for

themselves).

• provide specific guidance on how to improve and not just tell students

when they are wrong.

• Wider research suggests the feedback should be about complex or

challenging tasks or goals as this is likely to emphasise the importance of

effort and perseverance as well as be more valued by the pupils. Feedback

can come from other peers as well as adults.

From the Education Endowment Foundation (2012)

Functional Feedback at

KS4 Improving Reading: Using quotations effectively Name:

To get higher marks, you need to:

Use quotations as examples in your work.

Use at least one quotation for every point that you make.

Use quotation marks to show it is from another text. (‘ and ’ )

Choose a quotation which fits in with your point – this may mean it shows how

a character says their dialogue. For example: „“I can pass this exam.” Tim said

confidently.‟

Rewrite a paragraph and try to improve the quotations you use.

· Read the paragraph again and check that you have used a quotation.

· Check that quotation marks have been used correctly (words within the

quotation marks. All punctuation copied exactly from the text).

Add a sentence opener leading into your quotation: ‘The word ‘…..’ is

effective because…. Or ‘The writer has used the phrase ‘……..’ to imply…’

Improving Reading: Using quotations effectively Name:

To get higher marks, you need to:

Use quotations as examples in your work.

Use at least one quotation for every point that you make.

Use quotation marks to show it is from another text. (‘ and ’ )

Choose a quotation which fits in with your point – this may mean it shows how

a character says their dialogue. For example: „“I can pass this exam.” Tim said

confidently.‟

Rewrite a paragraph and try to improve the quotations you use.

· Read the paragraph again and check that you have used a quotation.

· Check that quotation marks have been used correctly (words within the

quotation marks. All punctuation copied exactly from the text).

Add a sentence opener leading into your quotation: ‘The word ‘…..’ is

effective because…. Or ‘The writer has used the phrase ‘……..’ to imply…’

Success Criteria (not previously hit)

A section to rewrite using the above guidance – named by you or pupil

Monitoring response – a confidence boost or a sign that more input is

needed.

• Your targets may feel like

ghosts coming back to haunt

you time and time again!

• One way to make your

ghosts disappear is by

tackling them and showing

them you’re not scared!

• Read through your target

and tackle it until it

disappears!

• Use the questionnaire to

The Results:

Forces me to think about my

feedback carefully! How do I

phrase my feedback so that it

doesn’t confuse pupils or

demotivate!

Ie. Think about the difference

between an instruction and a

question

Year 9 Pupil responses

to ‘Give your opinion to

the ghostly feedback

sheets:’

‘Makes responding easier’‘It means you have to do it!’

‘It is quite clear – I like them when they are cut up.’‘Bang and the target’s gone’

Reflective Time(like Hammer time but with tighter trousers)

Are my expectations for

feedback clear to my

class?

Do my pupils interact with

their feedback?

Is it developing their learning

or does it merely show they

can read?

Aside from marking

books and verbal

feedback, what other

forms of functional

feedback could you

introduce?

Jennifer LudgateEnglish Teacher

@MissJLud - littlemisslud.wordpress.com/