Planning for Fast Feedback

Fast Feedback in the Social Science Classroom

Effective feedback is essential for student growth in Social Science. The feedback cycle should be included in classroom routines to help students understand the significance of feedback and the steps they need to take to move forward. Fast Feedback makes it possible to quickly give feedback to your entire class on a specific skill, learning goal, or behavior, so that you can make student learning and growth the focus of the classroom.

Here are three practical ways to integrate Fast Feedback into your Social Science classroom, regardless of the discipline.

1. Give Feedback on Skill Acquisition

Give feedback on a specific academic skill each time your students complete an activity or assignment that requires them to practice or demonstrate that skill. 

Example: During a unit on the Industrial Revolution, students will explore topics ranging from economic changes to technological advancements through an investigation of several primary source documents. As students progress through the unit, provide them with feedback on a specific analytical skill such as identifying key details in context or evaluating bias. 

• Criterion: evaluating bias 
• Criterion description: Use context and details from a text to evaluate bias in a primary source document.
• Insights: Use the Feedback Forward data insights to plan for instruction, like a mini-lesson on evaluating bias with an example primary source, or scaffolded resources and targeted support for students who are struggling with foundational skills necessary for evaluating bias.

2. Elicit Evidence of Standards Mastery

Elicit evidence of standards mastery when students complete smaller in class assignments or activities that are tied to the same standard, but are not graded. 

Example: Students will spend several weeks working on a research paper on a controversial topic.

• Criterion: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.6
• Criterion description: Evaluate authors’ differing points of view on the same historical event or issue by assessing the authors’ claims, reasoning, and evidence.
• Insights: Use Fast Feedback to give students feedback on their research summaries and analysis as they work with multiple primary and secondary sources throughout the process of building the paper. Use the Feedback Forward data insights to plan groupings for targeted in-class scaffolding and support for the research and analysis process, such as additional resources, peer review and collaboration, or mini-conferences. 

3. Give Feedback on Executive Functioning Skills

Provide feedback on executive functioning skills as students work individually and collaboratively to complete class assignments.

Example: Students engage in collaborative projects during a geography unit focused on population dynamics. Set clear expectations for collaboration throughout the unit and give students feedback on their work dividing responsibilities effectively, assigning roles based on individual strengths, and coordinating efforts to produce a cohesive presentation. Meet with groups throughout the process to discuss your feedback on their collaboration and offer support and guidance to groups who are struggling to meet their goals or project milestones. 

• Criterion: collaboration 
• Criterion description: Students communicate effectively, take responsibility for their role and expectations, and contribute ideas and tangible products to the group in order to meet goals and project milestones.
• Insights: Use Feedback Forward data insights to identify which students will need support or intervention to successfully collaborate with peers and complete the unit requirements. Discuss your feedback during check-ins with students and collaborate on steps to help students develop collaboration skills.