Providing quality feedback

The interrelationship between assessment, teaching and learning

Setting clear and explicit short and long-term goals

Integrating SBA into the curriculum

Planning effective teaching / learning activities

Selecting appropriate assessment tasks

Enhancing student involvement

Ensuring valid, reliable and fair assessment

Providing quality feedback

Evaluating the process

Assessment, teaching and learning:
From principles to practice

Providing quality feedback

Quality feedback from the teacher is also a very important part of SBA. Teachers can use the assessment activities not only to make judgments about student standards (a summative snapshot of students' achievement to date), but also to give feedback to students about specific aspects of their oral language skills so that they can improve for the next assessment.

To view Dr Fiona Hyland, SBA Project, The University of Hong Kong, talking about the importance of positive feedback.

To view Sandy's first presentation.

To view the teacher-student conference.

To view Sandy's second presentation.

To view the teacher reporting back to her fellow teachers the improvements in Sandy's performance.

Feedback should be constructive and specific, i.e. related to the assessment criteria. It is better to describe the strengths and weaknesses of the performances first, and the ways to improve, before giving the marks. If marks are given first, students (and parents) are much less likely to listen closely to the descriptions. If students can also ask questions about specific aspects of their progress after each planned SBA assessment activity, they will understand more clearly how to improve their oral language skills.