Inspiring Excellence, Part 4: Role of Revision and Feedback

Jun 2

Jun 2 Inspiring Excellence, Part 4: Role of Revision and Feedback

“When students are feeling excited and empowered by what they are learning, it creates the right conditions for producing really high quality work. And getting really high quality work from every student means they have to go through a process of critique and revision.” —Jenna Gampel, Second Grade Teacher, Conservatory Lab Charter School

Part 4: Using Models and Critiques to Create Works of Quality

“Learning how to do your best work and learning that that happens through a process of critique and revision is very empowering for students. It sets them up for success at an academic or personal venture in the future.” —Jenna Gampel, Second Grade Teacher, Conservatory Lab Charter School

In Part 4 of the EL Education video series "Inspiring Excellence," we see how Jenna and her students thrive in a culture where feedback and revision are fundamental towards producing high quality work.

Is there a clear goal? Do students have a clear understanding of what they're expected to learn?
- In this video, students understand that their goal is to produce a scientifically accurate illustration of their snake. By looking at student examples from previous years of different stages of the drawing process, students see that the multiple drafts and the suggestions from critiques will guide them towards their final masterpiece.
- Students also practice the art of providing useful feedback. In whole-group sessions they critique student samples from previous years by offering kind, specific, and helpful feedback. The "stars and stairs" protocol offers a way to structure feedback.
- The "big picture idea" of drawing the snake is broken down into smaller areas of focus. Each area provides a foundation for the next step. For example, students study the features of drawing a high-quality shape when starting. Once this has gone through a process of revision, they then move on to other areas, replicating the process of analysis as a group before starting, and checking in along the way with peer feedback.
How do experts in a similar field work? What thinking moves will help students transform information into meaningful content?
- In order to prepare scientifically accurate illustrations, students must observe and record as both scientists and artists. Generally, feedback plays an important role in both fields. For example, "crit sessions" in the art world provide artists with the opportunity to hear specific feedback on aspects of their work they might not have noticed otherwise. Peer reviewed journals offer feedback on scholarly articles before publishing.
- By bringing in experts, students gain access to authentic practices. They also learn a more precise vocabulary that not only enables them to pay attention to these features as they observe and draw, but also allows them to use this language in feedback sessions. Notice students' use of art vocabulary such as proportion and negative space.
What methods and materials are useful for the learning process? How can students keep track of their learning?
- Jenna's use of the Project Management Board provides students with the opportunity to responsibly manage their time. By becoming "co-managers" of their learning process, they develop their skills as independent learners and are also able to share their skills with others.
Are the standards of quality made clear? Do students have a way of assessing their own work according to agreed-upon standards?
- Rubrics play a crucial role in establishing the standards of quality. With rubrics, students are able to refer to an external agreement of what high quality looks like in a specific area. Furthermore, rubrics provide their own precise vocabulary for assessment. By further breaking down an area of focus such as "shape," students have clear objectives that might otherwise have gone undefined. A simple target such as filling the whole page is a helpful and attainable objective. Aids such as "hit the target," "target met," and "getting started" provide marks of progression.

Additional Resources

To read how Jenna's second graders prepare to write their narrative non-fiction text and to see them read their stories with expression, visit Inspiring Excellence, Part 5 & 6: Towards a Product of Quality. If you have not yet read the introduction to the EL Education six-part video series, consider reading Inspiring Excellence, Part 1-3: Working Towards Independence.

Visit the EL Education website to discover a range of videos, high-quality student work from all grade levels, and even professional development tools for teachers to explore topics such as student-engaged assessment, supporting English-language learners, or using data.

In Part 4 of the video series, Ron Berger references another incredible video called "Austin's Butterfly." Listen to how both teacher and students provide kind, specific, and helpful feedback.