Ross McGill and I conducted a year-long action research study with 13 teachers across seven English schools in 2018-19. The research was commissioned by the UCL Access and Widening Participation team.
In our study we found that verbal feedback, when applied well, has a positive impact on the engagement of all students – perhaps especially for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. It may also lead to gains in progress and achievement and – at the least – appears to have no detrimental effects. When teachers learn to apply verbal feedback strategies consistently and with confidence, it has a marked positive effect on their overall practice and on the time they have available for other teaching tasks such as planning.
You can read my summary of the work here on the IOE Blog. And you can read my full report, and Ross’s toolkit, here.
Special thanks must go to the brave teachers from these schools, who dared to change the way they fed back to their students… and made such gains as a result.
- Batley Girls’ High School, West Yorkshire
- London Nautical School, Lambeth
- Oakgrove School, Milton Keynes
- Ranelagh School, Berkshire
- Reigate School, Surrey
- Trinity Catholic School, Warwickshire
- Westminster City School, London
