![\"fish\"](\"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/SallyJordan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/fish.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nA month or so ago, I was invited to take part in a live event about assessment and feedback, and for some reason the three of us involved decided to base this around an ‘assessed task’ which was to draw a fish.<\/p>\n
There were a few problems – the first one was that we hadn’t been told the criteria against which our drawings would be judged. So my colleague John drew fish and chips. Even though I did better than John did, I was unaware of the detailed criteria.<\/p>\n
So, when our work was ‘marked’ none of us did very well. The feedback given related to efforts as marked against the criteria – which we hadn’t seen. So I was praised for my colourful fish (I just happened to have a red pen in my hand) but downgraded because I had not shown any water. So, despite the fact that my marks were better than those of my two colleagues, I was angry to start with – I hadn’t been told to draw a fish in water! \u00a0My emotions stopped me from listening to the rest of the feedback, which may or may not have been justified.<\/p>\n
Finally, the mark scheme gave credit for \u00a0the presence of different sorts of fins and gills. I have no idea whether my drawing, or the other colleague’s one that I was marking, included these points or not. My knowledge of fish anatomy is somewhat limited!<\/p>\n
So, very quickly (and not as planned by the activity) we have a list of important points for assessing and giving feedback.<\/p>\n
1. Make sure your assessment criteria are clear – and shared with students.<\/p>\n
2. Receiving feedback is an emotional experience; bear that in mind.<\/p>\n
3. Make sure that students understand the language that you use in your feedback.<\/p>\n
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I don’t think that I am ever going to win prizes for my artwork. However this post is about my picture of a fish, shown below: A month or so ago, I was invited to take part in a live … Continue reading