Feedback for Continuous Improvement in the Classroom

New Perspectives, Practices, and Possibilities

"We can argue whether or not humans are the only teachers in the animal kingdom, but there is no question that our species alone provides feedback on performance. We might therefore consider feedback on learning as the pinnacle of pedagogy. Do we gain our capacity for assessing learners and offering guidance by instinct or extensive practice? This outstanding book obviates the question because it shows in careful detail and in the use of extensive examples how to learn what learners know (and have yet to learn) and offer directions for the next steps. I can think of no educator, at any level of expertise, who would not benefit from reading this book and using the ideas herein."

"What Duckor and Holmberg have accomplished is to craft a reading experience that, while grounded in solid scholarship, feels very much like a learning journey. The combination of the big ideas with the very practical “Try It Tomorrow” recommendations and authentic “Teacher Reflections” center practice in a way that feels deeply respectful and not overwhelming. I also appreciate explicit guidance to the individual adult learner as well as scaffolding for collective learning by grade-level teams or whole schools. This is a book that delivers on one of those rarest of promises—translating research knowledge into practicable knowledge. Quality feedback is key to accelerating learning; this book will accelerate your learning about feedback."

"Our university focuses on teaching college-level students 21st century skills with a focus on entrepreneurial thinking and design. Duckor and Holmberg’s latest book, Feedback for Continuous Improvement in the Classroom: New Perspectives, Practices, and Possibilities is a total winner. By unpacking the practical skills needed to develop entrepreneurial thinking (which is project-based, collaborative, and communication driven), our undergraduates will be ready to give and take feedback to the next level. Well researched and full of hands-on examples, global-minded business schools will benefit from this comprehensive handbook."

"Duckor and Holmberg provide a passionate yet realistic approach to providing feedback to students to fulfill their civil right to learn. It is unconscionable to teach students without providing daily and in-the-moment feedback and leveraging students’ own voices in the process of their learning. These authors lay out a framework and a series of action steps to help all teachers, novice through expert, reflect on their classroom practice and consider their own professional growth through the lens of understanding how students are thinking and developing while they are teaching them. This is a must-read for all soon-to-be-teachers who seek real engagement with the next generation of students in our public schools. Reading this user-friendly book, teachers will feel empowered to guide students and learn with them as they each grow to better understand students’ cognitive processes and as students grow in their understanding of the learning standards."

"This book is a wonderful resource for teachers and other educational professionals who want to know more about formative feedback. The chapters capture all the most important aspects, and some you probably did not know about. Each chapter has a useful general orientation to one aspect of formative feedback, including guiding questions, definitions, and a very clarifying “What It Is and What It Isn’t” table. The chapter helps the individual reader understand what they can readily learn through a self-assessment that also defines for the reader the different levels of sophistication in that aspect of formative feedback. This is followed by brief and very readable sections on planning, the research background, personal reflections from teachers who are well-accomplished at formative feedback, and practice tips. This is all woven together with brief summaries of important concepts and instructional tactics; together, these provide the reader with a masterly overview of the topic. Altogether, this is the authoritative account of formative feedback available today—and a great resource for the practicing teacher."

"Duckor and Holmberg’s latest book, Feedback for Continuous Improvement in the Classroom: New Perspectives, Practices, and Possibilities, is an important resource for teachers, school leaders, teacher educators, and curriculum developers alike. This well-written book explores formative feedback in secondary school contexts through a new, innovative framework by looking at its directionalities, configurations, and modalities. This book brings together research-based evidence from across the globe, real-life examples in U.S. schools, and practical suggestions and tips for teachers across the world. With this book, readers from different contexts and countries will find much to stimulate their thinking about formative feedback and improve their feedback practices in the classrooms."

"Brent Duckor and Carrie Holmberg’s new book seamlessly weaves together research on formative feedback with issues of equity and pedagogical content knowledge, all while illustrating key ideas with student and teacher voices. There are so many practical tools embedded throughout the chapters that this book will be a go-to resource to support teacher learning communities find meaningful entry points into this critical work. It is a book that I know I will return to repeatedly."

"If you are looking for a comprehensive resource for maximizing the depth and effectiveness of feedback in your setting, this is it. Duckor and Holmberg have written a well-researched and highly practical book that will become a cornerstone for improving the overall learning and growth of all students in your classroom and school. The concern for differentiated feedback and academic language support is timely and needed for the field.<"