Instant Feedback.

  I know I should be giving immediate feedback but I don't always have the time to do it and I need ways to provide it so students don't go too long doing the same thing before they are corrected.

I also need to help students learn to use the feedback as a learning tool rather than something they ignore.

One way I've been using recently is through the use of the game site Kahoot.  After a problem is done and shows the answer, students have already been notified if they got it right.  I take time to explain how the problem should be done if most of the students miss it.  It provides a great review.

Feedback needs to be specific on what they didn't do correctly.  Rather than saying "Good job!" or "Almost there!" take time to say specifically what they did right and what they didn't get quite right.  When they are learning a skill, they need the explicit information.  Research also indicates students who receive immediate feedback are more likely to do better than those who receive delayed feedback.

In addition, instant feedback helps students improve their technique and increases their motivation to complete the work.  Furthermore, if they are consistently getting the wrong answer because of a lack of immediate feedback, they feel as if math is too hard or they can't do it.  It is quite reasonable to use a technology based game to provide instant feedback.  I sometimes have students work on IXL which allows a certain number of free questions each day.  If a student gets the answer wrong, the program shows them how to do it.

I also will play Jeopardy with my students.  I divide them into groups and they must work together to get the answer.  I must see everyone's attempt at the problem.  Every group that gets the correct answer will receive the points.  If I just gave it to the first correct answer, those who struggle the most will give up and shut down.  I also give them several minutes per round so everyone has a chance to calculate the answer.

One activity I enjoy assigning students is "Search and Rescue" which is low tech but can be done using QR codes.  The idea is that you place 10 questions around the room.  Each question has an answer but the answer is with a different question.  Students begin by calculating the answer to one question.  Once they have the answer, they go looking around to find the paper with that answer.  If they don't find the answer, they know they are wrong and can get help from me to learn to do it correctly.  If they find the answer, they do the problem on the paper, find the answer and go find the answer.  Eventually they will end up where they started.  It often takes a full period but they have fun.

Another possible way to check for understanding so you can give immediate feedback is to provide a problem for students to solve about 5 minutes before the end of class.  They write the answer on an exit ticket so you can glance at it and let them know if its right or if they need to try again.

These are just a few ways other than wandering around the classroom, checking student work to see if its right or wrong.  Students often need a fun way to give them a break and make them willing to listen to the feedback.

Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.