Student learning in STEM, feedback practices

Feedback has huge potential to influence learning. Used in conjunction with formative assessment, feedback enables teachers to identify where pupils are in their understanding, to share their learning goals, and to open up opportunities for classroom dialogue in STEM lessons. Noticing opportunities for feedback is an important aspect of formative assessment. Research based on observations in STEM classrooms provides information about feedback processes that help learners make improvements. These oral feedback practices are the following: discrepancy comments, comments on success criteria, and open questions. Feedback practices have the potential to shift responsibility for learning from teachers to pupils to promote deeper thinking about STEM subjects. Teachers, therefore, need to be explicit about their role in the teaching and learning process, paying attention to what is said during lessons and modeling feedback practices with pupils.