This project aimed to investigate how to enable better two-way feedback with learners, drawing on digital tools that could be used in both remote and face-to-face teaching.
This project aimed to investigate how to enable better two-way feedback with learners, drawing on digital tools that could be used in both remote and face-to-face teaching.
When York Learning’s provision switched from face-to-face to digital during the pandemic, tutors found it challenging to provide good quality, meaningful feedback to learners on their written work and to encourage peer feedback. Three tutors, teaching different groups of learners in different locations, decided to use the teaching triangles approach, a form of situated learning (Lave and Wenger 1990), to explore and evaluate their practice. Tutors have increased in confidence to try out teaching and assessment tools online and in the classroom. The project team have also found that tailored recording and reflection tools have empowered learners to have choice and control over their learning, tracking their progress and understanding when more work needs to be done.
OTLA 8
1. Reflect on what works best in your teaching and learning to meet the diverse needs of learners - the three tutors worked with diverse groups of learners, some 16-19 and some adults, with a wide variety of needs and goals. They discovered through their research that having small classes enabled them to tailor their approach to individuals, including how they manage the digital tools used and combine them with face-to-face feedback. Learners were able to tell the tutors clearly what worked best for them.
2. Build positive and collaborative relationships with colleagues and learners - The collaboration between tutors working in different teams was very productive, leading to conversations and discoveries that would not otherwise have taken place. The tutors also sought to collaborate beyond the teaching triangle by sharing their learning at team meetings and staff events. In this way, the project strengthened the teaching triangles approach across the whole service. Learners collaborated with tutors by sharing their feedback on the new tools and approaches used.
3. Motivate and inspire learners to promote achievement and develop their skills to enable progression - The initial focus on providing feedback to learners widened out to encompass encouraging learners to give feedback to tutors too. Learners were motivated by capturing photo evidence of ‘soft skills’ being used in practice; learners could then see how these related to the RAG rating of their skills.