Icy+lee_article+feedback

This article was written by Icy Lee, and she argues for a completely new approach to feedback in the writing classroom. In this article, Lee claims that there is a need for feedback revolution by answering the why, what and how questions to shed light on why we need to revolutionize conventional feedback approaches. According to her, conventionally it is thought that giving feedback in the writing classroom includes teachers’ marking errors meticulously, underlying errors or writing correct answers for students, and writing rather detailed commentary on students texts. Lee thinks that since Truscott (1996) sparked a debate on error correction, teachers have begun to doubt the efficacy of conventional feedback approaches. Lee believes that for teachers detailed error feedback is time-consuming and cost-effective. They are burned out and develop a strong phobia of having to mark piles after piles of compositions. When we come to students’ attitudes to these feedbacks, when they receive their papers awash with the red link, they become disappointed, they lose their interest and confidence in writing feeling confused about how they can improve their writings. Therefore, Lee strongly claims that there is an immediate need of a revolution in the writing classroom in terms of feedback. Lee suggests that to start a feedback revolution, there is a need to change both the feedback approaches and the philosophy which leads the teaching, learning and assessment of writing including the following: ü In writing teachers should give more importance on teaching rather than testing, so giving feedback should not be burden on them. ü To reinforce much more learning, students participate in the feedback process as much possible as actively, both teachers and students should share responsibility. ü Instead of spending so much time marking students’ writing, teachers should spend more time on teaching what they assess, and teachers should give students enough time to write. ü Instead of seeing feedback as primarily a tool for judging writing quality, and assessing scores/ grades, teachers should see it as a pedagogical tool to improve learning and teaching. ü Feedback should serve firstly formative purposes; it should result in better learning and more effective teaching. Also Lee claims that change is necessary for feedback in the writing class and teachers should come together, and discuss and debate their current feedback methods. They should improve a common vision and feedback policy that ensures consistency. Moreover, according to Lee if a feedback revolution comes to exist, both school leaders and parents should be informed, and their supports should be taken to apply new methods. Furthermore, teachers should taken into consider classroom level of change, and they do some preparation before that process, they have to; - Choose a good writing topic (appropriate genre, contextualized writing etc.) - Establish the criteria of writing for the target genre and provide instructional scaffolding accordingly to help students understand the genre requirements in terms of text structure and language features. (may be that can be done with rubric or feedback form) - Tell students clearly writing process, like how many drafts are expected. - Let students move through the various stages of the writing process and give them adequate time and support to develop a good piece of work. Lee also suggests that during the feedback process, teachers should avoid their conventional error-correction methods. They should adopt an encouraging stance for students, diagnosing students’ writing to find out the strengths and major weaknesses. They should make students participate actively in this process through self/ peer evaluation. After this process, students can revise an interim draft or if it is the final draft students can write reflective notes on their writing performance and set new goals for the most piece of work. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">In conclusion, Lee believes that teacher should revise their current traditional feedback methods, and by thinking every detail and possibilities they should discuss and come up with new feedback practices which ensures consistency and is based mostly on students’ learning instead of teachers’ marking errors. As Yagelski (1999, p. 46) says that Good teaching is “really about good learning”. Therefore, it can be claimed that good feedback practices are about effective students’ learning, and a new feedback revolution is necessary. **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">References ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Lee, I. //“What about a feedback revolution in the writing classroom?”// <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Yagelski. R.P. (1999) ‘The ambivalence of reflection: Critical pedagogies, identity, and <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> the writing teacher.’ //College Composition and Communication// 51(1), pp.32-50
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