Get your pens out
At the end of the first half term Future Generation Trust held a conference for all our teachers and classroom support staff. From a personal point of view the day went well. The registration was smooth, the venue modern and welcoming, the main speaker punctual and highly engaging, and it appeared that most of the delegates in attendance left with a smile on their face. But how do I really know it went well. How do I know it really was successful?
The obvious response would be to look at the evaluation sheets, but in truth there lies the problem. Firstly, we should note that approximately 115 responses were submitted by the 160 people who were there. A return rate of around the 70% mark. That could easily be seen as disappointing in itself. Most importantly for me, however, is the fact that less than 30 of these evaluation sheets included any written comments at all. That leaves us principally with numeric, statistical information and we are all aware of the difficulties that can arise from solely relying upon data.
Ticking a box that says ‘strongly agree’ or ‘very valuable’ can paint a positive picture and I am extremely pleased the conference evaluations predominantly fell into this bracket. There is a reason though why the phrase ‘box ticking exercise’ has entered our modern-day lexicon as a disparaging term. It conveys a message of simplicity and lack of depth. Something without any real value that people don’t necessarily have to think about for long. This is partly why a host of evaluation sheets revealing only generic categories can lead to a hollow feeling. What we want to know is the personal nuances, good or bad, an insight into the person’s very own experience. The feelings behind the number.
In the world of commerce there is an insatiable need to review performance and the ubiquitous questionnaires that fill our email inboxes or the text messages that follow any telephone helpline contact are a feature of everyday life. Even here, however, there is a recognition that written comments carry more weight and these are anxiously sought at every opportunity. How often are you prompted to write a review from an online retailer after a basic purchase. On occasion you are even seduced by the attraction of entry into a prize draw or a discount rate to encourage a written viewpoint.
Recently I tried for the first time to write a TripAdvisor review of a café, a positive one I hasten to add, and was informed by the app that a minimum of 100 characters was required. No ‘5 stars, this is brilliant,’ would suffice. More detail was needed to provide a fuller, more rounded picture of what my experience was like.
I believe the reason why these large successful companies want a written review is simple. Words are more powerful than numbers. Potential customers get more information, more confirmation and affirmation from a written comment than a number of stars or score on a scale. We of course know that meaning can be inferred from someone’s writing, but a number is purely subjective. A five star from me can be quite different from a 5 star from someone else.
So where do these observations lead me. I am going to relate this experience to teaching and the apparent demise of teachers spending time on placing a comment in pupils’ book after they have completed any given assignment. In recent years I have heard from teachers of how marking pupil’s work is outdated and of little value. They talk about how pupils are dismissive of staff comments, that they rarely read them, and it is not worth the teacher’s time to mark a set of books. I am told pupils today communicate in different ways. They want quick, simple messages. This is the digital age they say and just to support their argument they throw in the often-quoted reference that emojis are the fastest growing language in the world. I am not exactly sure which languages emojis are competing against in this mythical growth race but nevertheless they seem to think it adds weight to their case.
I don’t believe I am too far removed from the classroom now to understand that pupils’ outlooks have changed but I am not ready yet to give up on the traditional idea that teachers should mark books. My viewpoint was always simple. A good comment had to be first and foremost congratulatory to reward the pupil before moving on to identifying edits that would improve the standard of the work. The inclusion of a third and final element of some suggested development points to be referenced in the future was ultimately recognised as best practice.
The value of this type of high quality feedback was, however, far deeper than these components alone. A written comment was an extension of the pupil’s relationship with the teacher. It demonstrated care and a commitment to wanting the best for them. It was about investing time to say that you are pleased with them and above all else encourage them to reach higher levels of performance. A pupil’s success in school is down to a partnership between themselves and the teacher and marking is one important aspect of this relationship.
Don’t tell me that pupils of today haven’t got time for a written comment. The truth is they haven't got time for a rushed, meaningless, worthless comment and never have they been bothered. A careful, accurate comment that uses the pupil’s first name can make them feel ten feet tall. A proud pupil is not only encouraged but inspired by a great teacher who knows how to get the best out of them. That doesn’t come from a tick, a well done or a good.
There certainly appears to be a trend of moving away from marking and the direction of travel is apparently towards self-marking and marking by symbols. Before we do this, I hope people stop and think a little more. There can be sophisticated checking systems and colour keyed schemes but the power of something as simple as, ‘That is brilliant John, I love the way you have skillfully built suspense in your writing, has the power to put a big smile on their face and make them know that we are firmly on their side. Any teacher knows that the more a pupil’s success is recognized the harder they will try. Don’t we all like a pat on the back?
Finally if you have read this or any of the other blogs over the last 10 months and would like to make a comment please feel free to do so by emailing stuart.ayres@futuregenerationtrust.co.uk
Just don’t give me a score out of 10!