Do Your 5th Graders Know How to Give Each Other Feedback?

Collaboration can work wonders in a classroom when we teach students what it means to work together.  One essential skill students need to learn in order to work together is providing effective feedback.

Hi, I'm Mercedes from Surfing to Success.  My district values Project Based Learning and my school is a STEM school and an SFA school, so collaboration is key to our success.  When our students present a project with their group, their classmates give them feedback keeping our Feedback Protocol in mind.

While the concept seems very simple, it can be a great tool to get 5th graders to think before they speak.  Students tend to naturally say things like, "I liked your presentation."   With be specific in mind, they say things like, "I like the way you made eye contact with the audience while you were presenting."

This practice of giving effective feedback starts to influence the ways students work together.

I had the opportunity to attend PBL World put on by the Buck Institute and one of my favorite moments was watching this video where we see students practicing giving feedback and how it leads to a better project.  If you've never seen Austin's Butterfly, it is worth your time.

If you are interested in Project Based Learning, there are tons of free resources at BIE .

If you'd like a copy of the feedback protocol, you can find it here.  I'm a bit font obsessed so there are several versions.

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