In regards to feedback and assessment I feel this reading was extensive, yet basic. It provided teachers who are beginning teaching, with basic language feedback skills. But I feel it did not answer the advanced ideas of feedback. For example, a teacher provides a student with feedback, but the student is still generating ideas in their first language, I would like to see it addressed on recommended practices for feedback.
I find that the TEFL/TESOL/IELTS models of feedback are always great in theory, but do not actually get practiced. From the experiences I have working with these international teachers who take the 120-hr course and get certified, I feel they emphasize most of their practice on their classroom management and delivery of content (which in most cases is great), but tend to fall short of producing authentic feedback.
In regards to English language learners, a teacher providing feedback needs to practice the delivery of that feedback. When I say practice, I mean, a teacher really needs to know what it is they are trying to say because if a student inquires about a failure in an oral assessment, a teacher cannot say "Well, you need to 'use better' words", which I have noticed in some experiences. The two stars and a wish thinking in regards to feedback is an excellent structure, but as a teacher of ELL, it needs to be deeper than surface level observations. I actually "STEP" my feedback for students to be honest. I begin with the assessment purpose and build possible feedback from there. This is helpful when I have my units already designed with ELL in mind.
I completed a unit on Business Letter writing in a Grade 12 College (equivalent) class, in which students (ELL namely) needed to produce evidence of formal structure, from there the feedback is in class performance based (the content is assessed with a checkrubric (yet or not yet). From the structural knowledge of a formal letter, the class scaffolds content. The content is in which the students need very precise feedback based on their "STEP". If a student is still developing ideas in L1 then translating to ENG, I will be producing feedback based on their need for idea development (first), over practices and time (possibly tutorials), they will begin to receive feedback on their grammar and language conventions.
It needs to be recognized in STEP the student's development from assessment to assessment as they may be taking away different skill focuses based on their own progress. In the BL unit, my fluent English students area immediately receiving feedback on their grammar and language conventions because (fortunately they do not have learning exceptionalisms), it is a simple process of telling them to add more details into their content/body paragraphs of the letter.
I feel sometimes my feedback strategies are too complicated for even me, but I do see progress and efficiency (even when I sometimes get lost in the semantics of simplifying personalized feedback for students). I also feel though, in a classroom, it is easy for a teacher to get bogged down in marking if they are provided personalized feedback for ever single student. Something else i have been "experimenting" with has been producing peer evaluations that I use as a basis. In most cases the students are really only producing superficial feedback or basic grammar and language convention corrections needed. I do find it help though in peer evaluating, when students are practicing the creation of feedback, they can better understand my feedback to them.
TPT Link to Editing Symbols Handout/Poster
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Editing-Symbols-Handout-4442640
Dropbox Link to Editing Symbols PDF
https://www.dropbox.com/s/w5f67yfy30cvpnp/Editing%20Symbols%20Poster.pdf?dl=0
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