There’s an educational guru from New Zealand called Professor Hattie. He must be one of the most influential educationists in the world and his research is respected across the political spectrum. One of his key findings is the huge value of giving learners constructive feedback so that they are clear about what they’ve done well, what they need to improve and how to reach their target. Hattie has found that this kind of response from teachers is much more powerful in enhancing learning than many of the other strategies schools use – it has more impact than  homework, for example. Hattie’s findings have confirmed that there needs to be a regular individual dialogue between teachers and students, orally and in writing. This approach, often called Assessment for Learning or AFL, can produce great benefits  in terms of improving teacher/pupil relationships and motivating learners to be more reflective and autonomous.

(more…)