Blogging and Formative Feedback

In the past week at university i have taken part in collegial discussions and debates. The purpose of the activities was to give and recieve feeback from other members of the class and to also self assess.

Whilst reflecting on these experiences and commenting on the feedback i gave and recieved, it became clear to me that the feedback was non existant and marks were just awarded to ensure we all passed the course. Fair enough for some people this was a high stakes task as they required the marks to pass the course however, the purpose of the exercise then became pointless.

How this links to blogging? It is a difficult task to be honest to yourself and friends/collegues when giving feedback, especially when it comes to high stakes assessment. I believe that to develop a critical/constructive mind you need to give feedback on a regular basis.
This is where blogging is a valuable task.

Blogging allows children to publish work and have others place comments/feedback.
Making it a regular classroom activity will familiarise children with the concept of feedback and through regular experiences the need to be 'nice' to your friends wears off and children develop a valuable skill. Research suggests that feedback is a prime requirement for the progress of childrens learning.

Every individual needs to have a honest critical mind that can read and observe others and themselves and make constructive comments to enhance the learning and performance in future experiences.

For more information on assessment through blogging visit Alisons blog; Blogging in the classroom: Assessment