Archive for January, 2007

Written Feedback electronically provided

During my visit to Notre Dame Pip Cartwright demonstrated his new AIDA tracking and formative marking system. Linked directly to pupils’ portfolios the system allows teachers:

  • Track whether a piece of work has been completed
  • Look at the detailed requirements for a piece of work related to the SPB
  • Mark the work to tell the pupils whether the work is:
  • In line with requirements
  • Acceptable but there are ideas to improve it
  • Unsatisfactory for some reason (with comment given)
  • Not yet done
  • Go directly to the pupils’ eportfolio using the link on their name
  • Record suggestions for improvements to their work
  • Analyse the progress of the group
  • Sort and analyse the data using macros for efficient work
  • Create seating plans for differentiation and intervention based on progress in previous lesson(s)
  • Share this information directly with pupils, who can access the feedback for their work anytime they work on a school computer.
  • Pupils complete a request form to ask for their improved work to be reassessed. This means that pupils are responsible to ensure they get the highest mark for their work. They are thus directly involved in tracking their own progress.

    The system is also used to reinforce mini deadlines with pupils. They get a date by which a section has to be completed for marking. As a result of the information being easily accessible to them, many choose to address the gaps in their work immediately.

    Pip tells me that this is the result of numerous attempts to use ICT effectively in the management of coursework and to track and record formative assessment. Pupils, who have been presented with this, just get on with it and use the comments effectively to improve their work. It seems they care little about the exact system used, it’s the formative assessment which makes the difference to them.

    Pip providing individual electronic written feedback

    Comments