To feel that this is an inappropriate way of providing feedback

[Brokenbiscuit]

DD has recently started secondary school and is in year 7. So far, she is settling in really well and we're mostly very happy with the school.

However, there doesn't appear to be much consistency with regard to the marking of work (both classwork and homework). Each teacher has their own approach. The French teacher seems to mark regularly and thoroughly. The maths teacher gets the kids to mark their own work and then tell him their results. The geography teacher gives verbal feedback and makes the kids write it down. All acceptable approaches in my view. The English teacher has marked nothing and given no feedback of any sort on classwork or homework since the start of term. Not acceptable in my view. And then there is history.

The history teacher gives each child a single page of A4 to stick in their books, the same sheet for everyone. The sheet highlights common errors and misconceptions (fine), reminds students of presentation requirements (also fine) and then lists students who have done well and students whose work is "cause for concern". This looks like public humiliation to me, and I'm struggling to see how it's OK.

DD received the first sheet for her class yesterday. Her understanding was that it covered everything they had done since the start of term, not just one piece of work. Her name was listed in a box called "praise", along with around five other kids. There was no indication of what they were being praised for or what they had done well - just a general "well done", which is nice but not particularly helpful for the future. Then there were two names listed in a box called "cause for concern", with a comment that their work wasn't of Set 1 standard.

AIBU to feel that this is grossly unfair for the poor kids who have their names publicly listed in the "cause for concern" box? I feel very uncomfortable about it; DD is not bothered, however. Her view is that she would rather have feedback of this nature than none at all, and she says that teachers might make verbal comments in class about a poor standard of work that all of the other kids would hear anyway. I asked her if she would be upset to see her own name listed in that box, and she said that she would, but more because of the poor feedback rather than any public humiliation.

AIBU to feel that this kind of naming and shaming is unacceptable? Or am I being precious and is this just an efficient way of providing feedback and keeping the kids on their toes?

I wonder if the head is aware of this...I expect not..having had 3 teens go through secondary ive never come across this,and would of been horrified if I had.not only does it leave to the kids in the cause for concern box open for bullying,it does too of the other kids at risk of being called swots or worse...

That would have absolutely floored me at that age. I was very shy and underconfident as a teenager.

I also think personalised feedback is an essential part of teaching and raising standards.

Hmm, the general consensus seems to be that I should raise it. Think I'll ask for a copy of the marking policy and then take it from there.

If I do raise it, do people think I should raise it directly with the teacher concerned before going to the head of history or head of year? His email address is on the school website.

It sounds extremely poor practice to me. It's not only demotivating for those in the "Cause for concern" box but also for those who never appear in the "Praise" box, and there is certainly no need to make children stick the sheet in their books so that it will become increasingly obvious throughout the year whose name is or isn't there and how often. I sincerely hope the teacher doesn't include children with identified SEN in this practice.

If this was to happen in a working environment, with all your colleagues seeing your appraisal, I think it would all hit the fan.
This is not acceptable, it doesn't breach any DPA.

I think it's awful and I'd raise it with the school. It's also rather pointless. Just telling a kid their work is cause for concern isn't very helpful...

Sounds like a lazy teacher.

I agree with FinallyHere that you would likely be listened to more than a parent of a child in the 'concern' box, whose complaint might be seen as sour grapes. I think you should question it with head of department or school head. It's a horrible approach.

Thanks all for your views. I'm going to ask for a copy of the marking policy and then think a bit further about how to respond when I've had a look at it.

From the Sutton Trust:

“One study even estimates that the impact of rapid feedback on learning is 124 times more cost effective that reducing class sizes.”

Raise the feedback issue for both English & History with the school. This is about your DD's education.

Is this a state school or private? I only ask because I would be astonished if any state school provided feedback like that in history (goes against so many principles!) and no feedback at all in English, a core subject?! Would not happen in my school and staff members would be hauled over the coals (and justly, imo).

This is a common strategy being promoted in all sorts of places atm. In fact it was the focus of a meeting I had this week where the head was promoting it as a good way to provide regular feedback, like Gnome says rapid feedback is a good way of raising standards yet providing rapid, deep marking of work is not always possible. The idea here is you go through a set of books and whilst still making the occasional individual comment you pick up the areas where most people have done well and where most people haven't and flag it up. No difference to the verbal feedback I used to give in the good old days - except there is a paper trail for Ofstead and the students can flick back to it.

The praise and concern boxes are meant to have reasons e.g. Little Jimmy for using complex sentences, Little Jane questions 1-5 not completed. If the teacher concerned is just giving a list of names then they are not using it right.

I did raise unease with having concerns on there at said meeting.

I do use this technique - although I do not include concerns, give general praise and then have a box for my superstars who've put the most effort in on that piece of work. I don't use it all the time - maybe one or twice a term, the rest of the feedback is individual on assessments. The students seem to like it - there is a lot of competition to have their name in the superstars box and get their work shown on the wall, and this has really improved the amount of effort being put into general classwork.

For those of you not sure what this technique is here are some examples (not mine):

khsbpp.wordpress.com/2016/09/26/whole-class-marking-crib-sheet/
blog.meolscophighschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/sb49.png
twitter.com/MrsH_biddick/status/801810186855911424
twitter.com/TLPMsF/status/798652893129625600
twitter.com/JassyBG/status/796654922766819330

Yep devastated Trifle - I was a high achiever. Although had I not been then I probably would have thought fuck it, the teacher thinks I'm shit anyway.

So regardless of where a child sits in the class it will demotivating at best.

I can see no positive in telling a class who the lowest performer is. And in a working environment it would be unacceptable - at least in any decent place to work.

Hmmm. Interesting!

It does breach data protection it's just most people don't understand it.

FloweryTwat: Performance is commented on in plenty off working environments. If you work in a sales team, you might have your figures on the wall. Does that breach data protection?

Sorry, I mean to say, is that similarly unacceptable? I agree that a detailed public analysis of a person's performance at work might be inappropriate, but lots of people have their general performance as common knowledge.

Tom - then having targets on books, displays on walls, certificates handed out or even sets is also breaking data protection (which it is not).

My geography teacher at secondary school used a similar method of naming and shaming low achievement. I was never in that group as I was such a swot but the way she went about it gave me terrible panic attacks (at that age I didn't know what they were) and migraines with projectile vomiting. I may have been more delicate than my peers, but I managed just fine with the rest of school life. It meant I had to drop gcse geography, which up until her class I had been fairly good at. After I dropped it I stopped getting vomiting migraines though the panic attacks have continued in stressful situations all my life.

So don't underestimate the effect this sort of feedback can have on children! I think you need to raise it, your daughter might not be that bothered but I don't see how giving public negative feedback can appropriate, especially without any reasons as a pp mentioned above.

History teacher seems to be using an Asian approach. My old science teacher (from Bangladesh) used to do this; as an aside all of the science students in his class in my year got grades A*-C. Not sure if that was a fluke or if it implies his technique works.

Agree it's harsh to have the low achievers listed by name.

Shaming those at the bottom of the class encourages unpleasant behavior and a punitive approach.

I think it's disgusting, and says a lot about the adult who wants to treat other people in this way. I was another high achiever who would have been very anxious and scared of getting put on the crap list!

The fact that there is no explanations highlights that the point of the feedback isn't about helping individuals improve, unless the teacher believes shaming, humiliation and labeling are good teaching aids.

If you are in a sales team, and they have 2 people named at the bottom as being unacceptable and not at the required standard, then I would suggest you are likely to have a demotivated team with a poor manager who only knows how to use threats and embarrassment to improve results.

Cosmic!

That's not to say I don't think poor performance should be dealt with, it should be. However not in a public arena.

In a sales team you are employed and do usually have the option of looking for other work, in schools the pupils have no escape. Also they are children, not adults with hopefully more developed resilience.