Situation:

At Het Heerenlanden we use Catwise twice per school year, at the end of periods 1 and 2, to give students
feedback on their learning and behaviour during the period. This evidence shows a sample of different feedback
I wrote at the end of period 2, in January 2024.

Task:
On Catwise I had to choose a button (red, orange, green, top) for each student to assess their learning
performance, work attitude and behaviour during the period. I then had to write personalised feedback and an
optional feedforward. The aim is to acknowledge the student's efforts, highlight both positive points and areas
for improvement, provide encouragement and give specific advice.
I had about two and a half weeks between the opening of the platform and the deadline to complete it.

Action:
In theory, it is only compulsory to fill in feedback (and feedforward) for students who have received a red or orange
button. However, I filled in feedback for all my students and feedforward for at least all those with red/orange
marks. I also read about the characteristics of good feedback, for example Hattie and Timperley (2007), Geerts
and van Kralingen (2018) and Verbaan and Potiek (2022) and discussed the process with my mentor and
colleagues. I found it challenging to integrate these characteristics within the framework of platform, and with a
limited word count.

Result:
The feedback on Catwise is shared with students and other teachers at the end of the period. In theory, students
then reflect on the feedback they have received (with the help of their mentor and using guiding questions on the
platform such as "What do you think about your engagement during the lesson?) and establish a plan of action
to reach their goals/progress.

This feedback is also used during meetings (e.g. pedagogical meetings, reporting meetings) and triangular
discussions between mentors, students and families/carers.

In practice, since I have been using Catwise, I have not often seen students react to my feedback on the platform,
and I am not yet a mentor, so I have no experience of using it during mentor-coach discussions and meetings
with families. However, I have found it to be an effective tool during meetings with colleagues.

Reflection:
Through the process of providing feedback on Catwise, I have engaged in reflective practice that highlights both
the strengths and areas for improvement in my approach.

The feedback given uses positive reinforcement and acknowledges what students are doing well (e.g. active
participation, coming to class prepared). I tried to be specific, both in terms of positive behaviour and areas for
improvement (e.g. easily distracted, occasional off-task behaviour), doing my best to give students (and
mentors) a clear understanding of what was done well and what could be improved.

I also used various tips from my lectures (especially Hattie & Timperley, 2007 and Verbaan & Potiek, 2022) and
discussions with colleagues. For example, using a positive tone (while still acknowledging 'negative' things),
talking about the student's behaviour and learning rather than their person, using 'I' statements (I see that, I
notice that...). I included constructive suggestions (not to be too chatty with the class, to use the studiewijzer...)
with the aim of providing students with elements that would enable them to use the feedback to act on it.

However, when I reflect on the experience of providing feedback on Catwise, I see three main areas where I could
improve.

Firstly, learning objectives are not mentioned in the feedback. The platform has a section for feedback and
feedforward, but no feedforward, and I did not mention the goals.

Second, although I tried to be specific in the feedback, some comments are too general, which does not help
students to define clear directions for improvement. For example, instead of advising them not to distract others,
I could suggest ways of maintaining concentration, such as taking notes.

Finally, I did not provide enough feedforward to help students adjust their approach. Similarly, I should not limit
feedforward only to students who are performing less well. By providing constructive, informative feedback and
actionable feedforward, I would help students to identify the gap between current and desired performance and
provide strategies to close this gap (Hattie & Timperley, 2007).

According to Hattie and Timperley (2007), effective feedback should lead students to ask and answer three key
questions: Where am I going (feedforward, goals)? How am I currently getting there (concrete, factual,
informative feedback)? What are the next steps to get there (feedforward, actions, tips, strategies)? It should also
promote students' growth mindset and enable them to self-reflect and see challenges as learning opportunities
rather than failures (Verbaan, Potiek, 2022).

Going forward, I plan to integrate insights from the literature when giving feedback, both during lessons, in
discussions with students, and via Catwise. I will also continue to engage in discussion with colleagues to share
best practice and gather tips, particularly on how to give effective feedback within Catwise and its limited word
count. Becoming a mentor coach will give me the opportunity to learn how to use the feedback provided through
Catwise more effectively.

References:
Geerts, W., & van Kralingen, R. (2018). The Teachers’ handbook: Secondary and Vocational Education. Coutinho.

Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 81–112.
https://doi.org/10.3102/003465430298487

Verbaan, A., & Potiek, S. (2022). De leercoach: De zesde rol van de leraar. CPS Uitgeverij.