Austin's Butterfly - Feedback and Feedforward

 Recently I conducted the first part of an art lesson with 3 of my target students. Our focus was on developing sketching skills through the use of specific feedback.  I modelled this lesson after being shown "Austin's Butterfly" by my mentor teacher.  This was very useful having something to watch and draw from when creating my own lesson for my akongā.  Reflecting on my own notes and the feedback from my mentor who observed the lesson, means I can gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of my instructional strategies.

 

To begin the lesson, I reminded the students about the importance of following our ground rules for respectful conversation, which were prominently displayed. This served as a helpful reference point throughout the lesson.

• The learning intentions (LI) for the lesson were twofold: to develop sketching skills by observing and replicating a subject, and to practice giving and receiving specific feedback to improve our sketches. I made sure to clarify these intentions at the outset and provided the necessary materials such as A5 paper, pencils, and a reference image of a monarch butterfly.
• To engage the students in a discussion about feedback, I asked them what it meant when someone gives their "2 cents" in a conversation. This question prompted pairs of students to share their thoughts and then share their responses with the whole class. I captured their ideas on the board, ensuring that their voices were heard and acknowledged.
• The main video activity involved watching "Austin's Butterfly," a story about a first-grade student who receives feedback on his artwork. I challenged the students to pay attention to what effective feedback looks like during the video. They used newsprint to record their observations.
• After watching the video, I guided the students through a sketching exercise. I encouraged them to draw from memory, emphasising the importance of using the whole space, observing carefully, using light lines, building details, and considering proportion. I provided a visual example to illustrate the concept of proportion.
• To co-construct success criteria for effective feedback in art, I asked the students what they believed promoted growth and improvement. Their answers were transcribed on the board. We concluded that feedback should be specific, respectful, and actionable.
• The lesson concluded with a feedback activity, where students were assigned partners and given sticky notes to provide feedback to each other. I encouraged them to use the sentence frame, "I really like how you ________. Next time, you could try ________ to make it even better." This structure aimed to promote constructive and supportive feedback.

In retrospect, I acknowledge the strengths and areas for improvement in the lesson. The engagement level was high, and the use of visual aids, such as the video and example sketches, enhanced the students' understanding. However, I could have provided more visual prompts throughout the lesson, such as displaying the monarch butterfly image earlier.

In future lessons, I will make more deliberate connections to prior learning, and make sure that new concepts can be connected to the students' existing knowledge.  One thing we noticed was that I talked "about" feeding forward, but I never once actually referred to it as "feedforward." This comes down to being explicit with the words I use when teaching a group.  I need to use the words I want my students to use.  Additionally, I will try to use terms such as "learning intention" and "success criteria" more explicitly to enhance student understanding.

Overall, the feedback from my mentor and my own reflections will guide me in refining my teaching strategies. I appreciate the suggestions to make feedback a weekly focus and to continually seek examples of how I can improve my lessons. By implementing these recommendations, I am confident that I will create even more meaningful and effective learning experiences for my akonga.