Be a Detective
With the technique, Be A Detective, rather than tell students what they have got wrong and what they need to do to make this correct, you say something like:
‘You got two of these right but one is wrong – I’d like you to work out which one is wrong, and why.’
‘That’s almost perfect, but I can see one mistake in what you’ve written. It’s to do with the use of capital letters. See if you can find the mistake.’
You are giving a clue, but students have to do most of the cognitive work themselves. [This idea is borrowed from Embedded Formative Assessment by Dylan Wiliam.]
Why use this technique?
Feedback that students have to think about can be thought of as ‘active feedback’. (‘Passive feedback’ is feedback that students don’t have to do anything with, but almost certainly should.) The best way for feedback to become ‘active’ is to get students to do something with it shortly after it has been given. This technique encourages that.
Notes and tips
With this technique, it is worth highlighting one note of caution: there is a fine line between, on the one hand, getting students to think in a way that moves learning forward, and, on the other hand, frustrating them. Asking them to be a detective relies on knowing students well enough to know that they have enough knowledge to both identify and correct mistakes. If they don’t have this, then they won’t be able to act on feedback, no matter how hard they think. We don’t want students thinking: ‘My teacher never gives me any help. They don’t care about me.’ Therefore, we shouldn’t leave students to act as detectives for too long without checking in on the progress they are making.
Focused reflection
How well do you currently use this technique?
Is it a technique you will focus on developing?
If so, what are the key features you will focus on (things to do, and not do)?