John Hattie Feedback Strategies for Boosting Student Growth Through Visible Learning

Read Time: 4 minutes

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🌐 Table of Contents

Understanding Feedback’s Place in Visible Learning
Emphasize Feedback Reception: Engaging Students in the Process
The Three Key Questions for Formative Feedback Success
Layered Feedback for Visible Learning: Task, Process, and Self-Regulation
Diving Deeper: Hattie’s Unique Insights on Feedback
Bringing It All Together: Feedback as a Pathway to Growth
Further Resources
Ready to Give Great Feedback?

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🔍 Explore the Impact of Feedback on Student Growth

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John Hattie’s research reveals powerful ways teachers can turn feedback into a driving force for student success. This guide explores Hattie’s insights into the impact of feedback on student growth and introduces you to transformative strategies that align with his visible learning in education approach.

Feedback can be a transformative tool in the classroom—if applied effectively. In his extensive research on visible learning in education, John Hattie identified feedback as one of the most influential factors impacting student success. This blog delves into Hattie’s insights and presents actionable feedback strategies to enhance student growth and engagement.

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📊 Understanding Feedback’s Place in Visible Learning

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Feedback is a high-impact strategy for student success. Use this visual as a guide to understand feedback's place among other effective teaching practices.

‍^‍‍Feedback’s impact on student growth is substantial, as John Hattie’s Visible Learning research reveals. Among several factors affecting educational outcomes, feedback stands out with an impressive effect size, signifying its role in accelerating learning. The infographic below highlights where feedback ranks among other influential strategies in Hattie’s research.

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I. 🎥 Emphasize Feedback Reception: Engaging Students in the Process

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Effective feedback goes beyond simply delivering comments—it’s about ensuring students receive, interpret, and use feedback in meaningful ways. To amplify the feedback effect size in education, make feedback an active part of students’ learning processes.

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Strategies to Foster Feedback Engagement

Technique	Description	Student Engagement Activity
Feedback Check-Ins	Invite students to interpret feedback actively.	Questions: “What does this feedback mean for you?” “What changes will you make?”
Reflection Stations	Set up zones where students reflect on feedback, noting next steps or insights.	Activity: After feedback, students document their next action on a reflection board.
Feedback-Building Workshops	Help students view feedback as growth-oriented, not critical.	Session Outline: Learn how to turn feedback into actionable goals and address common misinterpretations.

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II. 🧩 The Three Key Questions of Formative Feedback for Student Success

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Hattie’s research emphasizes three essential questions that should frame all feedback to make it actionable and impactful. This approach aligns with visible learning in education, guiding students from understanding their goals to identifying the path forward.

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Implementing the Key Questions

Question	Purpose	Example Feedback
“Where am I going?”	Define the Goal: Establish a clear learning target.	“In this assignment, success means creating a well-structured argument.”
“How am I going?”	Reflect on Progress: Offer specific, goal-oriented feedback.	“Your argument is strong; adding more examples could further support your point.”
“Where to next?”	Plan Future Steps: Suggest actionable steps for improvement.	“Focus on structuring your argument in steps for better clarity in the next draft.”

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Quick Tips for Using Feedback Questions

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Distribute Quick Tip Cards to students with each feedback session. Each card contains reflection prompts that help students connect feedback to personal learning goals, such as:

“How does my work align with the goal?”
“What change can I make to improve?”
“What skill should I focus on next?”

Result: These guiding questions help students view feedback as a roadmap for learning and improvement.

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III. 📚 Layered Feedback for Visible Learning: Task, Process, and Self-Regulation

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To amplify the impact of feedback on student growth, consider a multi-dimensional approach. Hattie identifies three levels of feedback that address different aspects of student learning.

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Creating Three-Dimensional Feedback Layers

Feedback Level	Focus	Sample Feedback
Task-Level Feedback 🎯	Focuses on accuracy and completion, targeting specific elements of the assignment.	“Your calculations are accurate; great job following each step.”
Process-Level Feedback 🔍	Focuses on methods and strategies, encouraging improvement in methodology.	“Your use of evidence is good. Adding analysis will make it even stronger.”
Self-Regulation Feedback 🚀	Encourages self-assessment and independent monitoring, cultivating students' ability to guide their own learning.	“Re-read your work aloud to catch any unclear phrasing.”

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Diving Deeper: Hattie’s Unique Insights on Feedback 🔍

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🔗 Effect Size Power

Feedback holds an impressive effect size of 0.70 – among the top influences on student achievement. Mastering feedback can be a game-changer for growth!

⏰ Timing is Key

Immediate feedback on task-level learning delivers faster improvement. Think of it like real-time coaching; students get the chance to course-correct on the spot.

🔄 The Feedback Loop

Great feedback isn’t one-way. When students share feedback on teaching methods, it creates a loop where teachers and students learn and adapt together, strengthening the learning bond.

🌍 The Cultural Lens

Culture shapes how feedback is given and received. Hattie’s research reminds us: culturally responsive feedback helps all students feel seen, respected, and understood.

🤝 Peer Feedback Power

Peer feedback, when structured, empowers students to support each other’s growth, creating a collaborative learning community.

✨ Embracing Mistakes

In Hattie’s approach, mistakes aren’t setbacks—they’re building blocks. Cultivate a space where students can take risks, knowing that each misstep is a chance to learn.

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Feedback Journal Prompts for Reflection

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Encourage students to keep a Feedback Journal where they reflect on each type of feedback received. Prompt students with questions like:

Task-Level: “What did I do well on this task?”
Process-Level: “How can I refine my approach for next time?”
Self-Regulation: “How will I monitor my work to catch similar issues in the future?”

Outcome: This multi-layered approach allows students to build knowledge in steps, from task-specific feedback to independent skill-building.

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🔑 Bringing It All Together: Feedback as a Pathway to Growth

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John Hattie’s feedback strategies go beyond corrections, transforming feedback into a dynamic tool for continuous learning. By focusing on feedback reception, utilizing key questions, and offering layered guidance, teachers can create a classroom environment that fosters visible learning and growth.

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📘 Further Resources

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Looking for more ways to enhance your feedback practices? Explore our resource hub for actionable insights, templates, and tools designed for today’s educators.

Side note: one teacher recently shared her struggle with crafting math report card comments. She emphasized the challenge of creating feedback that resonates with students and parents while staying true to each student's progress and needs. For teachers facing similar challenges, consider focusing on how feedback can unlock each student's mathematical potential.

For an in-depth look at creating meaningful math report card comments, visit Unlocking Mathematical Potential: A Comprehensive Look at Meaningful Math Report Card Comments.

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Want to save time with your math comments with 50 premade templates? Check out our guide to meaningful math report card comments for expert tips and templates.

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Ready to Give Great Feedback? If you’re looking to streamline feedback on report cards, check out MakeProgress AI – a powerful tool designed to help teachers provide clear, impactful feedback in record time.