Understanding Feedback: A Critical Exploration for Teacher Educators

A critical text on feedback and assessment for all teacher educators.

Feedback can be key to learning, but its potential value is not always fulfilled in practice. Developing a more nuanced understanding of feedback is particularly crucial in the ITE sector where ITE students receive feedback as learners but also give feedback to their pupils, and teacher educators need to provide feedback to their students and also guide them to give effective feedback to their pupils.

This book explores what feedback means in the ITE sector and more broadly within education. It discusses the relational, pedagogical and moral dimensions of feedback conceptualized by student teachers, drawing on research data and supporting teacher educators considering the implications for their own practice. It includes discussion of placement and academic assessment / feedback practice as well as referencing the Teachers’ Standards, the Core Framework for ITT and recommendations from the Carter Review.

Caroline Elbra-Ramsay is the deputy head of the School of Education, Language and Psychology at York St John University, working largely in initial teacher education. Prior to this, Caroline was a primary school teacher for 16 years, including the deputy headship of a large primary school where she had responsibility for school assessment - which began a longstanding interest in assessment and feedback.

As an ITE lecturer, Caroline teaches primary English, philosophy for children and professional studies, which includes working with student teachers to develop their own assessment and feedback practice in school. Her own research has also focused on assessment and feedback.

Ian Menter is former President of BERA, 2013-2015. At Oxford University Department of Education he was Director of Professional Programmes and led the development of the Oxford Education Deanery. Prior to that he was Professor of Teacher Education at the University of Glasgow and held posts at the University of the West of Scotland, London Metropolitan University, University of the West of England and the University of Gloucestershire. Ian was President of the Scottish Educational Research Association from 2005–07 and chaired the Research and Development Committee of the Universities’ Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET) from 2008-11. He is a Visiting Professor at Bath Spa University and Ulster University and an Honorary Professor at the University of Exeter. Since 2018 he has been a Senior Research Associate at Kazan Federal University, Russia.