UCL Verbal Feedback Project

To what extent does Verbal Feedback* implemented over two terms improve student engagement** among disadvantaged pupils*** in Year 7 or 8?’

This is the question that the UCL Access and Widening Participation Office is trying to answer through the Verbal Feedback Project, led in partnership with Ross McGill of Teacher Toolkit and Mark Quinn from the UCL London Centre for Leadership in Learning. The Verbal Feedback Project reflects UCL’s commitment to school-based research that informs teaching and learning and supports the progression of disadvantaged students in particular.

We are delighted to be working with the following schools on the Verbal Feedback Project:

• Batley Girls’ High School, West Yorkshire
• London Nautical School, Lambeth
• Oakgrove School, Milton Keynes
• Ranelagh School, Berkshire
• Reigate School, Surrey
• Trinity Catholic School, Warwickshire
•  Westminster City School, London

The teachers involved in the project come from a broad range of subject disciplines from English to Science, via Geography and MFL, but they all share a commitment to implementing verbal feedback techniques that aim to improve outcomes for their students. We also hope that this area of work will positively impact on teacher workload. Each teacher researcher is currently working with a Year 7 or Year 8 class and using verbal feedback techniques that reflect their classroom style, the needs of their students and subject area. Techniques used include teacher modelling, whole class feedback, and coaching.

Early signs are encouraging, with one teacher reporting that a focus on verbal feedback has led to more time planning and less time marking, which in turn has changed the nature of her lessons. Teachers are also reporting that relationships with students are beginning to change, because they are now spending more time engaging in conversations and noticing small shifts in the teacher/student relationship.

It’s important to recognise that participating in a research project whilst teaching full-time is not without a time cost, and participating teachers are spending time gathering evidence, recording the use of verbal feedback techniques and reflecting on their impact for the purposes of evaluation. We are fortunate to be working with a committed group of professionals who not only want to improve their own practice, but also make a contribution to the wider verbal feedback research base and support teachers across the sector.

The UCL Verbal Feedback Project will conclude in July 2019, and we will be reporting on the outcomes in autumn 2019. Project outputs will include a report produced by the UCL London Centre for Leadership in Learning and a toolkit for teachers written by Ross McGill.

If you are interested in learning more about the project, would like to speak with the teachers involved, or hear from our project facilitators, we will be hosting a Verbal Feedback Project event in September 2019 at the UCL Institute of Education. To register your interest in attending please complete the online form to receive further details.

This post is written by Carly Sandy, a Senior Access Officer in our team and a former secondary school teacher. Carly manages the Verbal Feedback Project and the Teacher Action Research Project. The post was also published on the Teacher Toolkit blog. 

*Verbal Feedback as applied according to the professional judgement of different teachers working in different contexts. (Each will explicitly describe their approach in their reflective journal)

**Engagement as defined as: ‘Written, non-verbal and verbal responses from students that demonstrate their active involvement in their learning.’

***Disadvantaged as defined by the UCL Access and Widening Participation Office