"We can argue whether or not humans are the only teachers in the animal kingdom, but there is no question that our species alone provides feedback on performance. We might therefore consider feedback on learning as the pinnacle of pedagogy. Do we gain our capacity for assessing learners and offering guidance by instinct or extensive practice? This outstanding book obviates the question because it shows in careful detail and in the use of extensive examples how to learn what learners know (and have yet to learn) and offer directions for the next steps.
"Providing students with effective feedback is an important aspect of teaching, as it can significantly contribute to their learning and, ultimately, their achievement.
"It is no secret that improving student learning requires deep collaboration and problem solving, which requires specific purpose-driven feedback guided by the desire to improve. Feedback for Continuous Improvement in the Classroom provides educators a road map with specific processes and structures that enhance effective feedback for the purposes of improving learning goals that are supported by rich learning tasks.<"
"Acclaimed African American educator and civil rights activist who was a national advisor to Franklin D. Roosevelt, Mary McCloud Bethune, had a motto for school: Enter to learn, depart to serve. Highly skilled, equity-minded teachers are vital to the success of all students and the future of our country. To reach every child, we need teachers who see formative feedback as one of the core missions of school.
"Duckor and Holmberg’s newest book lays out an important challenge for policymakers; one that is worth taking up as we rethink systems of support to address inequity. They start with the subtle yet obvious idea: Feedback for our students is the foundation of public education in a democracy. Then with the hard-earned wisdom of practice, they show how accessible this vision is. State accountability frameworks and support systems need to find room for the formative feedback framework presented here; this is our future.
"In China, we have a long history with the concept of feedback. Every master and apprentice relied on feedback to communicate. Sadly, in modern Chinese culture, “face is bigger than sky;” therefore, too often, it is not as easy to receive sincere and constructive feedback. We refrain from giving honest feedback not because we don’t want to but because we don’t know how. That’s why I was so excited when I found out that Duckor and Holmberg are putting together a book on such a crucial but neglected topic.
"This is a major piece of work on feedback, one that is teacher-friendly and caring. Teachers and teacher educators will have a major source of information on formative feedback in all its variations at their fingertips."
"In their latest book, Feedback for Continuous Improvement in the Classroom, Duckor and Holmberg have done a beautiful job of attending to the relational and collaborative aspects of meaningful feedback. Once again, ambitious teaching is seamlessly interwoven with research-based formative assessment strategies.
"Like a chocolate lava cake, this book is rich with new insights and can be consumed slowly, but in the end, you’ll be fully satisfied with a new perspective on feedback. Duckor and Holmberg have done a great job making their formative feedback framework accessible to a wide range of readers, but most importantly, it is written with teachers in mind. I enjoyed the logical array of the chapters, each one containing advance organizers, periodic calls for self-reflection, practical examples provided by real teachers, and takeaways at the end.
"Feedback for Continuous Improvement in the Classroom: New Perspectives, Practices, and Possibilities is the perfect book for educators at all levels who want to be absolutely current with the research, thinking, and practice on instructional feedback. Duckor and Holmberg present readers with a thorough and accessible introduction to the field and bring them right up to the minute on current thinking in this rapidly evolving and increasingly complex field. It would be great as a text for teacher education or individual chapters could be “starters” for in-service workshops.
"Every part of this book points at the purpose of public investment in education in any democracy. Feedback is not a luxury or afterthought. It must be practiced in every classroom and experienced in our schools. The power of formative feedback in the classroom—by all and with all—is on display in Duckor and Holmberg’s work. This timely book focuses on the habits of feedback that true democracy—with a small d—requires of us all!"
"What Duckor and Holmberg have accomplished is to craft a reading experience that, while grounded in solid scholarship, feels very much like a learning journey. The combination of the big ideas with the very practical “Try It Tomorrow” recommendations and authentic “Teacher Reflections” center practice in a way that feels deeply respectful and not overwhelming. I also appreciate explicit guidance to the individual adult learner as well as scaffolding for collective learning by grade-level teams or whole schools.
"Our university focuses on teaching college-level students 21st century skills with a focus on entrepreneurial thinking and design. Duckor and Holmberg’s latest book, Feedback for Continuous Improvement in the Classroom: New Perspectives, Practices, and Possibilities is a total winner. By unpacking the practical skills needed to develop entrepreneurial thinking (which is project-based, collaborative, and communication driven), our undergraduates will be ready to give and take feedback to the next level.
"Duckor and Holmberg provide a passionate yet realistic approach to providing feedback to students to fulfill their civil right to learn. It is unconscionable to teach students without providing daily and in-the-moment feedback and leveraging students’ own voices in the process of their learning. These authors lay out a framework and a series of action steps to help all teachers, novice through expert, reflect on their classroom practice and consider their own professional growth through the lens of understanding how students are thinking and developing while they are teaching them.
"This book is a wonderful resource for teachers and other educational professionals who want to know more about formative feedback. The chapters capture all the most important aspects, and some you probably did not know about. Each chapter has a useful general orientation to one aspect of formative feedback, including guiding questions, definitions, and a very clarifying “What It Is and What It Isn’t” table.
"Duckor and Holmberg’s latest book, Feedback for Continuous Improvement in the Classroom: New Perspectives, Practices, and Possibilities, is an important resource for teachers, school leaders, teacher educators, and curriculum developers alike. This well-written book explores formative feedback in secondary school contexts through a new, innovative framework by looking at its directionalities, configurations, and modalities. This book brings together research-based evidence from across the globe, real-life examples in U.S.
"Brent Duckor and Carrie Holmberg’s new book seamlessly weaves together research on formative feedback with issues of equity and pedagogical content knowledge, all while illustrating key ideas with student and teacher voices. There are so many practical tools embedded throughout the chapters that this book will be a go-to resource to support teacher learning communities find meaningful entry points into this critical work. It is a book that I know I will return to repeatedly."
"If you are looking for a comprehensive resource for maximizing the depth and effectiveness of feedback in your setting, this is it. Duckor and Holmberg have written a well-researched and highly practical book that will become a cornerstone for improving the overall learning and growth of all students in your classroom and school. The concern for differentiated feedback and academic language support is timely and needed for the field.<"
"New teachers want resources to help them build relationships with children and young people—from day one. Advice and support from expert educators can help them grow their capacity to connect their passion for subject matter with good feedback practices to support student learning. Brent and Carrie’s latest book, Feedback for Continuous Improvement in the Classroom, is a remarkable resource for our new teachers and their mentors. Every chapter captures a dimension of formative feedback in the classroom and provides strategies to use and reflect upon.
"Busy practitioners want to know what to do tomorrow. Duckor and Holmberg’s Feedback for Continuous Improvement in the Classroom delivers the try it tomorrow and tech tips to get feedback happening now in your classroom. Putting aside the dysfunctional detail and stale ideas about the role of rubrics, the authors open up new possibilities with progress guides for student, peer, and teacher-led assessment that deepen learning.